The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1915-07-03
CHAPTER xxIi-continued.

valuable to our cause were Partow and
Miss Galland," Lanstron remarked ten
tatively. He waited for a reply. It
was apparent that he was laying a
foundation before he went any fur
ther
Certainly" said the vice-chief.
And you!" put in another oficer.
which brought a chorus of assent
No. not only these two!" Lam
stron replied. "Or, l, too. II you pre-
fer. 1t little matters. The thing IL
that I am under a promise to both.
which l shall respect. He organized
and labored for the same purpose that
she played the spy. When we sent
the troops forward in a counter-attack
and pursuit to clear our soil of the
Grays: when / stopped them at the
frontier-both were according to Par
tow's plan. He had plan and a
dream, this wonderful old man who
made US all seem primary pupils in
the art of war"
Could it be that terrible Partow,
stroke of whose pencil had made the
Galland house an inferno? Marta
wondered as Lanstron read his mes
sage-the message out of the real
heart of the man, throbbing with the
power OF his great brain. His plan
was to hold the Grays to stalemate;
to force them to desist after they had
battered their battalions to pieces
against the Brown Notifications. His
dream was the thing that had hap
npnad-fhqf nnnnrfNnifv
come to pursue broken machine in
a bold stroke of the offensive.
Il would want to be a hero Of our
people for only one aim, to be able
to stop our army at the frontier" he
had written. Then they might drive
me forth heaped with obloquy. If they
chose. l should like to see the Grays
demoralized, beaten, ready to sue for
peace. the better to prove my point
that we should ask only for what is
ours and that our strength was only
for the purpose OF holding what is
ours. Then we should lay up no leg
acy OF revenge in their hearts. They
could never have cause to attack
again. Civilization would have ad-
vanced another STEP"
Lanstron continued to read to the
amazed STAFF, for Partow's message
had looked far into the future. Then
there was P. s., written after the
war had begun, on the evening of the
day that Marta had gone from tea on
the veranda with Westerling to the
telephone. in the impulse of her new
purpose.
II begin to believe in that dream"
he wrote. Il begin to believe that the
chance for the offensive will come,
now that my colleague, Miss Galland.
in the name Of peace has turned prac-
tical. There 10 nothing like mixing a
little practice in your dreams while
the world Is still well this side of
Utopia, as tho head on my old behe-
moth Of body we'll knows She had
the right idea with her school. The
oath SO completely expressed my
ideas-the result of all my thinking
that l had a twinge Of literary jeal-
ousy. MY boy. II you do reach the
frontier, in pursuit OF broken army,
and you do not keep faith with my
dream and with her ideals, then you
will get lesson that will last you for
ever at the foot Of the Gray range.
But do not think so badly as that of
you or of my judgment of men,"
"Lanny! Lanny!"
The dignity of staff council could
have action. She aprang to his side
and seized his hard. her exultation
mixed with penit.lce over the way
she had wronged him and Partow
Their self-contained purpose had been
the same as hers and they had worked
with a soldiers fortitude. while she
had worked with whims and impulses
She bent over him with gratitude and
praise and a plea for forgiveness in
her eyes. sutMerging the thing which
he sought 10 them. He flushed boy
ishly in happy embarrassment, inca
pable of words for an instant; and
silently the staff looked on.
And agree with Partow," Lanstron
went on, that we cannot take the
range. The Grays still have numbers
equal to ours. 1t is they. now, who
will be singing God with us!' with
their backs against the wall. With
Partow's goes my own appeal to the
army and the nation; and shall keep
faith with Partow, with Miss Galland.
and with my own ideas, If the govern
ment orders the army to advance, by
Jesigning as chief of staff--my work
finished"
sterling and his aide and valet,
sg their way as strangers, found
Wv staff headquarters of the
. established in an army building,
uere Bouchard had been assigned to
trivial duties, back Of the Gray range.
As their former chief entered a room
n the disorder of maps and packing