Evening star., 1917-12-09

ing of Sir John French's force took
place exactly at the. time and place
and in the numbers Dalroy himself
had estimated. To throw small army
into Flanders would have been folly.
Obviously, the British must join hands
with the French before Offering battle.
For the rest-though he went out very
little. and alone as being less risky
he recognized the hour when the Ger
man machine recovered its momentum
after the first unexpected collapse. ne
saw order replace chaos. He watched
the dragon crawling ever onward, ana
understood then that no act of man
could save Belgium. Nerviers was the
best possible site for an observer who
knew how to use his eyes. he as
sumed that what was occurring there
Iuxembourx and along the lire of the
VosEes mountains
Gradually. too, he reconciled his con-
science to these days of waiting. He
believed now that his services would
be Immensely more useful TO the Brit.
ish commander-in-chief in the field "
he could cross the French frontier
rather than reach London and the war
ONCE by way of the Belgian coast.
This decision liaIhtened his heart. He
was beginning to fear that the welfare
Of Irene Beresford was conflicting with
duty 1t was cheering to feel con-
WINGED that the odds and ends OF m
formation picked up in Verviers might
lied cause. For instance. Liege was
being laid low by eleven-inch howit-
zers. but he had seen seventeen-inch
howitzers. each in three parts, each
traction engines. moving slowly to-
ward the southwest. There lay Ma
mur and France. No need to doubt
now where the chief theater OF the
man staff had blundered in its initial
strategy. but the defect was being re-
paired. All that had gone before was
a mere prelude to the grim business
which would be transacted beyond the
Mouse.
During that period of quiescence GER
tain minor and personal elements af-
fecting the future passed from a nebu-
lous stage to n state of Quasi-accept-
snce- There was not. there could not
be, any pronounced slove making be-
tween two people SO situated as Dali
roy and Irene Beresford. But eyes
can exchange messages which the lips
dare not utter. and these two began to
one for the other by a wise Providence.
Az that is precisely the right sentiment
of young folk in love. romance throve
finely in Nine. Berangers little au-
berge IN the Rue de Nivers at Yer
viers. A tender glance. touch of the
hand. q lighting of troubled face
when the dear one appears-these
things are excellent substitutes for
the spoken WORD.
Irene was Irene" TO Dalroy ever
since that night in the wood at A-gen-
teau. and the girl herself accepted the
development with the deftness which
is every woman's legacy from Mother
Eve.
..It you make free with MD Christia n
rame T mrst re:ort by using yours "
she said one day on com .ng down 70
breakfast. so. Good morning. Ar
thur Where did you get that hat:?"
hat in, w a
q wide e-brimmed fe't such as is COM
mon in Flanders. Its Apa che siouch. in
conjunction with Ian Maertzs oldes,
clothes and weeks stubble OF beard.
Except in the details Of height and
physique. it would, indeed. be difficult
for any stranger to associate thus
loose -limbed Belgian laborer with the
tered the Friedrich Strasse station in
Berlin on the night of Sd August. That
was as it should be, though the altera- :
tion was none the less displeasing TO
it's victim. Irene adopted huge sun
bonnet. and compromised as to boots
by wearing sabots en- cur. or clogs.
Singularly enough. white-haired Ny
GARNER nearly brought matters 10 a
c'ima~ as between these two.
On the Wednesday evening, when the
last forts of L.eGe Wee crumblinQ.
Mime. zoos was reported convalescent
and asleep. so both girls came to the
little salon for supper OF stewed
veal.
Naturally the war was discussed
first: but the Driast was learning to
agree with his English friend about its
main features In sheer dismay at the
black outlook before his country. he
suddenly turned the talk into more
intimate channel.
what plans have you youngSters
made?" he asked. M Joos and l can
only look back through the years. The
places we know and love are abodes OF
ghosts. The m.lestones are tomb
stones. We can surely count more
friends dead than living. For you II
In different. The world will go on. war
or no war: bot vervi.rs will not be-
come your residence. / take it,"
Jan and ] mean 10 join our respec-
tive armies as soon as NJ. zoos and the
ladies are taken care of. and that
means. ] suppose. safely lodged In
England said Dalroy. 4
''ff Leont:ne likes to marry me hrst,
I'm agreeable" put in Macrtz promptly.