Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-23

and met everybody who was anybody
in that cosmopolitan rendezvous.
! Adams went into the pack room.
bought a drink At the bar. carried II
over 10 n Of the little green tables
hedgcd in between the barrels and
eases and deposited his valise on the
floor.
lie appeared TO be browsing. but
was ia fact listening to the hum of
gossip and scrutinizing every face.
Presently Toxic appeared with a high
bali and sat down in one Of the unoc-
curied chairs at the same table. fixing
his eyes upon Adams. Adams never
blinked. lie acted rs though he had
never seen Toxic before. Adams took
n long sip; likewise Toxic. Yet no
word passed between them.
The topic of conversation among the
%frcquenters mainly concerned RALPH
Payne, the effect on world politics Of
The assassination Of the Granadian
ambassador; the sudden mancuyers OF
the Atlantic squadron with decks
trimmed toward the Caribbean what
all this Canal plot newspaper talk
was about anyhow To m incomprc-
hcnsible people, ana whether or not II
was true that the president had or
dered the chief IF the army staff %
prepare for mohilizing a million volun-
teers on an emergency call to arms.
Behind it am. war was TIE theme
and our condition ~ national Unpre-
parcdneSs for Ii.
'BoSh! III exclaimed a Western farm
or 10 his congressman. warming up in
the Schumacher atmosphere. WAR?
How can we 70 10 war with the coun-
Try short az men us II is-a million.
they sayl The farms won't yield up
any volunteers that's surc-nut with
wheat mt two dollars a huShel no
street.
The congressman smiled indulgcnt-
Y. Don't forget when you go
back home, Lew. ID tell the railroad
boys that I'm for the eight-hour work
Ing day. Ii ought tn r~e-elcct rae. chg
The constituent shut one eve and
screwed his face. "Waal, I'm NOT
hAAAA VII AAaN ~AANAA VIII MILE NAtAA iAfAF
Osition-not with wheat at two dollars
a buShcl and help scarce. still We
got 10 Keep the trains moving. with
All this here prosperity III me country.
Gosh BIN, the country mustn't gu tO
war. We've simply got to keep the
wheels Of industry hummim. The
way for you fcllcrs down here tD lrt
r...F..e-F F. ~. f-. .. F..Hf ~ ..
az WARMTH wheat at two dollars 4
buShel. Let those that want t1 fight
"a over on the other side. / Say ,'
At the other end NJ thp bear w stately.
gray-haircd gentleman was speaking
O. an attentive audience. 'An.ivtum.
sub. Autietuin. corrected he politely
to a statement that had been made.
lie held up An empty coat sleeve. "Hut
| want to voice these sentiments. sun.
Just us ! fought fur thc lost cause Ul
the South, 50 would / again fight tn
uphold the independence of this unit
ed nation
with wheat NJ two
dollars a bushel." tralled the insistent
voice ~ the Western farmer.
! fvuh the Eay-
eminent. sun, IN sleeping regret a.
say Ii. sub, about this noble land Id
was the onc-armed coloncl's accents.
'You. gentlemen. must not miSundcr-
stand me, but / frah that while we
are maintaining the fighting machine
of Europe. our own is getting very
rusty. The government and tIe army
remind me sadly Of old Mother Hub
bard and her dawG. You-all know
what | mean. sub:
when she got there,
The cupboard was bare
"Where are our soldiers? Who're Is
our equipment Where urr uur sup
plics2 Nou-all must agree that aI-
though we are preparing Eu-
rope
... n mi dollars a
buShel
we are u%uprcpariug
ourselves u resist her III she should
turn against to-. I fcah that our ma
tiunal pride H. being sacrificed to na-
tional greed Tor money. ! hope, sub,
] am mistaken. Thank You ~uh, he
interpolated with q smile, "the same
with a little more sugar and lemon
peel. Now take our National Pre-
parcdneSs committeeman has 1t
done. who knows ]"
I'D like 20 b-butt In here n minute"
interrupted IN apologizing newcomer
who had attached himself % the
group.
It was Adams. Toxic ny the little
green table was watching him with
gimletlike eyes. not u little a~yOnished.
II want To ask t-thiS highly eddy
Gated gentleman q q-qucstion," Adams
explained % the curious ~hy~tanders,