Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-10-13

Jim stepped In and stripped The
surgeon looked him over, tapped him
and listened perfunctorily at his heart
and passed him on. All right. Next"
Jim advanced to the table at the END
of the room and signed the paper pre-
scented to him. Charlie Linton, an Of
ficer, arose after Jim had signed and
drew him aside.
Zone Of the secret service men phon-
ed me awhile ago, Ashby," Linton said
HE told me something about what you
were doing last night. Good work it
was, rafting good work! He told me
l could trust you; of course | knew
that anyway. I've detailed some of
our regular boys to watch for spies
among the recruits-and among our
selves. l want you to watch toe. You
are to get evidence so you can give
the firing squad a chance If there's
time. If there isn't time or it's IN
convenient to bring charges, shoot the
man you catch, no matter who he Is,
and shoot quick and straight II you
don't want him to get you first
Jim nodded. Then I'm to stay about
here?-
mo ones to stay about here. We're
wanted In the east as quick as we can
get there. They're yelling for us from
Savannah to Portland, Me. Leave a
telephone number where we can get
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 Juggling 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
ut 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 IN
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 a board before a newspaper Of
fee; 1t was wild, reckless boasts and
taunts on the tongues of boys and men
about it Wal 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 them! Don't-don't
ever speak to me! Don't look at me
again! Only-only,r she pleaded with
him now, beside herself with horror,
has Mart been up there too? Where's
Mart, Jim? Have you seen him?"
mo. Agnes. l looked for his name,
and I asked about him. He hasn't e n
listed here"
"Then he's gone somewhere else to
join the army. HeSwent out Of the
house before the rest of US got up this
morning. and from the things he took
with him l 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
a band was paradfng somewhere
blaring the "Star Spangled Banner"
But now to Jim there was a hollow
ness In that noise-a hollOwness Of a
nation M war md uDroadv
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 mar
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!
There1l be martial law by night If the
riots keep up. They've arrested a lot
of men-one of them named Homan,
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 a 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.