Show nil ic in the early cany morning tho the crowds which spent most of tho the night at the bulletin board were gathering again at no time had bad tile the place been entirely deserted several men had bad never been out of eyeshot of the bulletins one of them a shock headed youth in overalls and wearing the cap of a government electrician sat on oa the itono stono curbing by tho the entrance to the PO power station smoking a small black pipe seemingly more occupied with meditation than observation most alost of the men who were now gathering ering about the board were coal miners on their way to the shafts here and there were electricians tho the vastness of tho power station from which they had come was no moro more than suggested from where tho the crowd stood tho the buildings being partially hid bid in a grovo of trees the groups or of miners ar and ld electricians were almost silent they seemed to have exhausted comment and surmise and to bo be waiting for ahn tangible to to place of conjecture on the verge of war in washington the federal news editor edit apparently had worn ou out t himself and hla his in keeping up a de detailed account of the all night session of congress As daylight came tho service babbled wab bled and what hall had been a connected well vell sustained story ot of congressional proceedings had slumped to a series berles of jerky bulletins of which tile tho last had come a halt half hour be before fore reading willi williams ams still has tho the floor ho la IS making no headway against i tho the majority war seems inevitable to tho men starting fo for the shafts als athla carried no news which they had no known before they had gone away a few hours earlier to get such sleep and rest as they could whilo while they stood watching g another bulletin carnal camo congress has taken fallen an hours recess for breakfast no action tho the coal miners in tile the crowd read this and then started for work soon there were left only a few scattered power arms areas into which the country was divided its coal mines were of tile greatest extent its power station gigantic and I 1 its ts employees an army new york with its millions find washington with its institutions all power poi cr from tile alio wires charged hy by tho the dynamos of ti alio to susquehanna district tile the shock headed beaded electrician kept ills his rapid stride through tile tho arounds until he bei came to a one story brick building marked over its doorway with tho word administration it was surrounded by of anich a gardner then was wag watering tile tho young man went ill up tho the arn graveled meled wall without looking to right or left P pushed dished open the door r went tho the length of tho the inner hall turned to tho the right and knocked at a closed door ire iio was told to enter and did so BO taking off his hill cap A middle aged pray gray balfred spectacled man sat at a desk la in the center of oc tho the room ire ho did not look up until tile the young electrician was standing bo side his drak k then he glanced at him inquiringly young inventor busy mr shod said tho younger man 1 I want a two weeks leave of absence tho the older elder then looked squarely at him but did not reply merely brushing back his hair in an abstracted preoccupied manner tho the young man waited f i r an newer without withof t repeating hla his petition go back to work said shod finally ac seeming eming to dismiss the request as pro preposterous post crous erous ila ho had started to speak ca imly calmly but his manner changed and lie he brought ills his fist down on tho the desk as lie ho added sharply At alsins sins you mako mo me think your crazy you read tho the bulletins look here a message tile tho chief wo expect you to run double capacity tram from tho the instant war la Is declared leavo leave of abs absence encel sian ilan go back to work alsins became confused contused cont used and awkwardly abashed but lio be persisted nevertheless urging great necessity it if you even ask again cried shod becoming thoroughly angry ill have youl you I 1 locked up for attempting desertion I 1 I 1 daring darine plan explained ile iio wheeled around in his chair and busied himself with tho wires leading off od tho keyboard on his desk alsins hesitated an instant and then suddenly lost his awkwardness and became alert ila iio bent beat over hla his senior speaking rapidly energetically antl and sharply ila iio drew roni ant tho inner pocket ot of his blouse a pr print int spreading it before shod the anger of tho the older man gave way to astonishment ire ha was wag held b eld spellbound by tho youngers youn gerB vehement explanation until finally atchis ceased talking folded up his print returned it to ills his pocket and stood waiting shod contemplated him silently for 81 veral ral moments then ho said you have a chance it Is too