The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-01-16


street for the space Of minute, De
fore those who escaped could plaster
themselves against doorways or mo
cover in alleys. Then silence from
the automatics and a cheer from the
Browns that rasped out its triumph
like the rubbing together of steel MES
From the line of defense, that in
cluded the first terrace of the Galiahu
grounds as the angle Of redoubt, not |
| a shot, not a sound; silence on the |
part of officers and men as profound
as Mrs. Galland's slumber, while one
| of the Browns search-lights, like some
great witch's slow-turning eye IN
narrow radius, covered the lower ter
races and the road.
Marta gave Intermittent glances at
the garden; the glances Of guardian.
She happened to be looking in that
direction when figures sprang across
the road, crouching, running with the
short, quick steps of no body move
ment accompanying that Of the legs.
The search-light caught them in mer-
CHESS silhouette and the automatic
and the rifles from behind the sand
bags on the first terrace let go. Some
Of the figures dropped and lay IN the
road and she knew that she had seen
men hit for the first time. Others, she
thought, got safely to the cover Of the
gutter on the garden side. OF those
on the road, some were still and some
she saw we're moving slowly back on
their stomachs to safety. Now the
search-light laid its beam steadily on
the road. Again silence. From the
upper terrace came a great voice, like
that of the guns. from human throat:
why didn't we level those ter
races? They'll creep up from one to
J the other!" 1t was Stransky.
In answer was another voice-Del-
J larmes.
Perhaps there wasn't time to do
everything. If they get as far as the
first terrace-well, in case Of crisis,
we have hand-grenades. But, God
knows. l hope we shall not have to
i use them"
After an interval, more figures made
!, rush across the road. They, too, in
y Stransky's words, paid a price for
seeing the garden. But the flashes
/ from the rifles and the automatic pro-
|. vided target for a Gray battery. The
!. blue spark that flies from an overhead
r trolley or a third rail, multiplied a
|. hundredfold, broke in Marta's face.
L 1t was dazzling, binding as a bolt of
v lightning a few feet distant, with the
n thunder crash at the same second
9 followed by the thrashing hum of bull
e lets and fragments against the side
n Of the house.
b 81 knew that thie must comet
il something within her said. II she
e had not been prepared for it by the
II events of the last twelve hours she
n would have jumped to her feet with
an exclamation of natural shock and
' horror. AS 1t was, she felt a convul
q sive, nervous thrill without rising
n from her seat. A pause. The mex
h shell burst in line with the first, Out
n by the linden-trees; third above thu
IN veranda.
n We've got that range, all right
thought the Gray battery commander
ar who had judged the distance by tn,
n staff map. This was all he wanted I,
a. know for the present. He would lie
n. loose at the proper time to supper
"a the infantry attack, when there wer
enough driblets across the road L
10 make a charge. The driblets kept OF
coming, and, one by one, the numbe
Of dead on the road was augmented.
!, Marta was diverted from this proc
:, ess of killing by piecemeal by a NOR
:. thea'ric spectacle. A brigade CON
mander Of the Grays had licked a
a order over the wires and it had gon
n from battery to battery. Not onl
=. many field-guns, which are the tel
~ riers of the artillery, but some gun
10 of siege caliber, the mastiffs. in
IN sudden outburst started a havoc {
r. tumbling walls and cornices in tn
o. upper part Of the town.
no Then an explosion greater than an
tn from the shells shot hemisphere {
,lv body flying overhead, and an instar
lis later the heavens were illuminated b
ira a vast circle of fame as the dirigibl
,rs that had dropped the dynamite r
la ceived it's death-blow. But alread
in the Brown infantry was withdrawn
he from the town, destroying building
air that would give cover for the attaC
a in the morning as they went. Two {
10 three hours after midnight fell a
hv lence which was to last until dawl
nd The combatants rested on their arm
no Browns saying to Grays, I'VE sha
IN be ready for the morrow" and Gray
Ie- replying: $50 shall wei"
ms Marta, at her window, her eyes fc
lowing the movements of the displa
bs now here, now there, found herse
ba thinking of many things, as in II
20. intermissions between the acts of
m drama. She wondered II the groa
NO ing, wounded man were crying T,
in water or IL he were wishing that SON
va. one at home were near him. 81
ON thought OF her talk with Lanstron al
a how feminine and feeble it must ha,
he sounded to mind working in the i
he exorable processes of the clash
nv millions Of men. She saw his lie
nv hand twitching in his pocket, b
of right hand gripping 1t to hold it sti
te on that afternoon when, for the fir
g., time, she had understood his inju
in the aeroplane accident as the {;