Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-01-17
cuArrEE xNN. Ccontinued.)

Ci''c"' diiU N'l, al Ille BOTTOM OIL
my heart. l know we cannot fight
not while this ciomd of uncer-
taint.y hangs owe MS. To fight,
with tins power i'm the hands of
Germany. would mean more than
defeat-it would mean annihila-
ton. There would be other statues
to be drapcd with bIack,''
Delcassc's face was livid: he
removed his glasses and polished
them with IA shaking hand, and,
for the FIRST time. Lcpine saw his
blood shot eyes. Dclcasse noticed
his glance, and laughed grimly.
Only to YOU. Lepinc. do | dare
to show them ne said. "Beforc
others, | must crush this fear i'm
my heart, bite it back from my
lips; must appear lulconcerned,
confident OF the issue. Only to
you may 1 speak freely. That is
one reason I called YOU here. | felt
that must speak will, some me-.
lepinc, forcscc for France a
great humiliation.
ilcpine looked at his companion
with real concern.
You cxaggcrate.' he said.
"You have been brooding over it
too long
Oclcassc shook his head.
~ DO not exaggcratc. This
thing is so terrible that it cannot
be exaggerated. Even at this mo-
mcnt, Germany is preparing the
blow. For the past week, she has
been extraordinarily active. Her
fleets have coaled hurriedly and
put out to scc-for manc,lvers. it
is said but this is hot the season
for mancuvers. Her shipyards
have been cleared of all civilians.
aud a Gordon of troops posted
about each one. The garrison of
every fortress along the frontier
has been at least doubled. and the
most rigid patrol established. The
police regulations are being en-
forced with the greatest severity.
Every city of the frontier swarms
witt, spies even here in Paris we
r not safe from thcm-my desk
was rifled two nights ago. | live
ia dread that any day, any hour,
may bring the news of some fresh
d~isastcri'
"And ito our men learn moth
ing?"
Nothing! Nothing. All they
can tell me is that something is
preparing. some blow, some sur
prise. Whatever the secret, it is
well kept; SO we'll that it can be
known only to the emperor and
Il or two of his ministers. We
have tried every means. we have
exhausted every resource, all i'm
yam. We know. in part. what is
being done; of the Purpose back
OF it we know nothing. But we
= gucss-the purpose is war; it
can be nothing eise!!"
Lepine sat silent and contem-
plated the rugged face opposite
Mm--the face which told by it's
lined forehead, it's worried eyes.
its savage mouth. of the strug-|
giles, rebuffs and disappointments
of 80 years. Always, out of dis
aster, this man had risen uncon-
quered. Upon his shoulders now
was placed the whole of this ter
rifle burden. He alone, of the
cabinet, was fit to bear it: beside
him, the others were mere pig
mics: Premier Caillaux, an anna
BILE financier; Foreign Minister de
Selves, a charming amateur of the
fine arts; War Minister Messimy.
an obscure army officer with a
love for uniforms; Minister of
Commerce Couyba, a minor poet.
tainted with decadence-above ALL
these, Delcasse doomed as a Guilt
yer among Lilliputians. But great
ness has its penalties. While the
minister of foreign affairs spent
his days in collecting plaques. and |
the minister of war his in struttinp
Stout the boulevards, and the min
.ister Of commerce his in composing
verses, Delcasse labored to save his
country-labOred as a colossus la
bors, sweating. painting, throwing
every fibre of his being into the