The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-05-26

Occasionally their "Reminiscences
carried these swift Sentries of the air
lanes south of the border; but the re-
ports of their observers were invaria-
bly, destitute of alarming information.
Apparently the Mexican population
was apathetic, resigned to the pursuits
of peace. There was no more gun-run-
ming that could be discovered. There
was no movement of troops percept-
IDLE. There were no raids. There was
not even a lonely case of sniping to
keep the patrols on the qui vive.
For all that, Patria's preparations
were pushed forward with undated
energy.
There came a day, several weeks
after Zalaya's futile raid, when this
young woman rode out to review her
modest but wonderfully efficient forces.
She returned to the hacienda in the
quiet of evening, weary but exhilar-
ated.
"Tm not afraid" she told Donald
with a nod of her head indicating the
Mexican mountains in the sOuth-their
ragged ramparts looming in purple
shades against the silvered skies of q
perfect moonlight night. Let them
GOMEZ"
He laughed sympathetically, but
shook a %reproving head.
Let us not fall into the pit of over
confidence" he said. 81 know how you
feel. It's wonderful to know that we
have all these fine fellows to rally to
our defense in case of need. But after
all, they're only a handful; and what
| fear is that the next act of aggreS-
sion, when it comes, will be invasion
in overwhelming forces. We have
gone as far ms we can in the matter of
making these men the toughest kind
of hard-hitting fighters; but there
aren't enough of them to Withstand
an army's advance. From now ON we
must devote all our energies to the
planning of means to equalize supe-
rior numbers with superior intelli-
gence. We must be prepared to de-
liver a staggering blow before the en-
envy can find out how insignificant our
forces are"
They sat in silence for a little, both
gazing out over the Swallowed dis
tances beyond the border.
at is too quiet-too quiet alto
gether," Parr unused aloud. 81 can't
forget that Huroki is somewhere out
there-hiding, planning, restlessly
scheming to serve his country's pur-
poses and at the same time to gain his
revenge for the setbacks he has re-
ceived at our hands,"
"Nor can 1 forget it," the girl re-
piled. "Of n thing we may feel as
sured: if Huroki has any voice in the
councils that are taking place down
there, the blow, when it comes, will
fall here first of ALL"
The shadow of premonition dark
ened her mood transiently. She shiv-
cred a little.
81 WONDER" she said, "what iniqui-
ties he is Matching down yonder?"
There is a certain psychic sympathy
between the minds of those that hate
well, ever as it is with those who love;
there vas less coincidence than might
be thought in the fact that, at approx
imately the same time, Baron Huroki
was uttering substantially similar OBJ
servations concerning Patria, at a dis
lance of something like a days ride
from the hacienda.
The scene was the main room of an
adobe dwelling of somewhat more pre-
tentious proportions and appointments
than is commonly to be found In the
wilder sections of inland Mexico.
There were a number of other adobe
houses near it but this was the larg-
est of the lot; and it was further dis
tinguished by a restless going and
coming of orderlies and officers of SUI
perior rank in the field uniforms of
the japanese army-though there was
not lacking a sprinkling of others at
tired in the livery of the troops loyal
to the de facto government of Mexico
The dwelling was, in short, the
headquarters of General Nogi, CON-
mander in chief of the allied japanese
and Mexican forces which had been
secretly gathered together in this re-
mote retreat and were now marking
time, under arms, against receipt of
word from Tokyo to proceed with the
long-planned invasion of the south
western United States.
From the slight eminence on which
the headquarters building stood the
valley sloped away in dimly moonlit
perspective; and as far as one could
see it was a city of d~ust-colored tents
populated by regiment upon regiment
of highly trained and efficient troops.
Within the headquarters building, in
a large room, brightly lighted and fur
nished with soldierly severity, an in
formal council of war was in prog
ress, General Nogi himself presiding.
He was a man of nearly sixty, yet
carried his compact and athletic body
with the ease of twenty-five. His
heavy-lidded eyes were as bright as
any youths; the network of wrinkles
that inclosed them, with the whiteness
of his hair, alone betrayed his age.
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