The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-10-18

than the summer and fall of 1918 had
been. The crops had failed, and in
Europe there was scarcely any crop at
ALL The wheat had failed. owing to
drought. and In Asia the rice crop
was cut In two this year by foods Of
rain as it had suffered the year before
by lack of water. Only in the great
valleys of the Mississippi, the ASST
neboine, and the Saskatchewan In
North America and in the valleys of
the Parana and the Salado In the
southern continent had rain and sun
alternated so as to grow grain, but the
wheat of Argentina was only In the
process of thrashing, and, If it was ex-
ported, 1t could not make up the short
age in Europe.
If the nations whose soldiers held
the coast states required the wheat
and the beef and the fodder they
would have to annihilate the American
armies and then capture the supplies
before they could be destroyed
For two years now the regents ar
mics had held the Atlantic states, and
for more than year they had grad
ually been extending their lines till
they occupied almost all the Ohio val
ley east of the Wabash and the Cum
berland. The orientals neld half the
country west of the Cascades and the
Sierra Nevadas. Yet when either In
vader advanced and succeeded In driv-
ing back the American army opposite,
the Americans continued to lay waste
everything in their retreat To the re-
| gents repeated demand that the Amer
leans admit defeat and to his offer to
withdraw for proper indemnity the
American reply remained the same
and was made by deed as well as by
word, 'sWe offer billions for destruc-
ton, not one cent for indemnity"
Upon this brown day in autumn,
1919. Jim Ashby was grubbing the lit
tie, dried up potatoes when an object,
meant for him, was cautiously passed
from prisoner to prisoner along the
rows IN the potato field Jim obtained
It at last-it was only a walnut-but
there was a number scratched on the
shell-142, 694.
The shell had been opened, the meat
removed and in its place was a paper
ing. It was diminutive writing, but
the character of woman's hand re.
manned in the careful little words:
a hole large enough to hold you has
been dug at the south end Of this row.
It has wooden cover concealed by
4 soat f1a+ .,ov,,~, .,,,<, e., aco ffo, <l,o uof
over the top again after you are In
and conceal yourself there at the first
chance. As soon afterward as possible
make your way to the cottonwood near
the stream directly south. You VII
be met there. For the sake Of the raft
on the Hudson.
Beatrice Logan-only she could have
written that! He had heard absolute
ly nothing of her, either directly or in
directly, since the day, almost two
years before. when he had brought be-
to the american lines near Cayugs
end he had left her to rejoin the army
A Jim worked his way slowly to thu
end of the row There was no differ
ent appearance to the ground there
but, scraping some OF the soil away
he uncovered barrel top which wal
over a hole large enough to concea
him
Jim spoke TO a comrade. and when |
group stood abort him for an instan
he dropped into the earth Some on
scattered the soil again over his barre
!. top, leaving open only hole for air
I
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