Show 0 i S F 1 5 1 l j I r r 1 1 I by i It t was a a. glorious fall taIl evenIng In Par Par- Is We were seated In the club on the Boulevard Germain discussing the stirring events of the day There had been rumors and reports of ot disagreements disagree disagree- menta ments between France and Germany No man could say what would hapS happen hap hap- pen next Both nations were on the S 3 qui vive armed mobilizing tl I ready to fIght at the tho drop o of the hat t. t the sculptor drew up a small email table and we prepared for a game of the fascinating American pok pok- poker er er which had Just become all the rago rage J ln France ran We h had Just dealt the eh rd ra cards cards e with uv the banker Mongerval former French ambassador ambassador am am- to fat t. t Petersburg and myself p made up the party Suddenly Latour the correspondent of La Vie burst In upon us His Lie eyes were were- sparkling s Latour-s eyes always contained a message of or some kind kIna Have you heard the latest he In In- In No What has happened War Is declared We jumped to our feet In ln astonIsh astonIsh- ment Mutual Insults have passed parsed Uh rho Germans have burned the French Trench ambassador ambassador am am- In effigy The French retail ate by hanging a dummy Kaiser The TheS S streets are full tull of or mobs all of or one mind 1 Germany must back down In Berlin Ber Ber- lin eel the e J people are swarming the tho streets demanding tt that Germany m stand d upon her dignity So there you yOU have v It And what from tho War Office asked MongervaL Latour bent over our table and faIrly fair faIr- ly 13 hissed the tho words The Germans have already Invaded France They are swarming across the frontier And Andoh Andon on oh the shame of ot It we It-we we are not ready There are no troops In the field It Is the asInInIty of ot the Government the littleness the selfishness tho the greed of ot the commanders and the minIsters min min- Latour's breath gave out He was always tragic Our game was forgot ten We looked at one another In dumb astonishment For Tor none knew better that we the of ot the French against which stood the mighty power of ot the enemy her teeming teeming teem teem- I h ing E population lat every y man of which had been trained to ca carry a gun to shoot to obey orders And the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans had chosen their season well I recalled a a. pronouncement of or the German German German Ger Ger- man General Staff In 1905 when they theyS S said We shall Impose on the tho French Frencha a a. winter campaign Our soldiers coming com corn ing ung tr from the e cold regions of the north O igi W. W will march toward a temperate t climate cli cli- mate and the advantage will be altogether altogether altogether alto alto- gether ours ours Latour left us on his chase for news Our party was s broken k u up The i Im Impending impending im- im g pending crisis r l was i too go gou much for r us usall all aU I I shall go to the tho front and gather material for tor a a. wonderful group the group tho lyIng dying Generalissimo said throwing back his broad shoulders The French will win said rard smiling and I shall loan them 5 run funds funda-ag funda ds-a. ds a Xe m i S without charge for tor the sake of ot my here he beloved France Trance And lied for tor I knew that he would demand Interest in interest interest In- In terest to the last sou son Adieu said Mon Mongerval erval I go to the President I shall urge meditation and I myself shall shan be an nn ambassador to arrange terms He lie withdrew I was vas i left alone lone alone T. T James ames Adams AdamS' a plain American of or adventure to perform perform per per- form torm a 1 part art of ot which I had then no conception t cOrti It Is dangerous In France or In Germany either for that matter to be secretive Suspicions are sure to be aroused If It your TOUT business Is well known and openly stated staled Therefore It was well that I was allied with large largeS American manufacturing firms with S offices In Berlin Hamburg Paris ParIS' and Calais In France I was careful to be too French In l In Germany e sympathy Et I y be became and e ot a a. euton t to the the core In addition to this ready adaptability I was personally ac acQuainted acquainted acquainted ac- ac with the French and G German rulers had excellent German connections connections and and was well known In Belgium Holl Holland nd and Italy And Inasmuch as asIt asIt asit I It often became necessary for me to and head In commotion The civilians civil civil- ians who were In a a. wild state of excitement ex ex- cheered the troops Vive lea Cuirassiers I while the dragoons In return shouted A Berlin and Vive la Ia France At a corner I met Captain n Mau- Mau bo bourg g S struggling ln through u gp the crowd g i lIe He greeted me seriously ly I I am on my say way to the War Office he ho said My regiment is being mobilized and I am called for tor con conference Come with me You Americans are always Ingenious It was a aY You memorable n may gral be of meeting one meeting assistance l one i that I shall never forget torget Grave Senators Senators Senators Sen Sen- uniformed Generals and the President with his Ministers discussed the many questions before them until well nigh morning For Tor a time I waited waited waited wait wait- ed In an