The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-19

Deal, Kent, December 2.-tSpecial Cor spondence.)-Down in this quaint old aboard town, about the last place in , world where one would have expected find such a thing, discovered won rful Christmas story. Not an idyn of
 ristmas, all snowfakes and holly and sses under the mistletoe; far from it, in- -ed! A Christmas drama rather, that ght well provide a plot for pulse vickening novel, this being the tale of ase accusation of murder. of a futile .nging,N and the flight of its hero across any seas. Withal as strange yarn as ,e has heard in many moons, but true sIe and one upon which the curtain rings
 almost exactly on Christmas eve.
 An ancient mariner spun me the yarn.
 un it between whiffs of an evil-smell-
 5 pipe as we sat a couple of evenings
 o in the cozy bar of the Three Com
 sses," and, like the Walrus and the 9usly he had piloted me about the pie resque, historic old maritime town Gone
 the famous Cinque ports that once pplied Britain's navy). which the war $ made one of the most interesting
 tees in the kingdom.
 The oblong strip of salt sea that lies in Hjnt of Deal is Britain's most historic tter. the Downs. To the left and ris~t End out those giant cliffs of chalk the brth and South Forelands. In front of 2 town the white smoke of the breakers lgs high over that chamber of horror r the deep. the Goodwin sands; sands own white with the bones of drowned an, for more ships have there gone to ssces than at any other half dozen places
 the dangerous coast. The Downs have ed the most daring of all boatmen, men 10 look upon the hurricane as their best Bend. Their fearlessness. is famous. X Ing after smuggling had become extinct k all other parts of England the Deal atmen continued to run" their car- es, for they loved the thick fogs that tile down upon the Downs and could ell their way through when no other lift dare move.
 Since the first gun was fired the war has en continually in evidence in Deal. On l Il days the thunder of the great guns Flanders rolls across the Downs and It's the black beamed old houses of the Wn ashudder to the drumming. Many Ead men slain on the sea have been Fried ashore here. Early in the war the Hardship Niger, anchored only little E,y off Deal pier, was torpedoed and the fatmen picked up the living and the lad And all through these months of Fife the people of Deal have seen stir | g doings. They have beheld more than Ie German submarine shepherded into
 eat steel nets and there strangled; they i've gazed at Zeppelins, like grey bal ,ns of the forest hornet, hung high in heavens, pass on their way in search
 London; they have seen others boise Ie huge hawks to drop their bombs; ey have seen still others shelled by Ups and forts and driven back. They
 ve heard the dull, huge explosion of torpedo, and beheld the rush of steam
 to succor the stricken ship; they have
 En many great craft mined and badly
 Wn by the head limp in to sprawl on sands and so save themselves from
 king; they have seen destroyer and |nitor, cruiser and battleship pant out
 disappear into that mysterious region
 great goings on, the North sea; they
 ve seen great liners transformed into
 Bpital ships float past loaded with the