Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-18
CHATTER Nru-CContlnued)


" A IT, THAT amuscs YOU does it? The
a British fleet is the obstacle. ch? Not I?
Seriously now, do you regard us Germans
as idiots? No; I'm sure you don't, You
know. These fellows in Parliament don't
know. I assure you on my honor our
general STAFF is confident that n German
army will land on British soi-in Britain
itself 7 mear--hefore Christmas
Tw spcakor interrupted this flood OF
d"r prophecy m urdor 90 light 2 fresh
cigarette TD,o CI8,pug mis- hands hchtOd
hI back and =truttioa with feet vel
apart he said lurj" ttGhI' Why don't
you put a question or two n you be-
iieve I'm recitlng a fairy tale, say 80, ana
point out the stupiditos,"
Now, Dalroy had not been amused" by
the statement that the Germans might
occupy Calais. lie had already discounted
even worse rcvcrses as lying well within
the bounds Of possibility. lie was certain,
too that the Prussiau was saying that
which he really believed But his nerves
| of steel We're undoubtedly tried almost be-
| yOnd endurance at the instant Won lIalwiE
! noticed the involuntary movement which
| elected that unlimited comment on the
British fleet
As the word Calais" quilted the Guards
! mans lips, a rope, with n moose at the
| end dropped with swift stealth through the
! open trap-door. Its descent was checked
| when the moose danglcd slightly higher
| thau his head. and whoever was manipu-
! latmE II began At once to swing it slowly
! forward and backward. Won IIalwig stood
! some six or seven feet nearer the wall
! than the point which the rope would have
| touched If lowered to the floor, the OBJ
| jective aimed at by that pendulum action
was not difficult to grasp, being nothing
else than his speedy and noscless eXtinc-
tou by hanging.
| II is an oft-repeated though far-fetchod
! assertion that n drowning man reviews the
. IL c.vrr ,Ie
which separate the last conscious struggle
| from complete ancStheSia. That may or
| may not he true but Dalroy now expert
| cuced hrain-storm not lacking many Of
| the essentials Of some such mental kncma
Think what that swinging rope, with
its unseen human agency, meant to
| captive in his hapess position II was
! simply incredible that once man alone
would attempt so daring an eXpedient
| Not only, then. were n number of piucky
and resourccfu allies concealed in the loft,
| but they must have been hidden there
before the detachment Of Death 's-Ucad
Hussars occupied the barn beneath. There
fore. they knew the enemy's strength. yet
were not afraid. That they were ready
witted was shown by the method evolved
for the suppression Of that blatant Teuton,
Won Halwig. II was evident, too, that
| they had intended to lie perdu till the
| cavalry were gone, but had been moved
to action by a desire to rescue the bound
Englishman who was being twitted so out
rageously on his own and his country's
supposed misfortunes.
Who could they be? Were they armed,
and sufficiently numerous to rout the Ger
mans? In any event, how could they deliver
! an effective attack? lie, Dalroy, took II
for granted that The immediate strangula-
tion Of the Guardsman, II successful, was
but the prelude to a sharp fight, since Won
| Halwig's death. though supremey dramatic
as an isolated incident, would neither
benefit the prisoners nor conduCe to the
wcll-being of the people In the loft, How,
then, did they purpose dealing with a
score of trained soldiers who must already
be fdgeting I'm the rain, and whose leader,
the corporal might look in at any moment
10 ascertain what was delaying the young
staff captain? Discipline was all very well,
but these hussars belonged to a crack
| regiment and their colonel would resent
strongly the needless exposure of his men
and horses TO inclement weather. More
over how easy 1t was for the corporal TO
| convey a polite hint to Won Halwg by
asking IL the chauffeur should not turn the
car in readiness for his departure
All this. and more. cascaded through pal-
rows brain while his enemy was lighting
| the second cigarette. lie was in the pUght
Of a shipwrecked sailor cltnginE to SINK
ing craft. who saw a lfcboat approaching.
vet dared neither look at nor signal 10 II
He must bend all his energies now TO the
| task of keeping Won HalWlE occupied. WhaI
would hapDen when the moose Coiled around
| the orators neck? Would it tighten with
sufficient rapidity 10 choke cry for help?
Would it fall awkwardly and warn him?
Were any Of the troopers so placed that
thew could see into that section Of the barn,
Land thus witness their officers extraordinary
| predicament? Who could tell? How might
a man form any sort Of opinion as TO the
yea or nay Of a juggler's feat which saw
ored Of black magic?
Dalroy gave up the effort to guess what
tho next half-miuotc might bring forth.
Those mysterious beings up there needed
the best help he could offer, and his powers
in that respect were strictly limited 20 two
channels-he must egg on the talker-he
must not watch that rope.
"I am ready TO admit Germany's
strength on land" he said, resolutely fixing
his ewes on an iron cross attached to the
Prussian's tunic above the top button.
"That is a reasonable claim How futile
otherwise would have been your twenty
years of preparation for this very war.
But my mind Is far too dense TO understand
how you can disregard the English Chan
| nell"
1.-THE English Channel" scoffed Won Hal
wig, "The impudence of you verdammt--
No, it's foolish to lose ones temper Well.
I'll explain. The really important part Of
the English Channel is about 10 become
German
For a little time we leave you the sur
face, but Germany will own the rest Your
navy is about TO receive a horrible sur