the G great re T romance ot oj preparedness OF THE NOTION MOTION PICTURE PLAY OF THE sarie bame NANC NAME PRODUCED FOR THE THC international FILM SERVICE INC UNDER LINDER THE DIRECTION or OF 1 1 STAR rs THE CAST MRS VERNON CASTLE as aa patria charming channing MILTON SILLS as donald parr WARNER WARMER OLAND as baron hurski DOROTHY GREEN as fanny adair SYNOPSIS IS anticipating the long threatened japanese invasion of the southwestern suites states I 1 airi channing an american girl of or great wealth assisted as alsted by her flance captain donald tarr late U S A converts tier lier vast ranch properties along tho the border into what amounts to an armed camp duron baron harokl and gen den yogi bogl command com mandi ing the allied japanese mexican e can forces secretly encamped in tho the mexican mountains bains suspect purpose and despatch a reconnoiter reconnoitering ing party ralda raids an outlying homestead on Patr las property and brings bock back as aa prisoner bess des morgan sister bister of dud bud morgan foreman of tho the man channing ranch hands thirteenth EPISODE wings of death ALARMS AND excursions it was MIS of a sunday uncommonly warm even can for that season when bud morgan on ills his saddle rind and horse found his way any less consciously than gullied by the instinct of the homing pigeon to the hacienda hac tenda of Char chartings rancho ran clio none witnessed ills arrival because it as a lay day of rest no house servants were in evidence busied with their accustomed cus tomed weekday week day tasks mrs mis pillsbury was in tier her room napping away the hour of the siesta iler her son hodman general superintendent of tile the Clin nning ranch properties had ridden on off toon noon after breakfast on some home idle errand patria anti and donald parr wore were alone in the library conning a grout great topographical niep of the country not n sound disturbed tho the peaceful hush of the hacienda other than their low pitched accents before they heard the rui nimble of approaching hoofs rind anil this was vas a noise so ordinary and commonplace mon place that they were not even aw are of it it required the lie shuffle of uncertain footsteps on the arn graveled leiea walks of the gardened patio to distract them from their engrossing occupation patria looked up tip farst from glancing inquisitively out of the winlow window it was tier her cry of pity ill tant drew donalds attention following the direction of tier guze he saw tho wounded and man at pause lit in the middle of the patio glaring witlessly round him a bloodied and ghastly figure a vision as incongruous to that time rind and place ns as an apparition pari tion from file he grave in a under kinder garten carton jumping up tip donnld ran out wound his arms round mund morgan and helped him into the library thus it was that for upwards of tin an hour the tale bud had to tell of terror and tragedy of a borne homestead stend burned a mother and ft a child murdered a sister by raiders froni from neross ni roig tile lio border was known only to patria and donald when lie had finished speaking and bowed ills his wounded head on arms folded upon the lie library table there was nothing more said by anyone for many minutes tile the two stared at each other across the shoulders of tho the man IQ in speechless consternate and bewilderment what are you to do batrla do demanded mandod presently donald said first of all get bud 0 ta o bed 1 but dess bess the girl protested ao 70 will of course start till an expedition to rescue tier her as soon as wo we dare 1 darel it donld be worse than useless to lot let our boys cross the border by daylight you know well veil enough how instantaneously almost the mexicans mexican can call spread news by their underground tole telegraph graph unless we wait till nightfall and smuggle our men across unseen uns un een toen wo we might as well vall tele telegraph grap il zelaya or Ilu or tt whoever hoover Is re 10 spot isible for this atra atrocity eLty to prepare to receive us and in tile meantime what happens to bess oil I 1 cannot understand low how you flare daro suggest waiting here till barkl because I 1 nm am determined to rescue lier her und because I 1 feel sure iio harm hlll como come to tier her illow how can you say that 1 I am sure that alila la Is it a move kllc bated by harokl yoi yo i know how persistently ills spies linto have taunted haunted tills this neighborhood and liow bow consistently they have failed foiled to find out anything concerning our preparations till all ex es dept pt those three who lie died cited suddenly of finding out too much I 1 parr stuffed then once more was grave not ono one had bad seen anything or lived to tell tile tho tale anlo or oc what lio lie saw there lom foro lias bag done tins this thing thine 1 I would stake my life on it lit in order lo jo get ee hold of somebody presumed to bo be in your con confidence od ence so somebody from huou anthom he cat persuade tho the information lie ho des desires tres make your our mind cas easy bess will come to no hariu hanu until hiroki finds that she will tell liliu jilin nothing rind ho he wont ilind find out that before we effect tier her rescue and you ou will send after her acry As soon as its dark enough f our men to move without being wi tho