great a chance to lose it might bo be our sal W 11 5 am t lp q 1 V 1 1 W Z te WAS HELD spellbound BY THE VEHEMENT explanation groups but the shock headed electra clan still sat on oa tho the curb and smoked his bis black pipe mall mail by airship A speck developed la in tho eastern sky and drew nearer enlarging g rapidly then the washington mail cams came into bight and landed at the station near tile the entrance ent ranco to tho power station A mall mail clerk camo came down the elevator after the packs halt hail been thrown into tho the chute lie iia was questioned eagerly by tho men mcm still standing about tho the bulletin board but had bad nothing of news later thun than that which the bulletins had given them As he ha stood talking another message was flashed on tho the board williams says that opposition to the majority will cease war will be declared before a night at that the s shock hock headed youth arose suddenly front from tho the curbstone walked rapidly through tho the gates gales and on into the grounds of the power str station vast central power station the susquehanna coal and rower power district supplying not only washington but new york with electricity for nil all purposes of light heat and power was tile the largest of the government ill inform the chief ile ho reached over toward tile keyboard but put liui out a n restraining hand and held him shaking his head la in vigorous protest well I 1 guess you aro are right there too tho older man said do as you think besto best ll 11 catches airship for capital alsins turned away instantly and again with rapid stride went through the tha grounds on at his watch he broke into a run heading for the aero aeroplane plano station dy by quick imprinting he bo reached the lift just as aa it was making its ita last trip up to connect with the fast washington mall ship it touched as ho he came out on the platform and ho he was vas aboard just in time 11 II in tho the early history of the nation thero had bad been a much applauded in maxim axim in time of pence peace prepare for war the people had never deviated fir from am their policy of applauding and ignoring this wadom w dom of one of their earliest statesmen tho the nation hall had never lost its complacency had never succeeded in d disillusioning itself it imagined itself peaceful pence ful but in reality it was wa at to resent an injury fancied or real surest to a popular demand for war and least prepared to carry it on nation tn in a trance with tho sel solf f deceiving theory that they were not a militant people they ill had ail continued to delude themselves in t tho lie I 1 ilaf ica that war for them was next to impossible their hartory a record rif of made costly lir br un anler ler kalmn tali en without preparation did not s serve erve to destroy elih illusion it was i i pirt of bilig life now popular outcry wa wai nn an kotlier war at any moment which lind beon tn in tho throes ril or l te for tarm davs might open hostilities with a across tile tho atlantic antle as abe men of tho the nation a 1 roo poo plo ivere acro holding in restraint ci in their ind ed on thorough thoro uRh pi ahn r nation in general knew this but allowed itself no thought of the inevitable product of incompetence urged into action by rashness in all this bis unprepared country no ono one ampre appreciated elated so thoroughly tho impending danger as did Mou Mo trus titrus the commander la chief of the small mall military forces commander in despair ile iio hall been dean of the department of at electricity la in the national university when transferred to tile tho military service having prior to this been an all instructor in ono one of the national military schools in appeal anco lie ho was scholastic scholas tico his bla figure spare and bento bent id hair and eyes gray and his face lin ile iio was alono alone la in ills hla on cc looking 0 out ut of 0 tho window across tho the potomac tho only inactive figure in the war r department when one of ills aides ell entered tho the room curtis had been located ll 11 said the aide ire ile Is at kiel N e got his Is bignal followed by some boino codo code which is being transcribed another aldo aide camo came in I 1 curtis says lie ho Is effectually hidden and can send it wo we enn can ako them where la is lie be asked Alon trus eagerly scouting the upper air ile ho says lie Is 19 out nf the path of their scouts and lie be is safely posted ile iio must bo be alove aline them can you reach him hima we have hae but he warns us lis not to try often I 1 suppose Is precarious at best toll him to bend what wl at he can answered Alon trus ill go into the tower to talie take lt it A hundred yards farther us the ro po omac ninne stood it a gigantic tower tho the longitude and latitude of which was wal burned in tho the memory ot of every operative in tile tho secret service