Evening star., 1915-04-04

began to topple over and over It
leaned. slowly. fast. faster. There was
not an outcry, Short calls Of COM
mand there were from officers. but not
q sound from the men.
1t was very still now. The wireless
had ceased, the engines were shut or.
and there was only the roar of steam
The dreadnaught's crew WAS cling
ing like men ciingtns to a steer
that would give foot-hold or hand
grip on the inclined deck. sig
nal climbed along the t"ppling mast
Then. with thunde- Of breaking
metal. with firc-hoss, ammunition
cases Instruments, ships furniture all
Nolleying into the sea. me ship fcll ia
on her side and went down
II a kissing. breaking sea that In-
stantly was gray with ashes and ,pul-
n-colored with oil. swan 600 men.
None came near them. The dread
naughts last signal had been tho order
to keep off, and the big fleet was
weaving in and out at top speed, In a
maneuver long since perfected. TO cs-
cape other attacks from the invisible
things.
Far astern rsvcd the guns again.
This time the alert destroyers had not
''''NS|' AiaN4' 'hAhi' y pfFlS'ppc ulSdD-
peared- Presently, slowly, little
spreading disks of oil SWAN on ,be
surface and united. and more noated
upward and spread.
Not Tor a moment had the fleet fuire,
INTO disorder. Even whtl. tho a,s,,,,
ers We're picking up W hat survivors
they could find another dreadp,u,,,
hoisted IT'S commanders flag as an
lrlIal, IN place OF the one who la,
unaer me bright green water \ speed
cone went up. and warahips and ron
Foy steamed full speed shead
nan ana hour later the periscopes OF
submarines, outdistanced. bobbed
up Tar behind the fleet Their gray
Shapes arose, steamine tn. nou
hoies opened and heads came o,,t
bllnking into the sunlight and draw.
ing IN great breaths of fresh air
fhey followed the ships toward the
One of them hoisted wireless an.
paratus and began TO call 1t was a
weak call, that had to be reneat.I
again and again. Then Montauk point
heard, over a temporary apparatus ana
received and began to send ON 10 Ne,v
YORK. and the bulletin told that sub.
marine M-S had sunk the admiral.s
hagshlp; that submarine G-3 had sunil
destroyer. and that submarines OF
had been lost
victory! Victory. Victory" ran
the news They knew that il was NOT
victory, those great, anxious crowds
mat stopped all traffic that day in all
the continent of North America Bur
for while they were thrilled. and
they cheered and forgot the slow. inn
placable grip of irresistible power
that was closing in on their eastern
seacoast. not to he stayed. NOT even to
be halted.
The day passed. and the dusk came
in. 4 pleas SAINT evening it was. warm
enough to tempt people to stay out-of.
doors Even in the trembling sea
cities there was all the wonted life
of such season. The rich had fed.
but the others remained. There was
nothing else for them to do. \ few
months before. had amy of them been
asked what they would do in case of
an invasion. they would have painted
picture of the millions fleeing from
their cities with what possessions they
could lug. Thus il had been in Eu-
rope. AS they had read. Thus it would
be in America.
But it was not so. There they were.
watching and waiting. aud clinsing {"
the only hold they knew. And in thus
soft dusk. there they loitered IN their
countless miles of streets. and talked.
and argued. and prophcsied. just as
they had done always. And eysry-
where in the miles frouted by little
houses and t"nements and tall apart
meutS the children were usherlnc ia tfe
spring by playing ring -around-rosE-
Ever, where their thin. clear young
voices made the old accustomed music
of the towns.
Extra. Extra
In the soft dusk. on the Rhode Is
land and massachusetts coast there was
falling red hell aud ruin.
out of the tranquil. empty se:, j had
come. Out there. far out. in the pearl
and gray. there had been flashes. There
had been roars and Whistles and be-
lows in the high. still arr. coming. cou-
ing. And the shells had plunged dow II.
eyeryW here. uneA3lng. streams OF iron.
streams of fire streams Of screa min =.
bursting things: things that struck the
land and spun into il lik" beasts hIt-
ing. and burst. blasting away forests
and houses and men in crimson WhIrl-
wind: things that plunged into towns
and ricochetted. and pulled down walls
aud towers: things that dart.d at pow
er plants and darkened the world. and
things that burst into towns with fierce
fire and set the world aiight.
1t WAS not news that came through
the spring night. To the men at the
receiving ends Of wires it was as IN
there We're coming to them one wild din
of terror. Here were telephone mes
sages that broke off in the middle and
We're never to be resumed on this
earth. Here We're telegraph dispatches
that stopped suddenly and left the wire
dead. its far end dangling where
shell had torn down the poles. From
hlltops far inland came raving words
of burning towns glarinG red in the
country below. From somewhere un-
known. from some body unknown. came
one word over telephone that instant
ly went out of commission. Ii was:
God"
In the cabin of the new flagship sat
the new admiral. The ship was shak-
ing with the explosions from its
ondary batteries. but the ca bin was or
derby and sedate. A shaded light was
shining on n chart.
Another hour of this said the ad-
mral and L think the coast will lie
nicely cleared for the landing. He Sc
lected a cigar from its box and lit It
carefully.
Copyright 1915. by ]. W Miller. AL rights
Reseryed.)
The third installment Of .The Inxa-
sion of America" will appear i'm next
Sundays Star.