Evening star., 1939-01-13
BY H. G.. WELLS.
CHAPTER xXx1V.
The Putsch.

ny n. W. VELLSs
CHAPTER xxx1v.
The Putsch.
Rud couldn't sit at the table. He
walked about the room, white-faced,
gesticulating with clenched fists
Il see it ap," he said, Il see it all.
They think they've used us and they
think they're done with us. And the
hand that is drawing all the threads
together Is that hairy fist of the
future first world president, the con-
queror of the last war of all, the
ultimate julius Caesar, Judas Caesar
-Reedly. ..
"Who I thought was just on his
own. -"
And then in an intense voice. and
as if he soliloquized, he said some
thing that lifted Chiffan's eyebrows.
Il will not have my revolution
assassinated," he said. "No. will
not be tricked now. Now that have
got thus far. have struggled for
this day-for five and twenty CEN
turies. Yes. I and my sort. Five
and twenty centuries of it against
the bullies and the bouncers and the
quiet, sly, plausible people, one down,
smother up. My sort OF men have
struggled long enough. My sort of
men. The pre-Ruds and the sub
Buds, the vulgar, ugly, sighted,
cheated, resentful, free-spirited
common men. The crowd. The
rebels. The great unwashed. Me!
DO you think I haven't been here
before? In the same corner. They
can kill us and bury us and burn us
up or let us rot away. Back we come
again and again. Now, this time,
we're nearer winning than ever we
were. I feel it in my bones. =.
do you think the son of man is
going to be downed by chap who
neighs like horse? -
He stopped short and stared at
Chiffan. sometimes you think I'm
crazy, Chiffan."
Sometimes I think you're in
spired"
Expects Reedly Putsch.
well anyhow" said Rud, and
stood for a moment like a drugged
man. He pulled himself together.
well, now we have it plain. Come
down to hard tacks.
Frankly, expect a Reedly putsch
now within six weeks. Bellacourt
ought to be coming over Greenland
now and his fighting planes ought
to be accommodating during the next
fortnight. It has to be done quietly.
We don't want to frighten the birds
too soon. want this putsch to
happen. I want Reedly to show his
hand. That will bring world affairs
to one plain issue.
Il didn't perhaps consult you as
I ought to have DONE" he said. He
turned to Bodisham with his notes.
He was as near to being apologetic
as he could be.
How do you figure this out?" he
began.
Steenhold looked at him. He
hked this. This was his Rud at
his best. 1t came into his head to
say: do you remember, Rud, how
you came into my fiat that Sunday
morning-not 50 many years ago?
Just as you are now. This is the
moment you said. And then it oc-
Cured to him that this remark
might be unnecessary and inoppor-
tune, so that he did not make it.
Thirp appeared suddenly. You're
quick" said Rud.
II have to be-" said Thirp.
Came of Own Accord.
"Olders had hardly gone out of
the room five minutes ago to call
you"
He didn't call me. I came of
my own accord. I have something
very urgent to tell you."
Rud took him aside.
IF it could be just ourselves"
said Thirp. For a moment, any,
how. I want to tell you something.
It's something 50 queer. I don t
want to argue. Do you mind?"
Chiffan and Steenhold intimated
that they did not mind. Bodisham
was expressionless. There was
something feminine in the way that
Thirp would always scheme to get
Rud to himself if be could and
have little special understandings
with him, but it was pity Rud
fell in with this. Bodisham was a
philosopher He had to take Rud
as he found him. Rud was essen
tial to the revolution and that was
that. Rud expected to have every
thing told and explained to him
and yet he was always going behind
his organizers back, with Norvel,
with Bellacourt, with Thirp-with
any one. 1t was his way. Bodi-
sham drummed with the fingers of
one hand on the table and Steen-
hold understood how he felt and
thought.
Rud led Thirp to an inner room.
Twelve Million Post Cards.
1T is very extraordinary thing"
began Thirp in his high-pitched
voice after he had watched the door
close. But you have such under
standing"
He twisted his long, thin hands
together. 1T may seem prepos-
terously trivial to you, but what I
have to tell you about is the dis
patch of 100000 colored post cards
from London to various destinations
I have checked. They are all pic
lures Of the same person."
"Reedly?"
Exactly. I have known about
these postcards for weeks-joining
them up to other little things of a
similar nature. There are some
pamphlets, toQ-in various Ian
guages. Well, I will confess I'm
startled I did nnt eYnect these "a rd G