The Washington herald., 1918-02-23

of his party, held the decanter in
mid-air; the young English officer
who had been lighting a cigarette
as he told story to a mighty pretty
girl, let the match burn out in his
fingers, while the girl stopped in
the very midst of a silyery laugh,
with a curious effect Of an inaudible
echo; the American contractor who
was laying out a railroad construc-
tion campaign with matches, for
the instruction of the two French
officers who were his hosts. held a
river in one hand and a mountain
in the other while he listened; the
large prosperous-looking French
gentleman who was dining alone
a banker. il our judgment as to
the length of his whiskers was ac-
curate-had. his spoon in the midst
of his dessert, and left 1t there; we,
discussing ways and means to make
a French oyster taste like an Amer
lean one, had turned toward each
other, and continued to look each
other fixedly in the eye.
IT WAS THE VOICE OF THE,
SIREN!
Time was when the rise and fall
of that piercing whistle would
bring back a favorite picture of a
crack hook and ladder company
racing to a fire, with three beauti-
full prancing horses dashing proudly
down the middle of Fifth avenue
and the traffic spreading quickly to
the curbs. and a black and white
coach dog, with his mouth wide
open, and his eyes bulging, and his
ears flying straight back, and his
tail stiff as a poker, running like
mad ahead of the horses. barking
with every lung in his body. and
thinking that he was responsible
for the whole thing.
A siren will never mean merely
that to us again.
This time it was like the raising OF
curtain on far different scene.
We were in London.
It was 5 o'clock in the morning,
and we were asleep in one of the big
Piccadilly hotels.
1 didn't hear the siren ..t.
When 1 awoke. the big guns were
booming everywhere.
Bang!
Bang, Bang!
Boom!
I listened attentively, and made an
accurate guess.
"Kiddy"
Yes" came a quiet voice out OF
the tense darkness.
'Oh, you're awake. Well, here 1t
is"
No"
Yes it isl" It's the Zeps.'
Really" A soft hand slipped
over from the next bed and met
mine half way. What do we do?''
Il don't know"
Silence for a moment, while we
considered that delicate question
that is, silence on our part, though
outside the mighty fusilade increased.
and a sharp. whizzing shrek in the
air. followed by an explosian. told of
a descending bomb near by.
1t was a curious sensation, that of
lying in a snug bed in the dark with
bomb likely to pop in on one at
any instant.
The ZeppeIins.
II was going back to sleep" came
the quiet voice out of the darkness.
My first thought was that it might
be the Zeppelins, but wouldn't be-
utVe II. we re So uSSu 10 subway
blasts at home, you know"
l laughed as I got out of bed.
1T does sound natural" 1 COM
mented; but I'm sure this is an
air raid. Don't show a light" threw
on a robe, and went to the door. The
hall was dimly illuminated as usual
and two young women with robes over
their night attire, hurried along the
s-A
They were giggling.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, boom
boom, booml went the big guns
Whit went the bombs. 1 came in
side and turned on the lights; and
was met with the natural question
What do we do about it? Any
thing?"
81 don't know" I puzzled, listen
! ing to the echoes of an explosion
which was louder and closer thar
any of the others. We looked to.
ward the windows longingly. II
was against the law to open cur.
tains or shutters. even so much a!
a crack. ..
81 think I'll ask the clerk about
it." 1 decided, and took up thu
| phone.
What does one do in the case Of
an air raid?" 1 inquired. We're
strangers here"
| "Ow yes, sir" he drawled, in 9
| tone which was totally disinterested
'T was just about calling you. sir
to say that, since you're on the toI
floor. you might as well come down
| IL you like"
We looked at each other thought
fully and in the minds Of both o.
US there was again the lively knowl
edge that at any moment a bomt
might come crashing straight dowr
through our room. 1t was an in de
scribable feeling, that tremendous
imminence of an unseen danger, anC
I viii not say that there was no sucl
thing as fear in either one Of US.
do know, however, that there wa,
an instant bracing of the spirit Il
meet that fear. so that it should no
degrade US, nor shame us in our owl
/ eyes, nor hamper our actions. AM
it did not. am trying to be ac
curate about this, trying to set dowi
] as correctly as possible the working
4 of a normal mind under unusual con
| ditions.
Roof Better Than Cellar.
"we1l dress. I suppose" observes
| the quiet voice and the possessor o
it was already lacing her shoes.
II think So" I replied. was max
ing sure of passports and letters o
/ credit and money, in case anything
should happen to the room while W
should be gone.
4 We dressed completely. went Int
the hall and rang for the elevator