Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-09-07
An :
El0pement
1t Was Accomplished
by Modern Mill
tary Methods
BY F. A. MICHEL

| tllc pONN Cl Ol dlllISlluS lic OpppS4lS
sex indiscriminately.
Sadie Ludlow at eighteen attracted
men as n candle attracts moth millers.
Some said Including HERSELF that she
did nothing whatever to draw them to
her, others that there was q certain
witchery in her she could exercise at
will. Whichever Of these propositions
was true. certain it is that they all
fell before her. And certain it is that
she was an incorrigible fiirt-
Naturally enough, this proclivity
| gave her mother great concern. She
no sooner noticed spooning going on
between her daughter and some desir-
able party than the swain was re-
placed by n who would be especially
undesirable. This was succeeded by
other similar transactions. In conse-
quence the poor lady was kept in a
constant state of worrimcnt.
Finally, when Sadie became the OBJ
ject of attention on the part of a young
lieutenant in the army with nothing
but his pay, Mrs. Ludlow decided to
give up her residence in town and
take a place in the country. A house
in the center Of large grounds was Sc
cured in a decidedly rural region, and
mother and daughter, with the neces-
| sary servants, removed there.
One thing about the place that rem
dered it especially desirable for Mrs.
Iudlow's purpose was a high wall
surrounding it. The gateway was i'm
posing and was protected by a lodge.
Mrs. Ludlow took With her q man
who had long been n servitor in the
family and placed him in the lodge
! with instructions to admit no Young
man without first calling for his card.
He vas given n list of names of Sa-
dies admirers, so far as known, and
directed to inform any one Of them
who might call that the family were
mot at home" this being a convenient
form adopted by we'll bred and truth
full persons Of avoiding q deliberate lie.
Idlewild-the name of the country
seat-was on a good road and at 4 con-
vcnicnt distance from the city for
autos. Many a car rolled up to the
nillared gateway to be stopped by the
sentinel guarding the fair lamsel i'm
prisoned within. Among the callers
was Lieutenant Whitehead, who was
the immediate cause of the imprison-
ment-
Now. the lieutenant had but recently
been graduated from West Point and
had during the latter part of his cours
| th0rn cnn1t pl1,ph Of hjS ti,,ln c+111yi,1r
the new military status demonstrated
by the pan-1Iuropean var He was
much impressed With the German
method of holding the offensive, which
is based on Il military maxim. old as
d hills. that there is an Irresistible
power in the initial force. lie assum
ed Idlewild to be a fertilization to be
taken. BY %,constant pressure by va
rious methods to be tried successfully
till a way vas found to effect an en-
trance the fortress must at last fall.
Nevertheless the reduction of Idle
wild was more difficult thar In the
usual elimination of objective points.
To surround and starve the garrison
was not a part Of the problem. To
batter down the wall would not result
in securing the prize. On the contrary,
it would render ultimate defeat GER
tain. The conditions were more like
those attending the capture of ancient
cities. AS the Greeks obtained admis-
sion to Troy within IN immense wood
en horse, so must Whitehead obtain &C.
cess to Idlewild by stratagem.
On the lodgekeeper's list of persons
to be refused admission to Idlewill
was the name of Lieutenant Beverly
Whitehead. and it was marked by a
double star. James, the l%odgekceper.
when callers came always referred to
his list. When Whitehead drove up in
an automobile the keeper held the list
in his right hand while he fumhled in
his vest pocket With his left for his
glasses. Sinceahe was standing by the
car, the upper part Of his body on 4
level with the visitor, the latter caught
Il glimpse of his name With the two
stars attached.
1T seems" said the young officer to
himself, that in this army Of suitors
l am q major general" this facctious
idea being based on the fact that the
insignia of a major generals rank in
the United States army is two silver
stars. "However," Whitehead added,
Il shall be an army unto myself. both
general and private"
1t was when turned away on this
visit that the lieutenant resolved upon
effecting an entrance to Idlewild and
carrying off the fair Sadie. Turning
from the gate, he drove around the
place, seeking some weak spot. None
appeared. The wall was continuous
and rose to the same height on every
side. 1t might be climbed or it might
be burrowed. In either case if he
succeeded in persuading the lady to
fly with him she must be carried either
over or under it. AS q soldier neither
Of these methods seemed sufficiently
heroic, and he did not believe they
would appeal to Miss Ludlow. 1t was
not a case where a girl has been won
and is kept locked up from the lover
she would mate with; it was q case