Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-16
THE DAY OF WRATH

square stones with which the barn
Waa paved. ThencAforth the vivid
glare remained stationary. The two
men. facing each other at distance
They could see each other quite well,
however. In the dim borrowed light.
and the Euardsman clicked the ash from
~You'rs English, I'm German" he
said. we represent the positive and
negative poles of thought. II 1t hurts
your feelings that ] should speak OF
Lady Irene, let's forget her. what l
really want to ask you IL this-wny
has England been 20 mad as to night
Germany?
CHAPTER Kill
THE WOODEN HORSE OF TROY.
The oueation struck Dalroy AZ so
bixarre--in the conditions SO ludicrous
that. despite the cold fury evoked by
Won HalwiR's innuendoes with regard
to Irene. he nearly laughed.
II am In no mood to discuss interna-
tional politics" he answered. curtly.
The other. who seemed to have his
temper well under control. merely nod
dad. Indeed. he was obviously. IL un-
consciously, modelling his behavior on
that of his prisoner.
81 only imagined that you might be
interested In hearing what's going to
happen to your damned country" he
said.
II know already She will emerge
from this struggle greater. more re-
uowned. more inyineible than ever"
Dummies zeuE. All rubbish That's
YOUR house of commons and music hall
patter. meant to tickle the ears of the
British workingman- England Is go
ing to be wiped off the map. We're
obliterating her now. You've been in
Belgium a month, and must have seen
things which your stupid John Bulls
at home can't even comprehend. which
they never Will comprehend till too
late"
He paused, awaiting reply, per-
IT'S rough luck that you, soldier,
like myself. may not share in the game.
even on the losing side" went on Won
HaIwiE. But you would be particu-
trived to reach England. especially
with the information I'm now going to
give you. You can't possibly escape.
of course. You Will be executed. not rs
q. spy. but as a murderer. You left a
rather heavy mark on US. Two SOL
diers in hut near Wise. three officers
and q private in the mill. i've soldiers
in the wood at Argenteau--
You hatter me-, put in Dairoy i
may have shot one fellow in the wood.
is all. Your men killed one another
there"
The credit was given to YOU" was
the dry retort. "But-es list mir ganz
an Intelligent Englishman. and that Is
why ! am taking the trouble to tell you
exactly why Great Britain will soon
be Little Britain. Understand, I'm
supplying facts. not war bulletins. On
land you're beaten already. Our ar
mics are near Paris. German cavalry
entered Chantilly today. Your men
made 4 great stand, and fought four
day rearguard action which Will fig-
ure in the text books for the next fifty
wears. But the French are broken, the
English expeditionary force nearly de-
stroyed. The French government has
deserted Paris for Bordeaux And. ex-
cuse me il laugh. Lord Kitchener has
asked for hundred thousand more
men,
HE will get five millions If he needs
them"
Won Halwig swept the retort aside
with an impatient flourish.
TOO late: Too late. I'll prove It to
YOU. Turkey Is joining us. Bulgaria
will come in when wanted. Greece
won't lift a finger in the Balkans, and
a great army of Turks led by Germans
will march on Egypt. South Africa
for the time. but who knows what will
happen when she sees England on her
knees? italy 10 sitting on the fence.
The United States are sniveling. but
German influence IL too strong out
there to permit of active interference.
And. in any event, what can America
do except look on, shivering at the
prospect of her own turn coming next?
Russia il making stir in East Prus-
STA and along the Austrian frontier. so
nId Tn nd IN
the Slav is fighting her battles. 1t 10
to laugh. Well pen the Bear long be-
fore he becomes dangerous. ] am not
boastinE. by friend. Why should ].
Guard. be messing about in wretched
Flemish village when our men are
about to storm Paris in the west and
tackle Russia in the east? TIL explain.
I'm here because / know England SO
well. Ny job is to help in organizing
the invading force which will gather at
Calais. All. that amuses you. does it,
The British feet is the obstacle, eh ?
Not it. Seriously, now. do you regard
US Germans as idiots? No; Tn M, sure VI.
in parliament don't know ! assure
you. on my honor, our general staff is
confident that German army will land
on British soil-in Britain itself, l
mean-before Christmas.
The speaker interrupted this food of
dire prophecy in order to light fresh
cigarette Then, clasping his hands
behind his back. and strutting with
feet well apart, he said. quite affably.
why don't you put question or two?
If you believe I'm reciting fairy tale,
say SO, and point out the stupidities
Now. Da1roy had not been amused"
by the statement that the Germans
might occupy Calais. He had already
discounted even worse reverses as Iy-
ing well within the bounds of posi-
bility. He was certain, too, that the
Prussian was saying that which he
really believed. But his nerves of steel
were undoubtedly tried almost beyond
endurance at the instant Won Halwig
noticed the involuntary movement
which ELECTED that unlimited comment
on the British fleet.
AS the word Calais" quilted the
churchman's lips a rope. with a moose
at the end, dropped with swift stealth
through the open trapdoar. It's descent
was checked when the moose dangled
slightly higher than his head, and who
ever was manipulating 1t began at
backward. Won Halwig stood some six
or seven feet nearer the wall than the
point which the rope would have
touched II lowered TO the floor, so the
objective aimed at by that pendulum
action was not difficult to grasp. being
nothing else than his speedy and noise
less extinction by hanging.
1t is an oft-repeated though far
fetched assertion that drowninE, nAan
reviews the whole of his life during
the few seconds which separate the
last conscious struggle from complete
anesthesia. That may or may not be
true. but Dalroy now experienced a
brain storm not lacking many of the
essentials OF some such mental kinema.
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