The Monticellonian., 1915-01-28


fore those who escaped could plaster
themselves against doorways or fino
cover in alleys. Then silence from
the automatics and cheer from the
Browns that rasped out its triumph
like the rubbing together of steel files.
From the line of defense, that in.
/ eluded the first terrace of the Galland
grounds as the angle of a redoubt, not
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 glanees at
the garden. the glances of a 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 seareh-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. or those
on the road. some were still and some
she saw were moving slowly back on
their stomachs to safety. Now the
seareh-light laid its beam steadily on
the road. Again silence. From the
upper terrace came 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
the other!" 1t was Stransky
In answer was another voice-Del-
larme's.
Perhaps there wasn't time to do
everything. If they get as far as the
first terraee-well in case of crisis,
we have hand-grenades. But. God
knows, hope we shall not have to
use them"
After an interval, more figures made
a rush across the road. They, too, in
Stransky,s words. paid a price for
seeing the garden. But the flashes
from the rifles and the automatic pro-
yided a target for a Gray battery The
blue spark that flies from an overhead
trolley or a third rail, multiplied a
hundredfold, broke in Marta's face
1t was dazzling, binding as bolt of
lightning few feet distant, with the
thunder crash at the same second.
followed by the thrashing hum of bull
lets and fragments against the side
of the house.
II knew that this must comet"
something within her said If she
had not been prepared for it by the
events of the last twelve hours she
would have jumped to her feet with
an exclamation of natural shock and
horror. As it was, she felt a convul-
sive, nervous thrill without rising
from her seat. A pause. The next
shell burst in line with the first, out
by the lindentrees; a third above the
veranda.
We've got that range, all right"
thought the Gray battery commander.
who had judged the distance by the
staff map. This was all he wanted to
know for the present. He would let
loose at the proper time to support
the infantry attack, when there were
enough driblets across the road to
make charge. The driblets kept on
coming, and, one by one, the number
of dead on the road was augmented
Marta was diverted from this proc
ess of killing by piecemeal by more
thea ric spectacle. A brigade COM
mander of the Grays had licked an
order over the wires and it had gone
from battery to battery. Not only
many field-guns, which are the ter
riers of the artillery, but some guns
of siege ealiber the mastiffs. in
sudden outburst started a havoc of
tumbling walls and cornices in the
upper part of the town
Then an explosion greater than any
from the shells shot a hemisphere of
light heaYenward, revealing a shadow
body flying overhead, and an instant
later the heavens were Illuminated by
a vast circle of flame as the dirigibIe
that had dropped the dynamite re-
ceiyed its death-blow. But already
the Brown infantry was withdrawing
from the town. destroying buildings
that would give cover for the attack
in the morning as they went Two or
three hours after midnight fell ST.
/ leuee which VAS to last until dawn.
The combatants rested on their arms.
Browns saying to Grays, we shall
] be ready for the morrow" and Grays
replying: SO shall we!"
Marta, at her window, her eyes fol
f lowing the movements of the display.
/ now here. now there found herself
thinking of many things, as in the
/ iutermissions between the acts of
drama. She wondered If the groan-
ing. wounded man were crying for
water or If he were wishing that some
one at home were near him. She
thought Of her talk with Lanstron and
how feminine and feeble it must have
sounded to mind working in the in
exorabie processes of the clash of
millions of men, She saw his left
hand twitching in his pocket. his
right hand gripping it to hold it still,
on that afternoon when, for the first
time, she had understood his injury
in the aeroplane accident as the tai
sman of his feelings-his controlled
feelings. Always his controlled feel
ings!
She saw Westerling, so conscious
of his strength. directing his chess.