Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-01-14
CHAPTER Xx-Continued.

door gave glimpses Of LanstrOn and
the division chiefs, a magic of secret
council which the juniors could not
quite understand had wrought the won
der. Lanstron had not forgotten the
dead. He could see them; he could
see everything that happened. Had
not PartoW said to him: Don't just
read reports. Visualize men and
events. Be the artillery, be the in
fantTy, be the wounded-live and think
In their places. In this way only can
you really know your work."
His citation when he saw his plans
going right was that of the instrument
Of Partow's training and Marta's serv-
ice He pressed the hands of the men
around him; his voice caught in his
gratitude and his breaths were very
short at time, like those of a spent,
happy runner at the goal Feeding on
victory and growing greedy Of more,
his division chiefs we're discussing how
to press the war till the Grays sued for
peace; and he was silent In the midst
of their talk, which was interrupted
by the ringing of the tunnel telephone.
LanstrOn's distress was SO evident that
those who were seated arose and the
others drew near in inquiry and SYM
pathy. It seemed to them that the
chief Of staff, the head Of the machine,
who had left the room had returned an
individual
THE connection was broken while
we were speahng!" he said blankly.
That means it must have been cut
by the enemy-that the enemy knows
of its existenCe!"
Perhaps not. Perhaps an accident
"a chance shot," said the vice-chief.
No, I'm sure not" Lanstron replied.
am sure that it was cut deliberately
and not by her"
The SD Regiment is going forward
in that Objectionable same regiment
that defended the house-and it can't
60 any faster that it is going" the
Vlce-ch1ef continued, rather incoherent-
~ He and the others no less felt the
news as a personal blow. Though abb
sent in person, Marta had become in
spirit an Intimate of their hopes and
councils
She is helpless-in their power!"
Lanstron said. There is no telling
what they might do to her in the rage
of their discovery. must go to her!
l am going to the front!'
A young officer of the Grays who
was with the signalcorps section, try
Ing to keep brigade Headquarters in
touch with the staff during the retreat,
two or three miles from the Galland
house, had seen what looked like an in
sulated telephone wire at the bottom
or crater in the earth made by the
explosion of heavy she'll The in
structions to all subordinates from the
chief of intelligence to look for the
source of the leak in information to
the Browns made him quick to see a
cIew IN anything unusual. He mmped
down into the crater and not only
found his pains rewarded. but that
the wire was intact and ran under
ground in either direction. Who had
laid 1t? Not the Grays. Why was if
there? He called for one of his men
TO bring buzzer. and it was the work
OF little more than a minute to Ont the
wire and make an attachment Then
he heard woman's voice talking to
Lanny.' Who was Lanny? He wait
ed till he had heard enough to know
that ii was none other than Lanstron
the chief Of staff of the Browns. and
the woman must be a spy. An orderly
dispatched to the chief of intellfgence
with the news returned with the or
der:
Drop everything and report to me
in person at once"
For this I have made my sacrifice -
Marta thought The killing goes on
by Lanny's orders, not by Westerling's.
this time"
Leaving her mother to enjoy the
prospect, a slow-moving figure, trance
like, she went along the first terrace
path to a point near the veranda
where the whole sweep of Landscape
with its panorama of retreat mag
netzed her senses Like the gray of
lava, the Gray soldiery was erupting
from the range; in columns. still under
the control of officers, keeping to the
detles; in swarms and patches. under
the control Of nothing but their own
emotions Mostly they were hugging
cover, from instinct If not from dfrec-
ton, but some relied on straight lines
Of fight and speed of foot for escape.
Courstng aeroplanes were playing a
new part Their wireless was inform
ing the Brown gunners where the
masses were thickest. This way and
that the Brown artillery fire drove re-
treating bodies, pTodding them in the
back with the fearful shepherdry of
their shells Officers swords flashed
In the faces of the boilers or IN hold
ing rear-guards to their work. Officers
and oTderlies were galloping hither
and thither with messages, in want of
wires. Commanders had been told to
hold, but how and where to hold? They
saw neighboring regiments and bri-
gades gong and they had to go The
machine, the complicated modern war
machine, was broken; the machine,
with its nerves of intelligence cut, be-
came a thing of disconnected parts,
each part working out its own saliva
ton Authority ceased to be that of
the bureau and army lists. 1t was that
of units Tacked by hardship, acting on
the hours demand
Gorged was the pass road, over
flowing with the struggling tumult OF
men and vehicles. Self-preservation