The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-10-07


spat at it: the blackness was streaked
by the flares Of the "tracer' lights and
the destroyer tried to escape. But
while the searchlights still showed Il
a shell struck a torpedo board. and be.
fore the Aylwin reached the spot tho
enemys ship was gone.
THAT squares for the Balch!' Bob
said to himself when the firing had
ceased, but as he repeated it he grew
more tense when the lightning again
gave him sight of the sea; and through.
out the American ships every officer
and man rcmained'at torpedo defense
stations. Had the enemy destroyer
sold itself we'll? Was its appearance
a forerunner of a greater torpedo at
tack; or, before the vessel blew up,
had it wirelessed information which
should bring upon the American squad
ron superior force of the enemy in
the morning?
The four dreadnaughts We're steam
ing to surprise the regents ships which
were known to be detailed to cut Off
the American ships coming from the
gulf. Would surprise now meet counter
surprise?
For a little longer, at least, God rode
In the hurricane. \ war vcssel-she
was a great ship with one mast gone
was ashore and pounding to pieces
off Cape Hatteras. Life savers were
trying to get to the wreck, but she
had foundcrcd deep and far out The
Arizona's radio picked up the news
first at . o'clock. An hour later more
news came. The life savers had res
cued some of the men from the wreck
ed ship, and wreckage was coming
ashore. The vessel was the armorcd
cruiser Gcrcl Of the Pcru class
damaged in the fight With the Arizona
SO that when the storm came she did
not steer. Fifty officers and men had
been killed by gunfirc. OF the re-
naming 600 thirty-fou had been saved.
When the news was brought him Bob
saw to it that word was passed ut once
to Louden.
How strage was war! The news
that the Gerel was lost with almost
all her crew had brought to Bob cxulta-
ton, triumph: yet. in the wild macl-
strom of the sea off Cape Hattcras.
his countrymen were risking their lives
IN little boats to save a score Of that
crew-that crew who in the morning
had shelled Virginia Beach. And.
likely enough, inside the Hattcras KEYS.
or in protected waters elsewhere, the
enemy submarines were waiting out
the storm, or along the coast they were
lurking on shelves Of sand hundred
feet below the surface. Well Mt least
tonight they could not strike. and the
regents air craft also must be useless.
But was not the gale beginning to les
sen! There was no doubt Of it; and
through the clouds to the east there
was showing the gray of dawn.
Nellie Wendell. on her knees by the
window of her room In her fathers
house at Elgin, saw the dawn. The
news had come in the evening that the
ships from Hampton Roads had been
engaged. They had driven off and
damaged several Of the cnemy's ships.
Nellie did not know certainly upon
which of the American ships Bob was.
She was not certain. indeed, that he
was upon any Of them, but she be-
lieved he had been in the battle. The
bulletin which came to Elgin gave no
account Of American casualties; so. as
she waited for more definite word, she
prayed-as those who wait must often
pray-in perfectly irrational petition.
She prayed that her husband Ind NOT
been killed. OF course If he was
killed. he was killed. and prayer could
not alter that; but thus that night Mel.
lie had prayed as girls and women
like her were praying in ten thousand
homes.
| With the dawn strangely there came
to her faith that her husband still was
safe. So convinced was she of it, some
how. that she bent her head in an ut.
terance of thanksgiving to God for
having brought her husband through
the battle; then. humbly. fervently, she
petitioned that he still might be spared
How empty and strange the big
house was! Bob was away. Of course:
jim also was gone. The door of his
room stood open. He was with his
regiment in Chicago. where there were
terrible mobs and rioting, the bulletins
said. Troops had fired and had been
fired upon: bombs had been thrown
and many militinmen killed. Was 1t
possible that Jim might have been in
greater danger that night than Bob7