The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1915-02-27
CHAPTER lII-contInued.

Browns he will not win.
CHAPTER lII-continued.
You think am joking?" she asked
why, yes!"
But / am not! No. no. not about
such a ghastly subject as q war to-
day" She was leaning toward him.
hands on knee and eyes burning like
Goals without spark. "I"-she paused
as she had before she broke out with
the first prophecy will quote part
of our children's oath: I will not be
. coward. 1t is a coward who strikes
nrst. A brave man even after he re-
ceives a blow tries to reason with his
assailant. and does not strike back un-
til he receives a second blow. l shall
not let burglar drive me from my
house. II an enemy tries to take my
land l shall appeal to his sense of JUS
tice and reason with him, but if he
then persists l shall fight for my
home. If l am victorious l shall not
try to take his land but to make the
most of my own. l shall never cross a
frontier to kill my fellowmen.'
Very impressive she made the oath.
Her deliberate recital of it had the
quality which justifies every word
with an urgent faith.
You see, with that teaching there
can be no war" she proceeded, "and
those who strike will be weak: those
who defend will be strong"
perhaps" he said.
You wcilld not like to see thou
sands, hundreds of thousands, of men
killed and manned, would you?" she
demanded. and her eyes held the hor-
ror of tbs sight in reality. You can
prevent it-you cam" Her heart was
in the appeal
THE old argument! No, | should
not like to see that" he replied. Il
country"
THE old answer. The more reason
why you should tell the premier you
can't! But there is still another reason
for telling him." she urged gently.
Now he saw her not at twenty seven
but at seventeen; girlish. the subject
of no processes of reason but in the
spell of an intuition, eCd he knew that
something out of the blue In a fash
was coming.
For you will not win!" she declared.
This struck fire. Square jaw and
sturdy body. in masculine energy, reso-
lutte and trained. were set indomitably
against feminine vitality.
Yes, we shall win! We shall win!"
he said without even the physical dem
onstration Of a gesture and In a hard,
even voice which was like that of the
machinery of modern war itself, a
voice which the aristocratic sniff, the
Louis XVI curls, or any of the old gal
lery-display heroes would have thought
utterly lacking In histrionics suitable
to the occasion. He remained rigid
after he had spoken, handsome, self
possessed.
There was no use Of beating femi-
nine fists against such stone wall
The force of the male was supreme
She smiled with a strange, Quivering
loosening of the lips. She spread out
her hands with fingers apart, as If to
let something run free from them into
the air, and the fame of appeal that
had been In her eyes broke into many
lights that seemed to scatter into
space. yet ready to return at her COM
mand. She glanced at the clock and
rose, almost abruptly.
Il was very strenuous riding my
hobby against yours. wasn't :" she ex
claimed in a nutter Of distraction that
made 1t easy for him to descend from
his own steed Il stated q feeling. l
made a guess, q threat about your
winning-and all in the air. That's a
woman's privilege; one men grant,
isn't it,"
I'VE enjoy doing So" he replied. all
urbanity.
Thank you!" she said simply. Il
must be at home in time for the chill
dren's lesson on Sunday. My sleeper
Is engaged, and If am not to miss the
train must go Immediately"
With an undeniable shock of regret
he realized that the interview was
,over. Really, he had had a very good
kline; net only that, but
"Will it be ten years before we meet
again." he asked.
Perhaps, unless you change the
rules about officers crossing the from
tier to take tea," she replied.
Even II I did, the v1ce-chief Of staff
might hardly CO."
Then perhaps you must wait" she
warned him, until the teachers of
peace have done away with all from
tiers"
'Or, II there were war, l should
comet" he answered in kind. He half
wished that this might start another
argument and she would miss her
train. But she made no reply. And
eou may come to the Gray capital