The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-22

Il inthc vivacity.
Dr., but the head waiter, rushing in
lthem motionless with an appraised
decorous restaurants in Paris, and
e heavens fall.
lllion just behind him, in the rocco
us in our own eyes nor hamper our &C
tons. And it did not. am trying
to be accurate tbout this, trying to
set down as correctly as possible the
workings of normal mind under un.
usual conditions.
We'll dress, suppose" observed
the quiet voice. and the possessor OF
it was already lacing her shoes,
Il think so.' l replied. l was max
ing sure of passports and letters OF
credit and money, in case any thing
should happen to the room while we
should be gone.
We dressed completely, went into
he hall and rang for the elevator, but
by the time it came, we, had another
idea:
Can you take US up on the roof?'
Not any more SIR smiled the ele-
vator man. ITS forbidden by the
police. But can take you up where
you can get a good view"
So, in place of going down, we went
up. and out of darkened windows
looked into the sky, where a dozen
powerful searchlights crossed and re-
crossed right over our heads, against
the brilliant moonlight.
There's one of the beggars
right above u.s." remarked the ele-
vator man, lowering his voice to a
half whisper, almost as if there
might be some danger that THE
"beggar above US" could hear.
The searchlights have been hunt
ing for him for half an hour; but
he's high up; two miles or more"
THERE CAME A STREAKING
fFLARE STR AIGHT DOWN
THROUGH THE SKY.
An incendiary bomb, and it blazed
up where it hit, not over three blocks
away. r"
As if angered, the big guns on Lon.
don Bridge, and the huge French 75s
along the Thames, Increased their
booming with redoubled fury.
No chance to get the Boche at tina;
height, but they could keep him from
coming close enough to make an accu
rate drop. !,
What trace. of apprehension there
ho6 IN hnA
though we were closer to the danger
by being out. from under the piles OF
sandbags which protected the main
roof. ~.
And there seemed to be no fear in
the elevator man.
+ It was all unreal, unbelievable!
Out there was the beautiful clear
sky, with the moon shining brightly
| and the stars beginning to pale In
| the first faint gray of the dawn.
The searchlights, centering over US
to find the %beggar just above" seem
! ed like show of some sort.
1t was monstrously past comprehen
sion that in this beautiful sky there
lowered machines, guided by human
| malevolence.. which were dropping
bombs deliberately meant to dea,
death and destruction to us and al
about us, to kill and main women and
children, and the i'll and wounded In
the hospitals!
The view was too limited out Of
those narrow windows and between
the Sits of buildings SO we wen1
downstairs
Only few people, and those mostly
from the top floor, were in the big
dim lobby, and no one seemed partic
| ularly perturbed.
We asked If we were permitted tc
go outside. Ow, yes, we might.
The authorities would rather We
would not on account of the possible
LANCER of flying debris! but there wa
nothing, really. to prevent US.
So we went.
London at Night.
| Wonderfully mysterious, those Lon
Ion streets at night; weirdly dark
with the shaded street lamps, II
| tangled, diminishing perspectives
| casting downward their cones of lum
nous mist, and vague, shadowy fig
Tres fitting silently into and out o.
he lighted circles; gaunt, dim cabs
| with their drivers swathed into shape
| ess Jumps, formless, pl0dding carts
Ind wagons, silent and m0tionles'
'fBobbies," huddled early risers shut
ling almost invisibly to. and fro or
!. Thousand missions Of their own, and
now, silent little. groups here ant
here, faces upturned.
Nothing to see.
The airships were SO high up as t.
be invisible; they were not ever
specks in the clear sky. Presently
90, the booming of the big guns be
came more intermittent, and FINAL,
ceased. The afr raid was over. Ovel
and no great damage done!
The siren sounded again In thu
streets of Paris, only few second.
after that first warning and the cur
tain slid slowly down on our L0ndoI
memory, as the lights were dimmes
| in our decorous French restaurant.
The walters came away from thu
door, smiling and Struggling theil
shoulders, and the head waiter low
cred his hand.
| He considered it his duty to laugh
extravagantly for the reinsurance Of
his guests, and did so. though it was
entirely unnecessary.
| The French officer who was enter
| tanning his family exchanged smile
with them, and resumed pouring the