Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-10-03
lCopyright, I9ll. by Charles scrlbnera SonaI

looked up to Marta in answer to o
movement in her chair. She had bent
forward in pose that freed her figure
from the chair-back in an outline of
suppleness and f1rmness; her lips were
parted, showing a faint line of tho
white of her teeth, and he caught her
gazing at him in kind of wondering
admiration. But she dropped her eye
lids instantly and said deliberately,
less to him than to herself:
"You have the glft!"
No tea-table flattery that, no knew;
only the reflection of fact whose ex-
istence had been borne in on her by
observation.
"The gift? How?" he inquired,
speaking to the fringe of hair that
half hid her lowered face.
She looked up, smiling brightly.
"You don't know what gift! Not
the pianist's! Not the poets! Why,
of course, the supreme gift of COM
mand! The thing that made you chief
of staff! And the war goes we'll for
you, doesn't it?"
Delicious morsel, this, to a connois-
seur in compliments! He tasted 1t
with the same self-satisfied smile that
he had her first prophecy. To her
who had then voiced a secret he had
shared with no one, as his chest
swelled with a full breath, he barred
another in the delight of the impress
sion he had made on her.
Eyes, as you foresaw-as planned"
he said. "Yes, l planned all, step by
step, till was chief of staff and ready.
convinced the premier that it was
time to strike and chose the hour to
strike; for Bodlapoo was only a con-
venient excuse for the last of all the
steps"
The subjective enjoyment of the
declaration kept him from any keen
notice of the effect of his words.
Lanny was right. 1t had been a war
of deliberate conquest a war to
crafty personal ambition All her life
Marta would be able to live over again
the feelings of this moment. 1t was as
if she were frozen, all except brain
and nerves, which were on fire, while
the rigidity of ice kept her from
springing from her chair in contempt
and horror. But purpose came on the
wings of diabolical temptation which
would pit the art of woman against
the power Of a man who set millions
against millions in slaughter to crafty
narEoDal- am hilton Cha vr,oc tboDEf,iI
that she was looking down as she
spoke, for she could not bring herself
to another compliment Her throat
was too chilled for that yet.
The one way to end the feud be-
tween the two nations was war that
would mean permanent peace" he ex.
planned, seeing how quiet che was and
realizing, with recollection of her
children's oath, that he had gone lit
tie too far. He wanted to retain her
admiration. 1t had become as precious
to him as a new delicacy to Lucullus.
yes, understand" she managed
to murmur; then she was able to look
up. TITS all so immense!" she added.
Your ideas about war seem to be a
great deal changed" he limited
casually.
"As 1 expressed them at the hotel,
you meant" she exclaimed. THAT
seems ages ago-ages!" The perplex.
ity and indecision that, in a space OF
silence, brooded in the depths of her
eyes came to the surface in wavering
lights. Eyes, ages! ages!" The waver
ing lights grew dim with kind Of hor-
ror and she looked away fixedly at a
given point.
He was conscious of a thrill; the
thrill that always presaged victory for
him. He realized her evident dis
tress; he guessed that terrible pic.
lures were moving before her vision.
"You see, 1 have been very much
stirred up" she said half apologetical.
!ly. There are some questions 1 want
to ask-quite practical. selfish. ques
tions. You might call them questions
Of property and mercy. The longer
the war lasts the greater will be the
loss of life and the misery?"
"Yes, for both sides; and the heavier
the expense and the taxes"
"If you win, then we shall be under
your flag and pay taxes to your"
"Yes, naturally"
"The Browne do not increase in
population; the Grays do rapidly. They
are a great, powerful, civilized race.
They stand for civIllzation!"
Eyes, facts and the worlds opinion
agree" he replied. Puzzled he might
well be by this peculiar catechism. He
could only continue to reply until he
should see where she was leading.
"And your victory will mean a new
frontier, new order of international
relations and long peace, you think {?
Peace-a long peace!"
Was there ever a soldier who did
not fight for peace? Was there ever a
call for more army-corps or guns that
was not made in the name of peace ?
He had his ready argument, spoken
with the forclble conviction of an ex.
pert.
This war was made for peace-the
only kind of peace that there can be-"
he said. "My ambition, IL any glory
comes to me out of this war, Is to aa1 .
later generations say: lie brought
peace!"
ITO Ro Continued1