Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-10-19

| And defeat meanS-what does de.
feat mean" she asked narrowly, calm.
ly; and the pointed question released
her shoulders from the wise.
What had been a shadow In his
( thoughts became live monster, strik.
ing him with the force of blow. He
forgot Marta. Yes, what would de.
feat mean to him? Sheer human ma.
ture broke through the bonds OF men.
tai discipline weakened by sleepless
nights. Convulsively his head dropped
as he covered his face.
Defeat! Fail! That I should fall"
he moaned.
Then 1t was that she saw him in the
reality of his littleness, which she had
OWNED; this would-be conqueror. She
saw him as his intimates often see the
great man without his front of Jove.
Don't we know that Napoleon had mo.
ments of privacy when he whined and
threatened suicide? She wondered II
Lanny, too, were like that-if it were
not the nature Of all conquerors who
could not have their way. 1t seemed
to her that Westerling was beneath
the humblest private in his army-be.
meath even that fellow with the liver
patch on his cheek who had broken
the chandelier in the sport of brutal
passion. All sense of her own part was
submerged in the sight of a chief OF
staff exhibiting no more stoicism than
petulant, spoiled schoolboy.
While his head was still bent the ar.
tillery began its crashing thunders and
the sky became light with flashes. His
hands stretched out toward the range,
clenched and pulsing with defiance and
command.
go in! Go in, as l told you!" he
cried. Stay in. alive or dead! Stay
till l tell you to come out! Stay! ]
can't do any more! You must do II
! nowi"
Then this may be truly the end"
thought Marta, "if the assault fails"
And silently she prayed that it would
rail; while the flashes lighted Wester.
ling's set features, imploring success.
In the Browns headquarters, as in
the Grays', telegraph instruments were
silent after the preparations were over.
Here, also, officers walked restlessly,
glancing at their watches. They, too,
we're glad that the mist continued. II
meant no wind. When the telegraph
did speak it was with another message
from some aerostatic officer saying,
Still favorable" which was taken at
once to Lanstron, who was with the
! staff chiefs around the big table They
nodded at the news and smiled to one
another; and some who had been pac-
ing sat down and others rose to begin
pacing afresh.
We could have emplaced two lines
Of automatics, one above the other"
exclaimed the chief of artillery.
But that would have given too much
Of climb for the infantry in going In
delayed the rush." said Lanstron.
IF they should stick-it we couldn't
drive them back!" exclaimed the vice.
chief of staff.
II don't think they will" said Lam
stron.
To the others he seemed as cool as
ever, even when his manned hand was
twitching in his pocket. But now, sud
denly, his eyes starting as at horror,
he trembled passionately, his head
dropping forward, as If he would col
lapse.
"Oh, the murder of 1.-THE murder!"
he breathed
| oh
theirs, but for ours!" said the vice
chief of staff, laying his hand on Lam
stron's shoulder.
And we sit here while they go int"
Lanstron added. There's a kind of
injustice about that which can't get
over. Not one OF us here has been
under fire!"
Even the minute Of the attack they
knew; and just before midnight they
were standing at the window looking
out into the night, while the vice-chief
held his watch in hand. In the hush
the faint sound of a dirigible's propel-
ler high up in the heavens, muffled by
the fog, was drowned by the Gray
guns opening fire.
Before the mine exploded, by the
light of the shell bursts breaking their
vast prisms from central spheres of
flame for miles, with the quick Sc.
quence of a moving picture flicker,
Fracasse's men could see one anothers
faces, spectral and stifr and pasty
white, with teeth cleaning where jaws
had dropped, some eyes half closed by
the binding flashes and some opened
wide as If the lids we're paralyzed.
Faces and faces A sea Of faces
stretching away down the slope-faces
in a trance.
Up over the breastworks, over rocks
and splintered timbers. Peterkin and
the judges son and their comrades
clambered. When they moved they
were as a myriad.legged creature,
brain numbed, without any sensation
except that Of rapids going over fall
Those in front could not falter, being
pushed on by the pressure of those in
the rear. For few steps they were
under no fire. The scream of their
own shells breaking in Internal pande-
monium in front seemed to be a power