strongest force we can spa and the hist best mounted for tho the arnt however we must keep this oviet qi iet tf if the boys bos pet get so much as a adit it of w hats happened therell be n nr them not a soul roust must know 1 the gravel gratl of ehg th patio walk crunched beneath a irm arm and alert trend tread parr looked dooh looh el lit 11 incept L lu amended recognizing zing the newcomer allm wo we must toll tell of course and if anything ans thing does docs leak out before were ready lie can control the boys bois if anybody can call throughout tilts this conversation bud lind had neither moved nor made a sign to signify that lie understood tile the subject of discussion and when some ten minutes later donald and rodman hodman tried to rouse him lie stirred to the touch ot of their hands only to lift up a face from which every trace of intelligible expression lud had been erased its eyes were blank its firm lines were relaxed lel axed its mouth gaped like a cretins the kindly words they spoke to illin him had no effect upon a mind unhinged by the anguish it had bad suffered gently then the two men lifted him rind one on either side holding ills hn arms over their shoulders led him away anway to a bedchamber undressed him bandaged bind aged ills his wounds rounds and put him to bed leaving petria to watch by its his bedside for a time donald rind and pillsbury returned to the library to plan the rescue an hour idour later inter patria in panic found thorn there with tile tho news diat he she s had loft fort buds side for a few moments thinking him sound asleep only to rill iland tile ho room empty ampt on oil tier lier return in an air amazingly short time the roan man had wakened dressed and made ills his escape their search for him ended half a rollo mile from the house at the corrol corral where a number of tho cow punchers tin had been ani amusing using themselves by trying to tame a half a score of unbroken 1 bron honchos bronchus chos bud had found ills way thither rind was babbling out fragments of ills story to a circle of sym pat hetle but bewildered friends if it was too late to stop him rod hod mans influence with his hig employees proved it to bo be all that donald had asserted Is it was in earliest lark dark of night then a picked force or oc forty forti eight cow punch ers led by rodman himself rode quietly by twos rind threes rendezvoused tit nt on an agreed place crossed the border lai der in its most isolated secretion tint and vanished silently into the black mystery of mexico AIR LANES there was little sleep for patala that night visions of tile fate of women gerom nerom n ross the border lor dr memories of titles she hail had heard since tier arrival tit nt tile tho ranch haunted tier her in the cool blue twilight of dawn awn she was up nil and dressing herself la fa her av abating lating clothes she went down to the patio to find danild there w watching for the lay day awaiting the word vord it must bring them with a face drawn and haggard with 8 sleeplessness leep together they breakfasted poorly choking down a few mouthfuls mouth fuls of food and some coffee then motored out through the still hush of the newborn day to the aviation field 1 karla a rl y though choup it they were they did not forestall tile men of Pa Patr trials las flying corps already two were in the air aglow with tho loung sunlight rising like petals of gold windswept opt through the blue six more were preparing to rise the remaining eight biplanes biplane of the air squadron were still nested in their hangers tier iler impatience would riot not lot let an wit wait for the reports of those who were already climbing the skies inspecting spec ting the countryside south of the border ordering out tier her own biplane the machine that Is in which she mio had guined till all tier her practice and experience its as an sho she took the ho II IntA sent and refusing to permit donald or tin am tone one else to accompany hei lei grasped the controls and shot ciomo ionic the ho switch which operated the self starter winging up tip in a long slant the bt bl plino plane gained the thousand foot level then began to move southward in wide curved sweeps there theio was little air astir just a gentle and steady breeze from tile the west aerial navigation offered no problem i to distract Pit attention from the landscape beneath it iler keen heen youthful eyes sharpened by solicitude eo licit ude inspected it closely fills sing no salient feature tier her KIO gaze traced every highroad antl and tortuous byway probed every covert penetrated every gullaby rind fold in the foreshortened hills recognized the familiar movement of provincial mexican life that formed the landscape but nowhere found any token ot of that which sir fa longed to see tho the cloud of dust which should mark the in ogress of n largo large body of horsemen tit taic little expeditionary force had moved rapidly and with craft effacing itself completely from froin the lie face of tho the country side hide long before sunrise for upwards of oil hour iantria pursued tier fruitless reconnaissance at length discouraged anti its dis heartened sho she turned back to tier her starting point and dropped down to tile tho private aviation held field As slie she descended in spite s of the preoccupation per