ante room Finally I was summoned Captain an announced announced announced an- an me mo as Monsieur Adams of ot the United States a graduate of West Vest Point Ord the greatest military school of the tho world and Intimated ll that cr I might have suggestions of ot value I had bad spent my time while waiting In the study of a large largo war map of ot France Franco and Germany I had understood that the German forces were approaching from points south of ot the Mountains Mountains Mountains Moun Moun- with a a. view perhaps to cutting off oft a portion of or eastern France and ultimately making it German territory French Trench troops were being hurried to the frontier assembling at at Chaumont and at Belfort It ap appeared ap- ap neared necessary to check the Invasion at once If It I mistake not I said the German German German Ger Ger- man approach of ot 1870 was similar similar- to cut Paris s o off from the south the source gu of Us itS ss s supplies lf m Now Is it likely lk that they would a second time adopt this plan What evidence have you that the main attack is to the southeast southeast southeast south south- east of Paris We Wo have the reports of or our border agents replied the Pres President ent Weare Weare We Weare are advised that the whole force of the German attack Is III in that tion They may be right I rejoined But would it not be well to see what Is going on to the north What would happen if It for instance the Germans struck across the south of ot Belgium and cut off oft communication between Paris and the Channel 15 that move out of ot the question There was no reply at first They were thinking hard It is not likely began General Bru Brugere ere famous as a strategist But by Heaven M. M le Ie President It I Is not impossible We must reconnoitre In that direction However it Is several hundred miles to the Belgian fron frontier tier Let me sue suggest then with your permission that this lead be he followed at et once I replied Can you not Impress impress impress Im im- im- im press all the automobiles In Paris and ind hurry the greatest 1 possible number number num- num ber of ot veterans to the northeast 11 tiou- tiou un- un tIer a war ballon might be sent im irn mediately to reconnoitre I should be Clad glad to offer otter my services In this con con- S 5 to t r n liA an 1 In the he presence or generals or-generals grown grown gray gray grayn In n military service I had only passed through h West Point Because of or a partial color blindness I had never been een admitted to the service vice yet I had lad studied war for several years and had lad learned that It Is neer ne'er safe to trust to mere reports of or agents For Tor an hour more the pian plan was nis- nis cussed S and finally adopted And thus almost f t unwittingly l il I became involved in n a series s of the most s stirring Incidents Inci mci- sv lr gl ii dents the dents n s the v war balloon e s my marvellous escape the terrific fighting at Monte Pelier Peller the spectacle of ot the greatest naval battle in history and personal encounters In defense of ot the sweetest woman in the world world- all aU these will live in memory to tho the end of my days davs When the French Trench Government decides decides de decides de- de that it wants anything belonging to Its citizens there is no red tape to be unwound From the moment that the tho plan was adopted orders flew fiew thick and fast by telegraph by telephone telephone tele tele- phone by word of mouth within ten hours upwards of five thousand automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles were assembled on the outskirts outskirts out out- skirts O of Paris IS The response e o of citizens M s and nl of automobile uto blI companies I I 56 5 i S SS S S. 6 S i Ai 5 S 'S S. SS J I THE rilE TROOPS WERE WERn HURRIEDLY MOVED TO THE BORDER change my colors and affiliations SOY SOY- S teal eral times in as many my acquaintance acquaintance ac ac- ac- ac Is stood o me in good turn Aside from my person personal l interests ItS It was no light matter matter this this already active ac SC- S tive demonstration of forces on theS the'S the part of or Germany The disagreement S 'S which had grown out of ot the Algeciras t S controversy was only one of ot a series of causes of ot war The many slight misunderstandings between the two nations complicated by European dIplomatIc diplomatic dip dIp- and turnings had bad fanned tanned the flames already arising from S Germanys Germany's o openly n announced dream pi 05 world wide W e hegemony Added to this the propagandist st publications of theS the S S Pan Germanic League the annexation of ot Austria German expansion in AsIa AsIa- Minor the ruin of English sea power Pt arra arr m S and the the- political a and economic domination domination dom dom- of Europe permitting tile tae flooding of the world by German prod prod prod- of Hamu Jam Ham nets acts through the four tour ports u burg Antwerp Salonica and material 9 the I had stirred to resentment interests of France and even of E Eni Ens En- En td i s gland Bland Although h J France e eed ed desired l no noS such convulsion as was sure to be DC 4 S S produced by war she was not content to lie lle supinely and see her opportunity ty r. r ties wrested from her people by Ger Ocr German German S man hands What wonder then that f