to this montus and ills aides hastened liast ened being c carrle d dir directly ertly to tho the st summit by a lift tile allies aides adjusted tho the films and rea reflector cetor of the alio electro photographer stood at the lie railing looking out over tho the river acene an and d drumming his fingers angera ou on tho the wooden c a bars 1 I think it lq Is coming said one of of tho allies aides finally and the general stepped over to adjust about his bis head tho ho L hood bood which shut all light fro from in tho the eyes lo looking oldrig at the reflector looking across the ocean at first this remained in black and inky darkness then tamo came little waves of dim light which rippled across its surface these ripples became stronger indistinct shapes unrecognizable and mystic seemed to rise out of its depths they cleared away and there grow grew up in their pl ace the forms forma of a cites roots roofs andtoN midi towers vers which stood revealed in di distinct outlines for a moment and then seemed to drop further and further down into the reflector white fleecy cloi clouds lids camo came between tile tho eyo eye and tho cites roofs tile latter growing less and less distinct there 1 here was a sweep of a dark object athwart the clouds it crossed the entire reflector blotting it out in blackness again but light followed almost instantly again nothing but the white clouds but finally a far ott off flock of specks which came nearer and nearer until they stood out each distinctly and separately clear cat in outline and identity there tuey they stood aerial torpedo boats almost held his breath as he ran his bis eyes over them for ten minutes he studied then he be drew the 1110 hood from his head and looked out over the river scene again A hundred I 1 should say ho he remarked marked at last quietly but in groat great bitterness every one ready in twenty four houra bours from the time those awful fools in congress Ir clare war those hundred torpedo ships will be here tell curtla curtis weve seen enough with that he went back to ills his office and in moodiness took ills his post by the window again nothing lie ho co could ild plan pian could avert the calamity lie had seen in readiness presently one of 0 the aides camo came in again A government electrician Is oil outside he bo announced anil ani insists on seeing you wo we have done dolie ever tiling to get rid of him but throw him off tho the grounds tho the man stopped and waltie expectantly tell him said iii angrily hut but stopped let him in lie he concluded sullenly young inventor to the rescue tile tho aido aide went out and rame came hack back with the shock headed who had spent tho night before 1 bv the bulle tin board his embarras embarrassment ment was great but his earnestness c equalled equal led it the former showed in ills awkward posture and twitching fingers finders the latter in tho the direct look with which he ha sought tho the generals eyes well exclaimed Mon Alon trus sharply ply 1 I havo have a concentrator I 1 want you to look at it I 1 thought I 1 lie ho began excitedly but ended brokenly in the face of a cold stare from 1 Mon lion trus hero alere it Is ho he concluded unfOld unfolding Ill g tho the prints montrea ca cast st ono one careless anil and a second interested glanco glance at tho the plans ho he drew up a chair and studied them thein tho the moodiness giving away to keen appreciation pre clation then lio he pushed them away you seem to have something bo said somo some other time it theres anything left of this couf country itry somo same other time ill look at thera them but not now I 1 cant now death to distant fleet but you dont understand exclaimed atalga and vehemently tho the time dont you vou see eee that will direct a million volts volt two million volts valts acau accurately rate y to adv distance at any object man alan 1 if it works it if it will vill do it don dont I 1 t you tou wt Alon trus stared at tho the beaded boy in a daze dayo atrens held beld himself in clively and leaned lean MI forward will me ho shins abins at KM evor lave their if it work woric RI fi I 1 fa in mg big breath the two mon mn efm nt at other annl as ito ho saw n nelsn isn in hla his mental vl ann thoo dark shafa on tho ane faro 0 of the tor lie he l A serles of buttons on iti dic and men entered from diffy pit tt tare abl this voting mon brinn mr ir 7 IN nt a name said alsins just an plan tako take this idea continued Mon trus speaking rapidly to sending station 10 1 tho largest let him bilm direct any changes it lii deares dc tell susquehanna to give us ten tell times athly usual power from now until notified otherwise the men started to obey anil and alsins to follow hla his guides when stepped to him holding out ills his hands 1 I liopo hope you succeed lie he said 1 I 1 I cant fall stammered tho the man mall to be continued |