Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-09-12
THE LAST SHOT
By FREDERICK PALMER
Copyright, 1914. By Charles scribner's Sons.

closed, SO that you would know Just
where to use your spades in the dark.
Quietly as possible! No talking!" he
kept cautioning a. the men turned the
soft earth, "ano not higher than the
cord, and lay the stubble side of the
sods on the reverse so as to cover
the fresh earth on the skyline
When the work wns done all re.
eurned behind the knoll except the
sentries posted at intervals on the
crest to watch. With the aid of
small electric flash, screened by his
hands. Dellarme again examined sec.
tion of the staff map that outlined the
contour of the knoll In relation to the
other positions. After this he wrote
in his diary the simple facts of the
days events, concluding with a senti.
ment Of gratitude for the honor
shown his company and a prayer that
he might keep a clear head and do
his duty II war came on the morrow.
Nov, every one get all the sleep he
can!" he advised the men.
Stransky slept with his head on his
arm, soundly; the others slept no bet
ter than the men of the 12Sth. The
night passed without any alarm ex.
cept that Of their own thoughts, and
they welcomed dawn as a relief from
suspense. There was no hot coffee
this morning, and they washed down
their rations with water from their
canteens. The old sergeant was lying
beside Captain Dellarme on the crest,
the sunrise In their faces. AS the mist
cleared from the plain 1t revealed the
white dots of the frontier posts in the
meadow and behind them many gray
figures In skirmish order, scarcely Wis
ible except through the glasses.
1T looks like business!" declared
the old sergeant.
"Yes, it begins the minute they
cross the line!" said Dellarme.
His glance sweeping to the rear to
scan the landscape under the light OF
day, he recognized, with a sense of
pride and awe. the tactical Importance
of his company's position in relation
to that Of the importance Of the other
companies. Easily he made out the
cealed trenches and groups OF brown
uniforms; and here and there were
the oblong, cloth stretches of waiting
hospital litters. On the reverse slope
OF another knoll was the farmhouse, :
marked x on his map as the regimen.
tai headquarters, where he was to
watch for tho signal to fall back from
his first stand In delaying the enemy's
advance. Directly to the rear was the
cut through which the company had
come from the main pass road, and be-
yond that the Galland house, which
was to be the second stand.
Now Dellarme disposed his men in
line back Of the ridge Of fresh earth
that they had dug in the night, ready
to rush to their places when he blew
the whistle that hung from his neck,
but he did not allow them a glimpse
over the crest.
81 know that you are curious, but
| powerful glasses are watching for you
to show yourselves; and If battery
turned loose on US you'd unA~rstand,"
he explained.
Thus the hours wore on. and the
church clock struck uine and ten.
Never a movement down there!"
called the sergeant from the crest to
Dellarme. Maybe this is just their
final bluff before they come to terms
about Bodlapoo"-that stretch of Az
rican jungle that seemed very far
away to them all
Let US hope SOL" said Dellarme
seriously.
Choosing to go to town by the
castle road rather than down the ter
race to the main pass road, Marta,
starting for the regular Sunday SER
vice of her school, as she emerged
from the grounds, saw Feller, garden
shears in hand, a figure of stone
watching the approach Of some field
batteries. The question of allowing
him to undertake his part as a spy
had drifted !pto the background of her
mind under the distressing and ever
present pressure of the crisis. He was
to remain until there was war. She
was almost past him before he real
ICED her presence. which he acknowl-
! edged by startled movement and a
step forward as he took off his hat.
She paused. His eyes wero glowing
| like Goals under bower as he looked
At her and again at the batteries,
! seeming to include her with the guns
in the spell of his fervid abstraction.
Frontier closed last night to pre-
vent intelligence about our prepara-
! tions leaking out-Lanny's plan all
allve-the guns coming" he said, his
shoulders stiffening, his chin drawing
in, his features resolute and beaming
with the ardor of youth in action
troops moving here and there to their
places-engineers preparing the de-
fenses-automatics at critical points
with the nfantry-feld-wire laid
fleld-telephones set up-the wireless
spitting-the caissons full-planes and
dirigibles ready-search-lights In po-
sition-"
There the torrent of his broken SEN
tences was checked. A shadow passed
in front of him. He came out of his
trance Of imageries of activities, SO
I vividly clear to his military mind. to