D' D all France rose In one patriotic cry TO ro ARMS TO ARMS I left lett the tho club and made mado my way wayS S S through the crowded streets to the Avenue 1 Opera lOpera Reaching hl the Grand GrandS re rJ Pi S H Hotel my ears were assailed by a fl clamor mor which rose ros and fell ren and burst burstS S like a storm r Bands of civilians thousands thousands thou thou- nned sands in each Ch ChaC aC composed T of laborers b and artisans were bolit boltEr bolter- rr r- r J i r 5 up and down the streets cheer- cheer low end singing the Marseillaise e with flag fiu's and banners flying dying of ot every r oJ S co color or and description Presently a I i- i heard rd the trampling of ot horses coming Si down the street mingled led with the tho loud loudS S c cheering eer ng of ot the populace It was a troop of ot Cuirassiers and nd in another r. r minute nu e I x was In the midst of or a ft seeth- seeth s. s St lag ing crowd and could perceive nothing S. around me but a sea of at hands hats S a ai ki i r i was immediate It was a a. national matter matter mat mat- ter and back of the Government stood man woman and child l of the Republic ite- ite every J d public t Before f em twenty four e hours had elapsed every road leading north east and west out of Paris Parts was wal swarming with the puffing machines each bearIng bearing bearing bear bear- ing from four to ten veterans b.- b. from the flower dower of ot the Army re reserved reserved re- re served in and about Paris In addition addition addition addi addi- tion the railroads were cleared and a a. dozen special trains loaded with munitIons munitions munitions mu mu- of ot war were speeded to me ins front But l ahead of them ht all through I g u the nl night went four u huge touring automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles rushing over the matchless French Trench roads their horns echoing so sonorously sonorously sonorously so- so without intermission In the first car sat M. M a noted bal hal balloonist I two e expert assistants ls and f rny- rny WJ g self Bolf In the next the renowned Salvatore Sal Sal- I Martini of or the General Staff his aides and ft n. wireless telegrapher and In the hie following the apparatus of a a. light but strong field I war balloon On and on we swept through h through towns townsand townsand and villages es without pause The dark dari paled Into dawn the sun rose an and the mists noon nonn came am and finally darkness again There was no stop We had but one object Our ra rations rations rations ra- ra were dry biscuits and canteen wine And as we wo sped ped northward the conviction grew that we were on the ther r right track At t drawn dawn of ot the second day we reached near the Belgian frontier the frontIer the point agreed upon as au a abase abase base baso of ot In an open field we set up the gas Kas generators and heads the soon there rose above our vast bulk of ot our ship aIr la lit Jaune By noon the tho gas bi bag c was full Martini Martin find and I Into the car by the tho The cable was cast cut oft off and wo we rapidly as as as- A wireless telegraph mounted mount mount- ed on a a. shelf shelt Inside the Basket basket would enable u us to communicate direct with the th Effel Tower station I We had r reached g a height e of or perhaps two miles proceeding meanwhile n rapIdly rapidly rap rap- f Idly ly east when General Martini a hero of or Sedan laid his hand baud on my I V shoulder Look he said rg pointing n below cj us lt He lie had been n sweeping sweep sweep- ing the c country yU with his field glasses and his eyes trained to keen observation observation had discerned what we were all looking for tor I turned my glasses in us inthe inthe the same direction There was the vindication of or my theory Far below belowus us us stretched the fields and woods of or orthe the German Province of Lorraine with here and there a a. town resembling clusters of or red and white nOW Through this fair country stretched the highways like white ribbons But t what was that silent sinuous snakelike snakelike snakelike snake- snake I like movement on every road extending extending ex ex- tending tending- for tor miles Troops and troops of or soldiers helmets and gun-barrels gun glittering and flashing In the bright sun As far as the eye eyo could reach with brief brIer Intervals between them we saw the thousands and thousands of or German soldiers General Generall Martini turned to the telegraph instrument and clicked oft off a a. message and I knew that within five minutes the General Staff would learn through its watchers In the Eiffel Tower Station that the German rush across the southeastern frontier was but a blind that the main movement was to the north and that Paris was in danger of Isolation from Calais mid and from her ally England For my own part I felt a great ex exultation ez- ez In the face race of or masters of war I had advanced an opinion without without without with with- out support I had urged that my plan I be tested I had won out More I had perhaps saved France the humiliation humiliation humilia humilia- tion of ot a surprise and of or possible de- de L 4 4 5 D sWE s WE DISCOVERED THE TIlE GERMANS TO BE FIRING ON US feat reat at the hands bands of or her old enemy eDemy We now realized that we wo were discovered dis covered by the Germans |