ot every faculty imposed lv hv that most difficult dini cult task known to t aviators that hat of negotiating a i successful landing site sho ans v as conscious that strangers watched matched 1 1 r f rom the body of it u huge gray motorcar motor cur on tile caige or of tile lie field alighting beside tier her stationary biplane she saw a group of torno some halt half a dozen doyen moving toward her from froin a car donald was one of those these tho the others were nil all nion nien in tho the held field uniforms of the regular army of the united states she identified one or two faces made familiar to tier by production lit in tile tho pit pa f 3 of newspapers mid magazines tt ati P ACOS acs of men who had risen to high in the service of their country arm wore on the collar of ills his tunic i insignia of a brigadier general nor heart canned to their soldierly bearing then sank avs m sho she was reminded that nil all they stood for of gallantry loyalty bravery intelligence and eill clency must count for nothing in fit event or of war because the country they served refused them men enough to lond lend successfully n against eliy but tile the most pitifully impotent clie enemy lilY introduced by captain parr Pa rrth the brigadier general greeted tier with grave courtesy presented forill lly ily each member of ills his staff and complimented petria on tier her own skill lit in aviation its as well as the skill of her corps of airmen 1 I have seen a great deal of wonderful filing lie he said but what I 1 see going on oil here liere surpasses inching that has como come under my lily aaion for snap anti conics comes near t to 0 what I 1 have heard of tile the work of the broach tin and Eti glish flying corps I 1 could wish lie ho added a trace wistfully yet set with a perceptible twinkle twink e in ills his eyes ees as they held matlins rat lins my illy own com command manI were ns as well off ofal I 1 my men rind my machines patria told him tire are always at it tho the service of my country in event of nood need then I 1 shall not hesitate to call upon inu you need not I 1 cm ant doing patria hesitated briefly yet let this official visit proved that the secret of if tier had leaked out what I 1 nm am doing solely as a patriot nud and a soldiers daughter it Is 19 because you have proved yourself to be that a worthy daughter diug of my own comrade coni trade the general said that I 1 luno havo ventured to make this uninvited call I 1 would bo be glad if you iou could give me a few moments of your sour time to discuss a question of 0 public policy thero was no way to escape tran bowed bow ed gracefully ernce fully to the inevitable if you will bo be good enough to accompany me to my lionie home slie she said we can call find there a quiet place in ili which to talk and I 1 shall be honored if you rind your staff will bo be my ay guests for luncheon I 1 the invitation was eagerly accepted and the party motored back to the bac hacienda lenaa there luncheon was being prepared patria abandoned all effort tit nt concealment and conducting the general to the library laid before him a complete exposition of all tier her plans rind and preparations to repel an invasion omitting emitting no material detail not my biplanes bI nione alone slie she concluded tilde but the rest of tile tho gear I 1 have gathered together here and tho the men trained to manipulate it aro are tit at my count countries coun tris rys call the general straightened up fram tile the topographical map over which lie he lind had been bending there was alon and something more in ills regard you are a very remarkable young woman if you sou will permit tile ine to say so miss bliss channing I 1 nm ant only sorry that there arc not more women and men like ilke you in tills this land if there were the iho wistful tool look possessed ills his eyes again but lie he shook that humor off no rn titter I 1 must not criticize what I 1 must riot not criticize furthermore it Is roy lily duty to to whisper whimper in your our ear a word of advice if you plase iso said mid PlY surmising what was coming yet tit alit general hesitated you understand lio lie sold n tance face embarrassed III 1 I nal acting under instruction st cllon 1 I quite understand then I 1 must tell ell you iou franley that you yen are anro coming perilously near to usurping a power chich alch tile con slit ution vests with congress alone tho the right to raise and a standing army added precisely if that hint Is 18 riot not w what lint you tire doing on it 11 small scale but nono iloilo the loss less in III tin an admirably way 1 I have misunderstood till nil you havo have shown and told me here today perhaps agreed smiling ng and yet ct you will mid upon investigation that every man tit in my employ aside from the ranch hands bands and others other s who have definitely peaceable labors to perform Is curried carried on oil my pay rolls us its it watchman watch maill t an army of watchmen 1 again the eyes of tile general twinkled precisely tho constitution does not proscribe prescribe tho the right to protect ills hla own property I 1 bellevo believe hy by employing mel ile anti arms to guard it that la is oil tw 1 I nm 1111 doing hero here on my lands Z bave my property rind and my people 0 a safeguard and I 1 mean to do it