The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-03-05

The army ~ xsurs, Westerling,
concluded the premier. II admire your
stolidity of purpose. You have my con-
fdence. I shall wait and hold the stu
alton at home the best / can. We go
into the hall of fame or into the gut
ter together, you and Il"
For a while after he had hung up
the receiver Westerling's head
dropped, his muscles relaxed, giving
mind and body a release from tension.
But his spine was as stiff as ever as
he left the closet, and he was even
smiling to give the impression that
! the news from the capital was favor
able.
When he called his chiefs of divi-
sion it was hardly for staff council.
Stunned by the losses and repulses,
Loyalty Industrious, their opinions I'M
| asked, they listened to his whirlwind
of orders without comment-au except
Turcas.
'''If they are appraised of our plan and
are able to concentrate more artillery
/ than our guns can silence, the losses
will be demoralizing," he observed.
Westerling threw up his head, frown.
| ing down the objection.
Suppose they amount to half the
forces that we send int" he exclaimed.
"Isn't the position, which means the
pass and the range, worth it?"
Eyes, if we both take and hold it,;
not if we fall" replied Turcas, quite
unaffected by Westerling's manner.
Failure is not in my lexicon!" Yves.
terling shot back. For great gains
there must be great risks"
1--WE prepare for the movement,
your excellency," answered Turcas.
It was a steel harness Of his own
will that Westerling wore, without ad-
hitting that it CALLED him, and he laid
it off only in Marta's presence. With
| her, his growing sense Of isolation had
the relief Of companionship. She be-
came a kind of mirror of his egoism
and ambitions. He liked to Rave her
think of him as a great man unruff1ed
among weaker men. In the quiet and
seclusion OF the garden, iDvoluntarily
as one who has no confiGant speaks
to himself, reserving fortjeude for his
part before the staff, white she, under
the spell of her purpose, silently, with
serene and wistfully listening eyes,
played hers, he outlined how the final
and telling blow was to be struck.
1--WE must and we shall win!" he
kept repeating.
|
Through rubber disk held to his
ear in the closet of his bedroom a
voice, tremulous with nervous fatigue,
was giving Lanstron news that all his
aircraft and cavalry and spies could
not have gained; news worth more
than score of regiments; news fresh
from the lips of the chief of staff OF
the enemy. The attack was to be
made at the right of Engadir, its cen.
ter breaking from the redoubt manned
by Fracasse's men.
Marta, you genius!" Lanstron cried
"You are the real general! YOU"
"Not that, pleased" she broke in
sI'm as foul and depraved az dealer
in subtle poisons in the middle ages!
Oh, the shame Of it, while look into
his eyes and feign admiration, feign
everything which will draw out his
plans! I can never forget the sight
Of him as he told me how two or three
or four hundred thousand men were
to be crowded into ram, as he called
| IF HIN
enough in support, he said, to tear any
redoubts to pieces; guns enough to
make their shells as thick as the bull.
lets from an automatic!"
well meet ram with ram! Well
have some guns, tool" exclaimed Ian,
stron. Well send as heavy a shell
fire at their infantry as they send into
our redoubts."
| Don't. It's too like Westerling. It
has become too trite!" she protested.
1.-THE end! If I really were helping
toward that and to save lives and our
country to it's people, what would my
private feelings matter? My honor,
my soul-what would anything mat.
ter? For that, any sacrifice. I'm
only one human being-a weak, luna
tic sort of one, just now!"
Marta, don't suffer so! You are
overweight. YOU"
'I can say all that for you, Lanny,"
she interrupted with the faintest laugh.
1--WE said it SO many times to myself
Perhaps when I call you up again I
shall not be so hysterical."
Lanstron was not thinking Of war or
wars combination when he hung up
the receiver 1t was some moments
before he returned to the staff room,
and then he had mastered his emo
ton. He was the soldier again.
An hour or so before the attack the
telegraph instruments in the Galland
house had become pregnantly silent.
There were no more orders to give;
no more reports to come from the
| troops in position until the assault was
made. officers of supply ceased to
transmit routine matters over the wire,
while they strained their eyes toward
the range. Officers of the staff moved
| q bO11t raSt1pSSlv o1anojpo of their