The Elbert County tribune., 1917-09-14

~No matter I must not criticize
what / must not criticize. Further
more. 1t is my duty to whisper in your
ear a word of advice"
| IF you please" said Patria simply
-surmising what was coming.
Yet the general hesitated.
aYou understand" he said. a trace
embarrassed, II am acting under In
structiou."
II quite understand"
''Then 1 must tell you-frankly-
that you are coming perilously near
to usurpIng power which the Con-
stitution vests with congress alone.
"The right to raise and maintain
standing army" Patria added
precisely. II that is not what you
are doing-on small scale. but none
the less In an admirably efficient way
Il have misunderstood all you have
shown and told me here today"
"Perhaps." Patria agreed. smiling.
"And yet you will find, upon investi-
CATION, that every man In my employ,
aside from the ranch hands and others
who have definitely peaceable labors
to perform. is carried on my pay rolls
as wntchman!''
"An army of watchmen"
Again the eyes of the general twin
kled
"Precisely. The Constitution does
not prescribe the citizens right to
protect his own property. I believe.
by employing men and arms to guard
to. oil that II dnfn har
on my lands. / have my property
and my people to safeguard. and
mean TO do it."
No further reference was made to
the object of the visitation, but the un-
derstanding was implicit that report
must be made to Washington and that
Washington would then take such ac-
ton as it might see fit.
Noon-and still no word from Bess
Morgan or the party which had ridden
forth to rescue her.
But Patria betrayed no inkllng of
the anxiety which gnawed at her mind.
To confess that she was waiting the
outcome of an armed invasion of a
nominally friendly land which she, Pa
tria Claiming, had authorized Even
the favor her patriotic spirit had found
in the esteem of her guests could hard
ly mitigate the disaster TO her plans
which must follow any such discov-
cry.
And it was nearly two o'clock before
she was finally rid of them.
With heartfelt gratitude she saw the
dust of their wheels drift away down
the road-then turned and jumped
into her own motor car and had 1t
moving back toward the aviation field
almost before Donald could take his
place beside her.
One of her fiiers was making a land
ing as Patria alighted at the field.
He had nothing to report.
Again clambering into the pilots
seat of her own particular biplane,
Patria committed her fate to the ad-
venture of the air lanes.
For little she climbed steadily,
but not for long: content to leave the
greater range of observation to those
on the higher levels, with their power
full glasses, she quartered the land be-
yond the border at an elevation bare
ly sufficient to escape the eddies and
currents that made navigation inter-
esting If not devoid of danger above
the SUBMITS of the lowland hills.
Here, comparatively close to the
ground. she might be able to pick up
indications invisible to the airmen SO
far. above her.
And so, In the end, 1t proved.
She had been flying a little more
than an hour-was returning from
wide circuit through the south toward
her starting point. OF a sudden she
was conscious that the monotonous
drone of the motor behind her was be-
ing punctuated-one cylinder was be-
ginning to miss fire.
Patria began to foresee that she
might be obliged to make a landing
sonth of the border. She searched
the landscape that swan beneath her
anxious eyes.
Then she saw q motor-car abruptly
sweep out of u narrow gulley at some
distance off to the right, making a
furious pace northward. The men
who occupied 1t wore khaki; for an
instant she thought them soldiers in
American uniforms. Then she saw
that they We're men of an average
stature smaller than that of Ameri-
can troops. They were standing up
in the tonneau and firing pistols back