Lincoln County leader., September 26, 1913, Image 7

COPYRIGHT. 1313 "BY Y3.GHAPMAN IN THE-
8YN0PSIS.
for fifty yean the continent of North
America had been Isolated from the rest
of the world by the use of Z-rays, a won
derful Invention of Hannibal Prudent.
The invention had saved the country
from foreign Invasion, and the continent
had been united under one government
with Prudent as president. For half a
century peace and prosperity reigned In
this part of the world. The story opens
with President Prudent critically 111. His
death Is hastened by the receipt of a
message from Count von Werdenstein of
Germany that he has at last succeeded In
penetrating the rays. Dying, he warns
(its daughter Astra that this means a for
eign Invasion. He tells her to hurry to
the Island of Clrynith. but dies before he
can tell the location of the place. Astra
Is nominated for the presidency by the
oontlnental party. Napoleon Edison calls
on Astra, Informs her that he was a pu
pil of her father's, and promises to help
her. He gives her a ring made of a new
ly discovered substance which, he says,
will solve the problem of flying. Cheval
ier dl Leon appears In Europe. He notes
that preparations have been completed
for an Invasion of America.
- CHAPTER IV-Contlnued.
The. count's face was disturbed for a
second, when bis own cold blue eyes
met the gray ones; they clashed like
two swordB, both blades keen, bard
and elastic.
"Chevalier dl Leon?"
The chevalier bowed.
"Your business must be very Impor
tant, since you ask to see me In my
private residence.
"It Is, your excellency, and as I
know your time is valuable I shall not
delay you long."
"Please!"
The chevalier took a small package
from his pocket and unwrapped It,
then he placed a piece of yellow metal
on the table.
"Will your excellency examine
thisT"
The count picked up the metal with
a bored expression and Us weight sur
prised him.
"Gold?"
"YeB, it Is gold."
"And what is its meaning?"
"I am willing to build and equip a
factory for your excellency, enabling
you to produce. the metal for 25 pfen
nigs the kilogram."
"Then it ie not gold."
"Have it examined by an expert."
"I will do that"
"When may I return for your an
swer?" "Tomorrow morning at nine sharp."
The two bowed and turned to go,
but the count stopped them.
"Who knows the secret of the com
position besides yourself?"
"Only one man. He lives In South
Africa."
"And this gentleman?" and the count
pointed to Kalmar.
"He knows as much about It as your
excellency."
The count thought for a moment
Suddenly he came nearer to the cheva
lier and, stopping before blm, looked
steadily into his wide, gray eyes.
What the chancellor felt no one
knows, but he looked as If he were
the supplicant and the other the al
mighty chancellor upon whom the eyes
of four continents rested hopefully. At
least that was the impression Herr
Kalmar received.
Slowly he asked: "And what la the
price of your secret?"
"I will tell you tomorrow."
CHAPTER V.
The Countess Roslny.
- Chevalier di Leon and his compan
Ion bardly bad left the room when the
count gave orders that caused two
men to emerge from the side door at
the instant the two men approached
the waiting conveyance. These two
men took senarate cabs and found
It an easy matter to follow the quarry,
aa they had no desire to avoid the
detectives.
Herr Kalmar returned to the edito
rial rooms and Chevalier dl Leon went
to bis hotel, where' he bought a nan
ber of papers and magazines.
The secret service reported at 11:00
p. m. that be had retired, and consld
ering blm safe for the next eight
hours they did likewise. There they
made a mistake. The chevalier read
until twelve. Then, cautiously open
lng the door, be looked into the hall
and listened.
No one was in sight and no sound
came to bis ears, so he turned and
picked op a small box and hurried
with It to the Are escape at the end
of the hall.
It was a clear, starry night, but no
moon was shining. He mounted to the
square, flat roof, and listening again
advanced to the center and leaned
against the chimney about which the
Isolated
ntinent
VGNJIORVATH
and DEAN BOARD
UNITED SIATtS AND GREAT BKITADl
enow had melted. He looked at the
sky for a long time until he discov
ered the star he was looking for. Was
It a star? It gleamed like one, but It
winked like an old-fashioned revolving
lighthouse.
Chevalier dl Leon took the object he
brought with him, and directing It
toward that winking star he manipu
lated something that gave a metallic
sound. A hiss followed, like the hiss
of a bullet
a minute later another star ap
peared near the winking one. It was
large and bright and seemed to spit
lire. Suddenly It disappeared In a
small white cloud, looking like a
shrapnel exploding in midair.
The winking star vanished entirely.
Then the chevalier returned to his
rooms and went to bed,
The following morning at nine
o'clock he Btood before the chancellor.
The count bowed to him more cor
dially than he had the day before.
me experts report that the ore
you gave me Is chemically pure gold,
purer than any they have ever seen."
i
"What Is Your Intention?"
He thought for a moment "For some
reason I cannot doubt your words;
am, so to say, forced to believe In
you." - He looked Inquiringly at the
chevalier, but as he did not answer
the count continued: "Do you realize
the far-reaching Influence of your In
vention?"
"I do to the most minute detail."
