The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-04-02
CHAPTER XxI-contInusd

we are going on. l and my guns
on 10 Inc pest yet ON in the pursuit!
Notnlng can stop US! We shall hit the
urays SO fast and hard that they can
never get their machine in order again
God bless you! Everything that is fine
IN me Will always think finely Of you |!
You and Lanny-two fixed stars for
mel"
TRULY" She was radiant Truly ?"
she asked wistfully.
Yes, yes-a yes as real as the
guns!"
Then it helps! Oh, how it helps!"
sne murmured almost inaudbly.
"Good-by! God bless you!" he cried
as ne started to 90, adding over his
shoulder merrily: 'Ill send you pic.
ture postcard from the Grays capital
OF my guns parked in the palace
square,"
She watched him leap the garden
wall as lightly as he had come and
gallop away, an impersonation of the
gay, adventurous spirit of war, count
Ing death and wounds and hardship as
the delights of the gamble Yes, he
would follow the Grays, throwing
shells In the irresponsible JOY Of toss
ing confetti in carnival. Pursuit.
was Feller's the sentiment of the
army? Were the Browns not to stop
at the frontier? Were they to change
their song to, Now we have ours we
Shall take some of theirs?" The
thought was fresh fuel to the live Goals
that still remained under the ashes,
A brigade commander and some of
his staff-off1cers near by formed a
group with faces intent around an op-
orator who was attaching his instru
ment to field-wire that had Just been
reeled over the hedge Marta moved
toward them, but paused on hearing an
outburst Of jubilant ordinations:
A hundred thousand prisoners!"
And five hundred guns!"
We're coming in on their frontier
all along the Incl"
It's incredible!" ts"-
But the word Is oficial-it's right"
From mouth to mouth-a hundred
thousand prisoners, five hundred guns
the news was passed in the garden.
Eyes dull with fatigue began flashing
as the soldiers broke into a cheer that
was not led, cheer unlike any Marta
had heard before. 1t had the high
notes of men who were weary. of a ter.
rible exultatlon, of spirit stronger than
tired legs and as yet unsatisfied. Other
ordinations from both officers and
men expressed a hunger whetted by
the taste of one days victory.
We'll 90 on!"
Wen make peace in their capital"
And with an indemnity that will
stagger the world"
Nothing Is impossible with Ian.
stron. How he has worked it out
oaited them to their own destruction!"
"A frontier of our own choosingw
"On the next range We will keep
III that stretch of plain there!"
And the river, tool"
They shall pay-pay for attacking
Isl"
Pay, pay for the drudgery, the sleep 4
ess nights, the dead and the wounded
for our dead and wounded! No mat. N
er about theirs! The officers were too
1tent in their elation to observe
Dung woman, standing quite still, her
ps thin line and deep blaze in
er eyes as she looked this way and
lat at the field of faces, seeking some
lssentient, some partisan of the right
he was seeing the truth now: the
Did truth, the old truth to which she
ad been untrue when she took Eel.
RS place. There could be no choice
sides in war unless you believed in
ar. One who fought for peace must
Ike up arms against all armies. Her
lrt as spy appeared to her clad in
new kind of shame; the desertion of
r principles.
Nor did the officers observe a man of
wearing the cords of the
aft and generals stars, coming
ound the corner Of the house. Mar ">
8 feverish, rowing glance had noted
N directly he was in sight. His face
emed to be in keeping with the sti
Ter faces, in the ardor of hunt un- tn
ished; hand in blouse pocket, his as
airing little too easy to be conven- he
nally military-the same Lanny. pa
She was dimly conscious of surprise bu
to find him changed, perhaps be- an
Use he was unaccompanied by a re- die
ue or any other symbol of his power. at
might have been coming to call on ing
Sunday afternoon. In that first thi
npse it was difficult to think of sa,
/ as the commander Of an army. But of
t he was, she must not forget. She lop
5 shaken and trembling; and a \
It rose before her, SO that she did La
see him clearly when, with ges- obi
3 of relief, he saw her. wol
Lanstron!" exclaimed an officer in the
first explosive breath Of amaze min
It on recognizing him; then added: ing
8 Excellency, the chief of staff" hea
ut the one word, Lanstron, had the
q enough to thrill all the officers a n
ai]ence and ramrod salutes. Marta her