Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-11-16

Ing.
CHAPTER vi.
One of EnqIand's Sons.


in silence. while he digested Street.
mans amazing statement.
You do talk like a German" he
told StTeetman after he had blown out
cloud of smoke.
THAT is a matter of opinion" the
other replied stiff1y.
Eyes, I think he talks like a Ger
man, too" Georgy Wagstaff chimed
in. But as we know he isn't one,
does it really matter? Go on.
gentlemen! Arguer Sir Georges
daughter was having the time of her
young life.
''Here's one thing I'd like to know
Guy put in-"where on earth is all
the blooming money to come from?"
''My dear boy, there's nothing so
elastic as national credit" his friend
from the States replied with a calm
assurance that came partly from the
speakers having, at one time in his
career, conducted the financial page
for his newspaper "Why, down in that
two-by-four affair in Mexico, one of
their weekend presidents ran out Of
money; so he issued an order for fifty
thousand dollars, stuck a gun in the
other gentleman's chest, and said
That is worth fifty thousand dollars
and it was"
Mrs. Falconer felt that it was hard
" proper that the men should monopo-
lie all the conversation.
HoIto~-o
a war-a great war;" she announced
think what it wUfld mean-absoIute
barbarism! And this is the twentieth
century"
st would put US back a hundred
years." Sir George declared YEARLY.
He both realized and dreaded the hor-
rors that he knew must inevitably at
tend such titanic struggle as seemed
imminent.
ITS too horrible to think Of" Ethel
Willoughby exclaimed with something
approaching a shudder at doesn't
seem real that we're sitting here quite
calmly talking over even the POSSIBLE
ity of such a thing"
and this won't be a war like other
wars" the American pointed out
"There'u be no personal her0es-nO
charges up San Juan hill-no bands
playing or flags flying. It's going to
be cold, deadly thing of mathemat-
les and notifications, of big guns and
submarines, of aerOplanes and ammu-
| milton, of millions of little mites called
men, who will be only little, unimpOr-
tant cogs in the big machine It's
going to be brutal, cruel, barbarous
murder, conducted on the most modern
! scientific basis"
And afterwards What'll we do for
men,? Georgy Wagstaff inquired
| thoughtfully, as if the dearth Of males
that threatened the world were a ca
lamity almost too great to face. ''Not
that I really care so much about that
| personally" she added, with an insin-
uating glance at Guy Falconer, who
always logged her footsteps, 'for men
| bore me-"
''Thanks!' Guy remarked. If Georgy
had fault "a possibility he was sell
! dom willing to admit, even to HIMSELF
! he felt that it consisted of a caustic
tongue. And occasionally the thought
Of living with her, facing her across
| the breakfast table, for instance, put
a vague fear into him. Up to the pres
ent time, however, he had always sue
ceeded in Kidding himself Of such mis-
gtyings.
"And who do you think is going to
win, Mr.. Brown" Sir George put the
! question abruptly. He, as we'll as
| Streetman, perceived that their some
what bizarre guest from the other side
! Of the Atlantic had gathered unto him
| self a surprising fund of information
during his short stay in their midst
Before Charlie Brown could reply
the spy Streetman threw himself into
the conversational gap.
I'm sure from what Mr.. Brown has
| said he agrees with me that the Ger
mans have the best chance" he inter
posed.
Mr.. Brown himself merely smiled al
the interruption. He may have
thought Streetman a cad-a lobster
he would probably have termed him
But whatever his feelings might have
been. he concealed them admirably.
'WelI, III tell you" he said, as he
turned his back sQuarely upon Street
man and faced Sir George when ]
was drinking Munich beer, I was rath
err pro-German. But now that In
switched to tea, I've sort of swung
over to the allies"
A burst of laughter. punctuatei
with cries of "Brayo!' greeted the an
sWer.
Turning to them all again, "Yot
see," he explained, Il like the English
as individuals, and I like a lot Of
their general ways, too. 1 admire the
easy-going fashion in which they d.
business. I commend the fact tha
| they won't talk shop over a luncheon
[ like their afternoon tea" He smiled
at Miss WiIlOughby as ne said that
Il like the fact that knights and ladies
clerks and shopgirls take their half
hour off for it. | like the way the!
respect their own laws-when they de
eide to make one they decide at tn
same time to keep it. But, collectively
the English irritate me, because theyr
so blamed sure they're q little bit su
perior to all the Is Of the world
That's annoying, personally, but [ cal
ana I do admire it as a great racia
quality that's made 'em win out