The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-05-12

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In the bottom of each car lay at
least five modern magazine rifles.
Timing their progress to reach a GER
tain point at a certain moment, they
moved sedately through the twilight
and the darkness, attracting no atten-
ton.
Between seven and eight these cars
came together in a lonely stretch of
countryside adjoining the valley of
Powder Town. The driver Of each re-
ported to Kato personally, then parked
his car in the fields by the roadside.
Checking off each arrival on a COM
pact tally sheet, Kato at length extin-
guished the pocket flash-lamp by which
he had worked, and-having consulted
his watch-gave the word to march.
At precisely twenty minutes to eight
O'Clock the last file of armed Japanese
trotted past him and disappeared in
the gloom.
He delayed before following only
long enough to plant a small rocket in
the earth and touch a match to it's
fuse.
Spearing up into the night on a
course which kept it invisible to the
inhabitants of Powder Town, the rocket
broke at an elevation which permitted
it to be seen from the valley of the
,~trestle.
At sight of it, Baron Huroki, stand
ing on the porch of the japanese farm
house, uttered an ina%rticulate sound Of
satisfaction, pocketed his binocular,
and, going into the house, took up the
telephone and gave the number of the
Ritz Carlton in New York.
At eighteen minutes to eight Patria
Charming paused in the act of COM
,pleting her toilette for dinner to an
;swer the telephone.
"Yes!" she called. "This is Miss
Charming. Who are your"
Out of the mystery of the night a
voice responded in accents oddly ia
miliar yet oddly unacceptable:
"Your men have mutinied in Powder
Town. They are rioting and shooting
up the town. Captain Parr and others
are besieged in the office building of
Mill Number Five, in momentary dan
ger of being blown up"
The voice ceased abruptly. There
was the click Of a receiver hung up.
The girls distracted efforts to get the
connection renewed failed utterly. In
panic she threw the instrument from
her and began to tear off her frock.
"Fetch me a travelling suit" she or.
dered her maid. "Then call up the
railroad and tell them to have my train
ready for immediate service. I'm go.
ing out to Powder Town as quickly
as I can"
T~wenty-three minutes later she
boarded her special at Jersey City.
AS the train pulled out of the YARD
a furtive little Japanese lodged away
between the tracks, left the yard, and
self to the telephone.
Having received definite word thai
Patria was on the way, Baron Huroki
hung up, left the Japanese farmhouse
and superintendent the setting off Of
great rocket.
This last, rising to a great height
at high speed, was plainly visible il
Powder Town when it exploded.
Kato saw 1.-THE had been waiting
for precisely that signal-and scram
bled to his feet. Applying a whistle
to his lips, he blew a single blast. I'm
mediately the field in which he hat
been lying at length became peoplet
with the shadowy shapes of his coun
trymen.
A second blast set them in motion
In utter silence but for the rattle O.
accoutrements and the thudding o.
their feet, they bore down at double
quick on the unsuspicious little tow
which they had surrounded in thu
darkness.
In three minutes more the vanguard
of the raiders debouched in the mail
street of Powder Town and charged VI
1t, shooting and bayonetting all il
their path.
Taken completely off their guard
who had, for that matter, no reason
to anticipate anything of the sort, tn
terrorized inhabitants fled before thi
general assault like leaves before
great wind.
In five minutes the Japanese wer'
in complete and undisputed possession
of the town and were firing it's houses
The glare of those flames agains
the sky was synchronous with the call
ing of a bugle In the main yard of tn
Charming factories. The first refugee
had just arrived and begun to gas