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Show HUES FEELING HOPEFUL Powerful Reserve Intact and Preparations for Tremendous Battle. Local attacks on several parts of the battle front in northern France yesterday yes-terday and last night kept both sides fairly busy in the outpost areas, while back of the lines the preparations went on for the renewal of the engagement on a vast scale to which the logic of the situation points Teutons Are Nervous. Fortified by the news that the powerful pow-erful allied reserve is as yet virtually virtual-ly intact, and by apparent evidences of Teutonic nervousness as the crisis approaches, entente opinion views the outlook hopefully. The reports from the field show the allied lines as established after the first German push had spent its force, holding firm against newly-launched tentative thrusts here and there while at two or three points the Franco-British Franco-British lorces were able to push back the hostile line for short distances. This latter process resulted notably on the British side in the re-occupation of the town of Ayette on the front be low Arras which the Germans a few das ago declared had been cleared of British forces. French Gam at Montdidier. On the French side, the notable gain was on the southern side of the Montdidier Mont-didier salient, north of Plemont, where the French position was appreciably extended. French troops repulsed a German attack south of Moreuil and tin British drove off the Germans who assaulted near Fampoux, in the northern north-ern part of the battle area Czernm's Political Maneuver. The speech delivered yesterday by Count Czernin, the Austro-Hungarian foreign minister, in which be again took up the subject, of peace, has a I ready excited much comment. The ad dress, it is noted, comes at the moment mo-ment when the great Teutonic drive on the western front, widely advertised adver-tised to the peoples of the central powers pow-ers as a "peace offensive," has lost its impetus and been fore ed to halt be lore anything more definite than the occupation occu-pation of considerable territory had been accomplished. In Washington official circles the speech is regarded as a political male ma-le ayer timed ' follow the breakdown of tbe Teutonic military offensive with. tin A u.s t roll u n gar inn minister acting as Germany's spokesman. It is declared that Teutonic suggestions that the time for peace discussion is near will find no favorable response in this country. |