The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-01-29


everythfng!" said Bouchard's hawk
eyes. He was old-fashioned; he looked
his part, which was one of the many
points of difference between him and
Lanstron as a chief of intelligence.
1t lacked one minute to four when
Hedworth Westerling, chief of staff in
name as well as power now, alighted
from the gray automobile that turned
in at the Galland drive. His Excel.
lency had lot occupied his new head
quarters as soon as he expected, but
this could have no influence on results.
If he had lost fifty thousand men on
the first two days and two hundred
thousand since the war had begun,
should he allow this to disturb his
well-being OF body or mind? His we'll
being of body and mind meant the ulti-
mate saving Of lives.
Confidence was reflected in Wester-
ling's bearing and in his smile of COM
mand as he passed through the staff
rooms, Turcas and Bouchard in his
train. with tacit approval of the ar
rangements. Finally, Turcas, now vice
chief of staff, and the other chiefs
awaited his pleasure in the library,
which was to be his sanctum. On the
massive seventeenth-century desk lay
a number of reports and suggestions
Westerling ran through them with &C.
customed swiftness of sitting and then
turned to his personal aide.
Tell Francois that I will have tea
on the veranda."
From the fact that he took with him
the papers that he had laid aside, SUBJ
ordinate generals, with the gift of un-
spoken directions which is part of
their profession, understood that he
meant to go over the subjects requir-
ing special attention while he had tea.
"Everything is going well-well!"
he added
WE'LL" ran the unspoken communi-
cation of confidence through the staff.
So well that His Excellency was
calmly taking tea on the veranda! For
the indefatigable Turcas the detail;
for Westerling the front of Jove.
He had told Marta only two weeks
ago that he should see her again if
war came; and war had come. With
the inviting prospect of few holiday
moments in which to continue the in
terview that had been abruptly con-
cluded in a hotel reception-room, he
started down the terrace steps. Above
the second terrace he Jaw a crown of
woman's hair-hair of jet abundance,
shading face that brought familiar
completeness to the scene. Their
chances met where the path ended
at the second terrace flight; hers shot
with a beam of restrained and ques-
tioning good humor that spoke at
least a truce to the invader.
"You called sooner than | expected"
she said in note of equivocal pleas
antry.
COR l." he rejoined with a shade of
triumph, the politest of triumph. He
was step above her, her head on a
level with the pocket of his blouse
His square shoulders, commanding
height, and military erectness were
thus emphasized, as was her own femi-
nine slightness.
"I want to thank you," she said. CAS-
becomes a soldier, your forethOught
was expressed in action. 1t was the
promptness of the men you sent to
look after the garden which saved the
uproOted plants before they were past
recovery"
'I wished it for your sake and some
what for my own sake to be the same
that 1t was in the days when I used
to CALL" he said graciously. "Tea was
from four to five, do you remember?
Will you join me? have just ordered
it."
A generous, pleasant conqueror,
this! No one knew better than Wester-
ling how to be one when he chose. He
was something Of an actor. Leaders
of men of his type usually are.
"Why, yes. Very gladly!" she as
scented with no undue cordially and
no undue constraint, quite as if there
were no war.
Neutrality could not be better i'm
personated, he thought, than in the
even cleaving of her lips over the
words. They seemed to say that a.
storm had come and gone and a new
set of masters had taken the place of
the old. AS they approached the
veranda Francois was placing the tea
things.
Gust like the old days, isn't it," he
exclaimed with his first sip, convinced
that the officers commissary supplied
excellent tea in the field.
eyes, for the moment-if we forget
the war;" she replied, and looked
away; preoccupied. toward the land
scape.
If we forget the war! She bore on
the words rather grimly. The change
that he had noted between the Marta
of the hotel reception-room and the
Marta of the moment was not alto
gether thu work of ten years. 1t had
developed since she was In the CAPT.
tai. In these three weeks war had