Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-05-18
t The Wreath of "VictOry"
By MORGAN j. sATTERLEE

- ERTHA BISHOFF said goodby
| * TO her lover, Lieutenant Gus
- tay Schlotter, who was about
to leave her to take command
of his submarine, the U-94 of the
| German imperial navy. There is no
more dangerous service in the world
than sailing under the sea- and there
Is nothing more appalling than being
smothered on the bottom of the ocean
Bertha chung to her lover, and when
he disengaged himself from her. en-
couraging her that he would soon see
her again and, he hoped, with a dec
Grafton on his breast, she walled:
you will never come back to me.'
Il will, dear heart. | WILL, he said,
and darted out of the door and into
the ear that was to take him to the
station on the North sea where his.
vessel was awaiting him.
Bertha was inconsolable. In vain
her mother. her relatives, her friends.
endeavored to instill into her a feeling
| that AtE lONtI AOulu SuIN1NC lbb
perils to which he would be exposed
and return to her showered with hon
ors. But Bertha's mind had become
oppressed with visions of his boat "
ing hundreds of feet under the surface,
merciess waves rolling far above it.
the commander and all the crew lying
stiff and stark within their iron tomb.
A few days after Schlotter left for
| his ship a message came to Bertha
telling her that he was about to slip
out from the station and rove the sea.
| He would he submerged while pass
| ing the allied fleet, but after that there
would be little occasion for him to
| leave the surface except when nearing
some merchantmen of the enemy that
he was intending to destroy. He
charged his sweetheart to think of
him dashing hither and thither in the
service Of the fatherland and returning
| TO her, having earned the blessings of
his countrymen and the appreciation
OF the kaiser
IF l am given any token of my
countrys appreciation" he said, II
| W III II at iiit lttl VI NY NlollibS-
Lieutenant Schlotter sailed out one
dark night on the bosom of a wintry
sea.
Those who endeayored to keep up
Bertha's courage pictured her lover
coming to her aglow with pride at the
blows he had struck for the fatherland.
They spoke of the decorations he would
wear, and one enthusiast described
him as wearing the wreath Of victory
that Roman conquerors wore when de-
creed n triumph. At this suggestion
Bertha shuddered.
n time came when Schlotter had been
out long while without reporting or
Being reported. The German admiral
ty were beginning to think that they
must soon place the U-94 on the list
of missing submarines. Those about
Bertha concealed their fears, and the
more they feared the more hopeful they
appeared TO her She was told that
! the time the submarine was expected
to return was near and doubtless its
arrival would soon he announced.
1t was proposed that she should be
taken TO the station to which her lover
would return, that she might be on
| hand to meet him. The proposal did
not cheer her. but she consented, and
with her mother she left for the coast.
Not far from the station was hotel.
| in which the two were lodged and
word was left with the proper officer
! to notify Lieutenant Schlotter when
he came in that they We're waiting for
| him. The officer took the message and
promised to deliver it.
Bertha spent her time sitting at a
window looking out upon the bleak
| North sea or walking on the sands.
constantly looking for sign of the
! U94. But the days dragged on, and
it did not come. Bertha remembered
her lovers promise to come back to
her. 81 viii, dear heart, / will" she
kept repeating as IL to reassure herself
of what she felt would never be.
One night Bertha heard that SUBJ
marine had come in, but what vessel
her informant did not know. She
wished to go TO the station, but her
mother told her that by doing so she
would likely miss her lover, who
was he who had arrived. Bertha was
| persuaded, but insisted on remaining
out on the porch looking in the direc-
tion of the station. There was a dull
moon. and she could see some distance
| Presently she saw the dim figure of
man walking along the margin of
the sea. He seemed TO advance rapid
| ly, as though in haste. at is he,'
cried the girl. and before her mother.
who was with her, could restrain her
she ran toward the coming figure As
! she neared it pair of arms were
stretched out toward her, holding out
TO her what looked like wreath. A
chill wind blew in from the ocean.
The figure grew dim, and In a moment
where il stood was nothing.
Frau Bshoff followed her daughter