The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-25


you within an hour, and II you haven't
made arrangements for an indefinite
absence make EN-"
Jim shook hands with others OF the
men about and then went down to the
noise and exuberance Of the street
The crowd cheered him by name as
he came out. and amid the crush about
him he felt some one tugging at his
coat to attract personal attention. He
turned about and faced Agnes. Her
face was chalk white, and her lips were
trembling, and the hand which tugged
at his coat was shaking violently, and
as Jim faced her he was white also.
She knew he had broken his pledge to
her, and she had not yet come to I'm.
derstand why.
War had come, she knew, but to her
1t existed yet only In words. It was
tall, black type Of unpleasant print
upon great sheets Of white paper past
ed to board before a newspaper Of
fee; 1t was wild, reckless boasts and
taunts on the tongues Of boys and men
about 1t. War was horrible madness
made Of bestial passion. Women-if
men failed-must forbid 1t, the slaugh
ter and suffering Of a nation.
Historically Agnes cried this to Jim,
needless Of the crowd about them.
And you've Joined themi Don't-don't
ever speak to mel Don't look at me
again! Only-only," she pleaded with
him now. beside herself with horror,
has Mart been up there too? Where's
Mart, Jim? Have you seen himw
mo, Agnes. looked for his name,
and asked about him. He hasn't en-
listed here"
Then he's gone somewhere else to
join the army. He went out Of the
house before the rest of US got up this
morning, and from the things he took
| with him know he's gone to enlistr'
Jim got her out Of the crowd and
started to go farther with her, but she
would not have him. He turned away
| from her and went through the tumult
| of the street toward his fathers fac
tory. The noise and cheering were as
loud as before, louder If anything, and
band was parading somewhere
blaring the "Star Spangled Banner"
But now to Jim there was a hollow
ness In that noise-a hollowness of
nation at war and unready.
The smoke was streaming from the
chimney of the Ashby factory, and
Jim could see as he neared the shops
that work was going on, but as he en-
tered the door he heard his fathers
voice roaring in violent vituperation
Two men In plain clothes. but display
ing special deputy's stars, and a man
in police uniform were dragging Ma
than Ashby from his office.
"Orders," the policeman told Jim
when for an instant Nathan Ashby
was quiet-"orders from Chicago. as
| I've tried to explain to him, sir.
There's the deuce to pay there, sir!
There'n be martial law by night If the
riots keep up. They've arrested lot
Of men-one of them named Holman,
who had a good deal to do with your
father yesterday afternoon. Orders
are to arrest and hold for examination
every one Holman saw, so we're doing
it. That's all there is to 1t, and you
nor no one can do anything different
about 1t till we get different orders
from Chicago"
Jim went with his father to the po-
lice station, where the cells already
were full Of men and boys taken that
morning. The police, booking Nathan
Ashby under the charge Of conspiracy
against the safety of the state, thrust
him with two others into cell Jim,
able to do nothing then, went back to
the factory. Smoke was still coming
from the chimney, but all work inside
was stopped, and the workmen were
leaving the building.
whats the matterY' Jim demanded
Of Drayton, the superintendent.
Look at thesew Drayton cried, SHOW
ing at Jim a sheaf of kilograms.
They've been coming In all morning
as fast as the wires could carry them
and some by telephone too. Cancella-
ttons-a1l cancellations We'd almost
cleared the boards, you know, to start
work on the automobile parts for De
troit. That was Cancelled at 8 o'clock,
and everything else we're working on
has followed. The country's paralyzed,
tell you. They're shutting down ev-
erything everywhere. That's some of
the trouble In Chicago, / understand;
they're turning Off people by the tens
OF thousands there and everywhere
And stocks! Lord, they never dared
open the exchanges! But the banks
Drayton stopped helplessly. "Oh, it's
terrible, and It's only begun"
Portentous things were happening
portentous without parallel even in the
terrible twelve days" Of July and Au
gust, 1914. Then the whole world
knowing little of the methods and
means Of modern destruction, was par
alyzed as to normal industry and pal
sled to all new enterprise except the
awful obsession Of war, and now the
world knew that war meant for the
invaded nation destruction and ruin
on a scale undreamed of before: also
I'm 1914 the world knew that the pow
ers opposed were so equal that neither
alliance might work its will upon the
other, but now in 1917. upon the neu
trail exchanges of Europe, American
securities-the standard" securities
Of a few months before-were obliter
ated as things Of value, and In Amer
lea everywhere men displayed theil
terrors of the future. Before noon
when a moratorium was declared In
every state in the Union, credit had
ceased to exist The men and women
who had awakened 70 a morning OF
amaZement before news Office and bull