Show C TODAY'S TODA YS Y'S SHORT STORY Fiction lei Ion by y Americas America's Greatest Writers l br er On UI mok L A. CO Ca atTHE THE LAST SHOT By Marshal South j Gunner Brown dizzily collected his has scattered and took stock of or his position Ills head bald hummed humme ane and jumped from Crom the shock hock and ached ache abominably his hie back resting painfully upon the thel thorough rough stony bed of or fallen earth felt folt as though h hit It had been flayed with hot hol irons while his has len left arm ann was so bruised and numb that he moved It with difficulty This seemed to be bo the extent of or the tho damage there did not appear to be an any broken bones bonea or 01 really serious injury Ho wondered why ho could not move As his brain cleared ho realized what hat had happened Ho was as pinioned beneath the wrecked gun tho the twisted trail lay across his legs lees holding holdin them from Crom above the knee downward do In a grip rl from which there was no escape Probably Probably ably obly the they were crushed to a pulp though he could not feel It lt the sense enso of ot pain pahi In m them seemed paralyzed lIe He remembered It all nil clearly In a flash T The Tho o charging battery galloping madly to escape the destruction which ominously above them Tho The sudden swerve on the edge of or an un unsuspected unsuspected unsuspected un- un suspected fa ravine llIe The falling bomb which had come llin from Crom above Just at the inopportune in inopportune inopportune in- in opportune moment and the tall tangled lcd whirl of ot plunging horses spinning wheels and clinging gunners In which the third gun Jun team had gone Jone crashing over o tho ho edge I He pieced these things together ether more definitely as IS his mind took firmer hold of or the situation He was lying hin in the tho bottom of or the ravine ra M securely pinioned in place tJ by bythe bythe the the weight of or the wrecked gun which had rolled crashing down upon him Ono One wheel of oC the tho gun un carriage had crumpled and Its smash smashed d spokes were wedged fast in the stony earth of pf r the steep strep hank bank the other swung free tree Inthe Inthe in inthe the l air r. r It had not yet ct come to rest was still turn turning Ins slowly The Tho gun hun Its Itself l swung perpendicularly above c him swaying gently on it its partially partially par par- demolished mountings the muzzle muzzle muzzle gazing helplessly skyward and the heavy breech mechanism poised menacingly menacingly men men- above his chest in a manner grimly suggestive to the Imprisoned man of oC the tho fate which would be his should th the damaged mountings suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly give So far tar as Brown could gather he was alone There was wag the sound o of hea heavy firing tiring somewhere away to the right and somewhere quite close to him an i injured ho horse kicked spasmodically Ho could h hear r the great gasps gapa of or the tho dying beast Of hii comrades how how- however howver ver he he- could hi hiar r- r nothing and a painfully contrived ed shout resulted re only nl In Jn a a. more violent paroxysm of or struggles and a pitiful from the wounded horse H He concluded that th thov had been heen killed by hy the explosion crushed to death b by the rolling gun and limber or followed tho the remainder of or the hat- hat provided provided of or cour course c that it had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been annihilated Tho rho thought set him speculating Ho wondered where tho the grim black sl sky y monster with ita its lon long body whirring propellers and deadly plunging bombs had departed to Had H it yet been put out of commission b by somo some lucky shot or wa was It still nosing and drifting above tho the battlefield its great gas envelope looming like e the form of or somo some monstrous disgusting black grub against the tho sl sky y He Ho str strained ined his ears pars h but t without re result re- re sult The Tho sharp crisp reverberation of or the exploding en engines had ceased or It j I had passed out of earshot Damn the thing Why couldn't they put a shell Into it somehow And even e as he thought it ho realized tho the long long- chance a against such a possibility The roar of ot distant Cirin firing swelled sUdden suddenly in volume and hard upon It camo came the reverberation of a series of or heavier ler explosions Tho swift events e of or the past few Cew hours had taught him what that meant and he ground his teeth leeth hard han and walled waited a ted for Cor the dwindling lull which would signal the evacuation e of or another position Nor was ho he mistaken The clatt clatter r faded and expired pre presently enU like the dying echoes of oC Just gusty thunder Brown