The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-17

( mo matter. I must not criticize
I what must not criticize. Further
| more, it is my duty to whisper in your
ear word of advice"
eff you please" said Patria simply
-surmising what was coming.
Yet the general hesitated.
you understand" he said, a trace
embarrassed, "I~ am acting under In
struction."
Il quite UNDERESTIMATE
"Then l must tell yOu-frankly-
that you are coming perilously near
to usurping power which the Com
stitution vests with congress alone.
'The right to raise and maintain 6
standing army" Patria added.
Precisely. If that is not what you
are Going-on q small scale, but none
the less in an admirably efficient way
u have misunderstood all you have
shown and told me here today"
Perhaps. Patria agreed, smiling.
"And yet ~ou 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 Waterman !"
''An army of watChment"
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
it. That IS all that I am doing here
ON my lands. l have my property
and my people to safeguard. and l
mean 70 do it."
No further reference was made to
the object of the visitation, but the I'M
derstanding was implicit that report
must be made to Washington and that
Washington would then take such &C.
ton as it might see fit.
NoOn-arf still no word from Bess
Morgan or the party which had ridden
forth to rescue her.
But Patria betrayed no inkling of
the anxiety which gnawed at her mind.
To confess that she was waiting the
outcome of an armed invasion of a
nolninally friendly land which she, Pa
tria Charming. had authorized. Even
the favor her patriotic spirit had found
in the esteem of her guests could hard
~ 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 it
moving back toward the aviation field
almost before Donald could take his
place beside her.
One of her fliers was making land
Ing as Patria alighted at the field. i
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
y sufficient to escape the eddies and
that made navigation inter-
asting If not devoid Of danger above
he submits of the lowland hills. Il
Here, comparatively close to the
ground, she might be able to pick up
Indications invisible to the airmen so
ar above her.
And so, in the end, 1t proved.
She had been flying little more
han-an hour-was returning from a
vide circuit through the south toward
Ter starting point. OF sudden she
vas conscious that the monotonous
lrone of the motor behind her was bel
ng punctuated-One cylinder was he-al