Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-03
THE DAY OF WRATH
A STORY OF 1914
By Louis Tracy

great Allies. II Germany could spare such
n host Of horse, foot and artillery for the
overrunning Of Belgium, while moving the
enormous forces needed on both hanks,
what millions Of men she must have placed
under arms long before the mobilization
order was announced publicly! And what
was England doing and saying? England!
the home of liberty and n free press, where
demagoEueS Spouted nlatitudes about the
curse of militarism," and encouraged that
very monster by leaving the richest coun-
try In the world open to just such a sudden
and merciless attack as Belgium was un-
dergong before his eyes!
Lying there among the underground, lis
tening to the tramp Of an army corps, and
watching the flicker Of countless rfebarrels
In the moonlight. he forgot his own plight,
and thought only of the unprcparcdncss Of
Britain lie was soldier by training and
| inclination. lie harbored no dclusions Man
for man, the alert, intelligent. and Chival-
rous British army was far superior to the
| cannon-fodder Of the German machine. But
OF what avail was the hundred thousand
| Britain could put in the field in the west
of Europe against the four millions Of
Germany? Here was no combat of n David
and a Goliath, but Of one man against forty
Naturally, France and Russia came into
| the picture, yet he feared that France would
| break at the outset OF the campaign. while
| Austria might hold Russia in check long
| enough to enable Germany to work her
murderous design. BE it remembered he
| could not possibly estimate the fine and
/ fierce vaor of tho resistance offered by Bel
| gium. II seemed to him that the Tcuton
| hordes must already be hacking their way
| to the coast, leaving sufficient men and
| guns to contain the Belgian fortresses, and
| halting only when the white cliffs of Eng
| land were visible across the Channel
II his anxious thoughts wandered, how
| ever. and Enawing doubt ate into his soul
| lest the British fleet might, as the Germans
| in Wise claimed. have been taken at dis
| advantage he did not allow his eyes and
| ears to neglect the duties of the hour
A fall in the temperature had condensed
| the river mist, and the air near the ground
was much clearer now than at o'clock.
| The breeze, too, gathered the dust into
| wraiths and scurrying wiSpS through which
| Elimpses of the sloping uplands toward AK
were Obtainable. During one of these un-
| hampered moments he caught sight of some-
| thing so weird and uncanny that he was
! positively startled.
| A sOrrow.laden, waxen- -hued face seemed
| to peer at him for an instant and then
| vanish. But there could be no face so high
in the air, twenty feet or more above the
| heads Of a Prussan regiment bawling
| Deutschland, Deutschland uber allies"
Tho land was level theTeabouts The APP
partition consequently, must be mere trick
| Of the Imagination. Yet he saw, or fancied
| he saw, that same spectral face twice again
|
vexed with himself for allowing his be-
mused senses to yield to some supernatural
| influence. Then the vision came n fourth
time, and a thrill ran through every fiber
| in his body.
Because there could be no mistake now.
| The face so mournful, so benign, so pity
| ing bore on the forehead crown of thorns
| Even while the blood coursed in Dalroy's
veins with the awe Of it, he knew that he
was looking at the figure of Christ on the
| tln., Ha1t gVNpIy an
| Of by Joos, and invisible in the earlier
! murk The beams of the risen moon etched
the painted carving in most realistic lights
and shadows. The palld skin glistened as
though in agony. The big, piercing eyes
| gazed down at the passing soldiers as the
Man of Sorrows might have looked at the
| needless legonaries Of Rome.
From that instant une God-fearing BritOn
at least, never again allowed the shadow Of
n doubt to darken his faith in the divine
| If insCrutable purpose. He had passed al
ready through dark and deadly hours, while
others were then near at hand; but he
was steadfast in doing what he conceived
his duty without seeking to interpret the
ways Of Providence. IF Thou be Christi"
1t was the last taurt of the unbeiever,
though the veil of the temple would be rent
in twain, and the earth would quake, and
the graves be opened, and the bodies Of the
saints arise and be seen by many
A harsh command silenced the singing,
demanding the nature Of the errand which
brought a squad of men from Wise
Sergeant Karl Schwartz, Herr Haupt.
mann" reported the leader Of the party.
"An Engishman, assisted by miller named
Joos and his man, Maertz. has killed three
of our officers, He also wounded Herr
Leutnant Won Huntzel, of the Seventh West
phalain Regiment who has recovered suf-
ficiently to say what happened, The gen.
eralmajor has ordered strict search. I,
being acquainted with the district am bring
ing these men to a wood where the rascals
may be hiding"
KILLED three you say? The heud take
all such Schweinhunds and their helpers
Good luck to you.-Vorwarts!"
The column moved on. Schwartz, the
treacherous barber Of Wise, led his men
into the lane. There were eleven all told
hopeless odds-because this gang of hunt
ers was ready for fight and itching "a
capture a verdammt Englander.
And Joos's safe retreat" had beer
| guessed by the spy who knew what every
inhabitant Of Wise did, who had watched
and noted even such a harmless occupation
as Lsontines bilberry-picxing, who was ac.
quainted with each footpath for mile,
around, from whose crafty eyes not a COW,
byre on any remote farm in the whole coun
tryside was concealed
This misfortune marked the end. DalroN
thought But there was chance OF escape
II only for the few remaining hours OF IN,
night and he took II with the same higl
courage he displayed in going back TO thl
rescue Of Irene Beresford IN the railwa,
, station az AK lie had rife with ty