Brow n sighed hed resignedly and began to search for a cI cigarette arett As he di diso did so his hand encountered the smooth base of or an unfired shell which had been flun flung out In the crash and had hud rolled down beside him He pushed the hM heavy cartridge aside and extracted his tobacco and paper Tho The smoke felt good hood It soothed his Jangled and lent a sll slightly more moro cheerful aspect to the tho situation I Ho Ire was Vias caught like lake a rat in a he admitted but he would not yet et ad admit admit admit ad- ad mit that his position was wag hopeless He I would probably bo be b discovered before i long Ions and well Ie well not well it was the fortune for for- tune of or war anyway Ills His sen senses were yet somewhat dulled and the tobacco was soothing B By degrees howe however the edge commenced commenced commenced com com- to wear off his philosophy The rattle of or firing was wan now very pry I faint an and distant and the struggling ging I horse had long on since become still The The blue smoke from the tho cigarette hun hung and il heavily In the still air Damn the smoke Upon Its hazy blue background his fane fancy began besan to create pictures that were fast Cast under- under philosophical I. I resignation lIun There was one picture especially specIally that carne came to wrench his heart the heart the picture of a face Cace in a crown of ot twisted brown lu hair lr and eyes eves that thal seemed to meet his appealingly The Tho picture of oC that face unnerved him hint lIe He became possessed d with a u. th fierce desiro desire to live U and torturing doubts as to whether he lie would be bo found before it was wo too late I Somehow it did dill not seem so probable probable proba proba- ble now that the ardent desire to live O was naming flaming up n him Ho mi might ht never be ho found or at least not in time He might perish slowly by inches I like a trapped animal Death when it came quickly was as merciful but hut this with with h haunting memories nn and bitter I reflections to torture him to Lo the end end end- I was wa wal hell Damn the Infernal smoke The visions which it was creating were making n R coward co out of ot him He flung a half hair burned cigarette from him fiercely In an nn effort to master mas mas- ter tr his feelings Presently a a. familiar sound hound smote I i upon his car car growing out of oC the dis tanco tance and gathering distinctness s and volume as ax it approached the approached tho beating chatter of the dirigibles dirigible's engines i The sound was drawing rapidly y closer al also o it was much louder than It had ever been formerly It struck him suddenly that the war balloon was flyIng flyIng fly fly- Ing lower than usual frown Brown forgot ot his hiI own plight In ht the fr fresh h interest of I t the approaching v war ar machine He Ile strained his hiM hiMe e eyes VP e fn tn to o t thi th tho machine He Ile strained his hiM hiMe e eyes VP e fn tn to o t thi th tho I limits of or his rel restricted 51 sky view waitIng waitIng waiting wait- wait Ing expectantly for the blunt cone cone- shaped no nos of or the thing to come but but- ting into the radius of oC his hits vision Islon The Tho chattering engines n were welling Into a vibrant drumming I roar and out of or their breath brath a sudden inspiration in In- In wa was born horn to the pinioned gunner a swift swirl ilea Idea shot like a flame across his brain It was T a n. wild wIlli mad notion founded on a base of or Improbable chance but bul It galvanized his mind and hands Into Instant action With Ith fingers trembling with nervous hasto hayto he lie swung open the tho breech of or the gun un above him and then after a strut for Ie-for gle for his wedged position made the operation difficult difficult he ho succeeded uc c d In In I 1 hoisting the shell beside him into the c chamber and locking tho the br breech ech I Ho lie gasping with the tho hurried ex ex- ex trUon when ho lie finished 11 He lie e sank hack back exhausted and hl his him trained eye CE noting tho the condition of or tho the damaged arua mountIngs mount- mount Ings tugs brou brought hl a grim to his has foa- foa tures tuns The roar of or than tho cn engines had attained an even steady volume booming hc like the thc incessant volleying of a ti hU huge e machine machine ma ma- chine gun un Presently tho the ho body y of or tho the dirigible black bluck and hulk bulky and suggesting suggest suggest- In ing nothing ho so mud as some nomo loathe loathe- some gigantic fat grub shot phot out into view The Tho gunners gunner's heArt gave O CL a bound hound o or of wild elation The Tho war balloon was flyIng fly fly- flyIng Jn Ing er very low much lower lowr than he h had dared to hope also it was wag heading di directly