Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-12-18

a peace enthusiast, and has offered it
to England as the nation most inter-
ested in abolishing war"
Now understood the entire situa-
ton. If the war syndicate got hold
of the secret, and could communicate
it to Germany, the kaiser would de-
clare war on the nations of the Triple
Entente Immediately. And I knew
that the syndicate was hard on the
trail of the secret. This explained the
change in Austria's attitude toward
England.
This explained also why the kaiser
had gone secretly to his palace at
Corfu, off the west coast of Greece,
and why Baron Won Stamm, the Ger
man military attache with the Greek
forces, and the bitterest Anglophobe
in Germany, had been Fostering Muir
ray and me with his attentions since
our arrival.
1 saw the tremendous organization
which was endeavoring to secure the
secret; the international war syndi-
cate, which, aiming at the exploitation
of the wealth of the world, believed
that they would achieve this end
through German hegemony, and were
behind every conspiracy designed to
provoke universal carnage; the can
non makers, with their subsidized
press, legions Of spies, and greedy
shareholders; the German and Aus
trian governments, which only awaited
the possession of the secret to begin
the world war. The kaiser had never
forgiven his defeat at Algeciras in the
preceding year, when he was forced to
back down before the French and Brit
ish ultimatum.
LAS you know" said Captain Muir
ray, "the search for bullet-proof cloth
had been practically abandoned before
Mr.. Popopoulos came along with his
discovery. The principle is as simple
as it is ingenious,
THE cloth, which is as filmy as
silk, contains large quantities of tho
rum, which is used in the manufacture
of incandescent gas nantes. Mixed
with tellurium in certain fixed proper
tons, it acquires the power of instant
ly converting energy, expressed in
terms of motion, into heat. Thus the
energy of the striking bullet becomes
heat and ceases to be motion; the
cloth grows incandescent and becomes
cold again before the heat has even
scared the skin. The bullet drops to
the ground, half fused.
"A bullet, striking one wearing this
cloth, infiicts no shock at all, only
minute burn, and seldom that
and this although the cloth is worn
next to the skin. And the unique fea.
ture about it is that, unless one
knows"
He broke off suddenly, for at that
instant horses head appeared over
the crest in front of US, and Won
Stamm came into sight. He had rid
den up the other side of the hill, and
it was clear from the expression upon
his face that he had heard a good part
of Captain Murrays explanation.
"a glorious victory for the Hellenic
forces, gentlemen" he said. who
would have thought that discipline
could have turned the cowardly rabble
of 1897 into this conquering army?"
''But you must not forget the gun
nery," said Captain Murray.
Baron Won Stamm tried to remain
impassive, but it was evident that he
felt the home thrust deeply. For the
Greek guns were from the Creusot
workshops, and far surpassed the Bull
garians' Krupps.
Possibly, when the day comes, Ger
many will show the world what her
guns can achieve" answered the
baron, turning his horses head and
riding away.
Captain Murray and l looked at
each other. Then we shook hands.
When the baron was far down the
opposite side of the hill we started
to the place appointed, where we were
to meet the inventor, after witnessing
his exploits during the battle. AL
though Popopoulos was a Greek, he
had given his government no mixing
of his discovery, wishing to put it to
use with the power most bent on pre-
serving peace among nations. Being
a volunteer, the lax discipline Of the
regular army held him still more light
ly. His comrades, who had seen him
cover his face and head with what
they called mosquito netting, at first
laughed at him as an original; now
they held him to be hero, but still
none suspected that he was other than
one of themselves.
Popopoulos had escaped from their
embraces into the little rendezvous
among the hills, and he was waiting
for us there. He was just such an
enthusiast as / had pictured, little,
excitable man in the early thirties,
who almost danced up to us.
You are satisfied, captain?" he
chartered in French.
Captain Murray leaped down from
his horse and took the little mans