directly di- di I toward him His Ills ears cars Informed him directly of or another circumstance j From rom above and now quito quite clo close e at hand came the tho unmistakable tramp Jingle and nimble ramble of or approaching approaching- ar- ar ar ar- tillery Brown caught at the tho significance of or orthe the sound and the tho reason renson of or orthe the war balloons balloon's low Jow flight was manifest maul mani fc fest the eat tho enemy were already occupying occupying occupy occupy- In ing tho the vacated positions and the big machine was now nosy hovering ho over O its Hs own batteries Apprehension laid a chilling hand handI I upon urOIl the gunner Supposing he should now be bo discovered discovered Cr ered Suppose soma o of the artillerymen artillery artillery- men should catch atch sight of ut him and l by y some aonie swift flash Clash of oC reason divine his Object I j j lio thrust the possibility aside neldo reso reao- I T and strove to shut his cars to the tho unmistakable sounds Bounds which Indi In Indicated l- l that up above and very vory close to him the battery had come to a halt and was unlimbering He Ile had little time now no however to enga engage e In speculation Rushing up across the sky Bk dipping and rolling gently lIko like a great ship In a n. smooth sea Men the black hulk of or the war balloon was almost upon him He could see every part and detail distinct In the calcium brightness of or orthe the sunlit air tho the gentle undulating of oC the silky envelope a as the wind of or its rushing swept alor alon its sides the flash Clash of ot the sun upon the plates of tho deck screens s the sharp sora gray grayy outlines of or the several s light lIht guns sun the sinister muzzles muzzles zes of or th the vertical bomb dropping machines machines ma ma- chines the flitter of oC the series of or racing propellers Now and again he could glimpse the tho forms of or some of ot tho the crew moving mo ba back k and forth along the narrow gangways but for or the most part pan the they were concealed concealed concealed con con- from him hidden In the shelter helter of ot the protective plating The great craft suddenly checked Its momentum fell oft off from Crom her course and began ban to wheel slowly The gunner groaned In bitter and chagrin The scheme was a failure after all and amI but hut a moment moment mo mo- ment before it had looked so BO promising Ho lie watched the movements mo of or the monster Intently with the savage e baffled baffled baC- baC fled eyes of ot defeat detent A sudden exclamation of or exultation rO rose to his lips The Tho balloon circled slow slowly I a man with a megaphone leanIng lean- lean leaning Ing Ins out over tho the guard rail tall roared something to someone on tho the ground beneath him There was a shouted answer an and then with a n. redoubled roar of ot engines the airship swung away and on once more came driving directly above e him The great shadow of or tho the air craft craf t swept up the opposite side o of the ravine ra ravine ravine ra- ra vine like the t swift moving shadow of n It driving cloud the roar of or the tho engines engine s and the rushing b beat at of ot the thc propellers propeller was rInsing ringing in Browns Brown's ear ears Looking tip lip alon along tho the gun he wa was wag s aware of or the vast ast loom of or the thEl great sinister bulk directly above o him am and I his grip tightened suddenly on the firing g device I Out of the tho depths of ot the ravine a a alash flash lash of or flame Clame sprang upward and the roar of the gun Run drowned for an In Instant Instant In- In stant the clamor from above But It was waH only for tor the time flitting space of or an on instant Blind chance had laid the fun bun with deadly precision Crashing upward at short range the thu I J shell had torn through the light armor of the lower deck shield to find rind lodgment lodgment I ment and explode among tho the bombs of ot the section magazine mas A thunderous concussion hurled hurld back I the atmo atmosphere above A broad lurid i sheet of flame lame shot hol in a 1 canopy of or fire I above the heavens dimming for Cor a moment mo mo- moment ment the blaze of or the sun sun and mO 1 was succeeded by a vast contorting contorting- cloud of or black s smoke moke from Crom which a rain of or twisted smoking fragments came plunging sickeningly to earth Gunner Brown however er dl did not observe ob- ob observe ob ob- serve the appalling success of or his han han- He had been full fully aware that the pressure which released the shell would also usher him into eternity He lay Jay in the bottom of ot tho the T ravine n his tats body driven crushed and lifeless I into tho the earth by the recoil of or th the damaged maed Run gun I j |