"What Is your intention?"
"To give my invention to you for
a consideration!"
"And that is?"
The young man weighed every word
he said.
"Absolute disarmament and peace.1
The count showed no surprise. He
felt that he stood before an -extraordi
nary man.
"Sir, who are you?"
The chevalier stood up and smiled
pleasantly.
"I .expected this question, your ex
cellency, but If you will permit I shall
not answer It All I can say Is that
I believe I am a true apostle of broth
erly love. My Ideal Is to overthrow
tyranny and make not only the leaders
but the masses happy and contented.
What I am offering you is a mighty la
strument to forward this movement
True, It also means destruction If In
judiciously used. I came to you, sir,
the chosen leader of the armies of
four continents." He looked earnest
ly at the man standing before him.
"Do you not think that It Is your
duty to accept my offer to send home
the millions who are amassed to break
peace: whose final destination is to
break Into a happy, peaceful continent
where every man is free . and where
the hearts of the people are not pol
soned with the passions of selfish
greed? It Is my own wleh, also, that
those Invisible walls which separate
the American continent from the oth
ers shall disappear, not be destroyed
by ruthless hands, but epened to re
ceive brothers I"
The enthusiastic young man stopped
when be saw a sarcaetlo smile play
round the corners of the count's
mouth.
"I know enough, chevalier!" His
voice was cool and cutting. "Yon are
an American."
The chevalier did not say "yes" or
"no," but scorning the cold expres
sion on the count's face he almost or
dered blm to hear him out
"Your excellency must listen to me
Miuj3ri r... mini! in
to the end. Who I am or whence I
come does not matter. I have offered
you a secret that will enable you to
make your country, and through your
country the world, nappy if used with
discretion. If not, it may bring con
ditions that will break all your ambi
tious. Your tremendous armies, men
of war and fortifications, figuratively
speaking, are all made of gold. You
can e&Blly imagine what chaos will
reign If I give my gold away make It
no more valuable than Iron. Don't
you realize that It will break you, In
spite of your might, and drive your
armies to work Instead of wasting
time In pursuing the scientifically per
fected exercises and studies of devas
tation? You ought to realize that gold
Is only an image created by man; that
yellow metal has no real value. Work
is the only thing of value to a nation.
I have one thing more to say. You
have evidently selected for your life's
work the Invasion and conquering of
the American continent, claiming that
the United States had refused to yield
to the wishes of the European powers
flfty years ago. Do you think there are
no more men like Hannibal Prudent?
Do you think that after breaking the
isolator all you would need do would
be to land your armed puppets and kill
the people who have nursed at the
bosom of Liberty? I have spoken,
your excellency!"
The chevalier made a courteous bow.
The count seated himself before his
desk.
Chevalier dl Leon, no man has ever
spoken to me as you have." His voice
was dull. "I will think over the far-
reaching perspective you have spread
before me; I will have to consider it
from every side. For that reason I
cannot set a date for my final decision
and the decision of his majesty the
kaiser.
"Above all, you have awakened my
admiration; you are a strong man,
chevalier, and I am a friend to strong
men. I welcome you." He roso and
offered his hand to his visitor.
I want to introduce you to his maj
esty and the chief diplomats," contin
ued the count "I hope you will ac
cept the Invitation to the 'Hof-ball'
given day after tomorrow."
The chevalier bowed. The count
filled out an invitation card personally
and escorted his caller to the door.
In the afternoon the chevalier
sought aeroplane hangars and stores
and bought a small monoplane of the
"Belt" style. After trying the ma
chine, be inquired for. a large, private
hangar and succeeded in finding one
near the count's residence.
The court ball was one of the formal
social events of the week. The room
In which the court marshal and his
assistants received the guests was in
the ultra-secession style. When the
chevalier entered it he received the
Impression of entering a gigantic wed
ding cake that had beejn hollowed and
decorated artfully on the inside.
The stiff courtesy that once pre
vailed at the court of Frederick the
Great still was in existence during
ceremonious affairs.
The Count von Werdenstein ap
proached the chevalier with unusual
kindness and Introduced him to many
of the guests. The plain, black eve
ning dress, without stars, crosses, rib
bons or other signs of distinction, was
strange under this roof and among
these gorgeous uniforms.
Baron von Koener was asked by the
chancellor to take care of the cheva
lier, and the little huzzar did his best
to entertain the Interesting chevalier,
whose sole reason for being there was
that he had some great and valuable
Invention for military purposes.
At 10:00 p. m. the great double
doors were flung open. The master of
ceremony came In with his big gilt
cane and knocked on the floor to an
nounce the arrival of his majesty.
HE RECOGNIZED THE NAME
Not Only That, But Ha Could Give
the Correct Expression That
Englishman Made.
A certain London clergyman who
had been traveling In Greece found
himself compelled to stay the night
at a monastery on Mount Athos. The
welcome was, warm, but the food
execrable, in particular the soup,
which the guest could hardly force
himself to swallow.
Being a classical scholar, his knowl
edge of ancient Greek helped him to
some understanding of the monks,
who spoke the widely-different mod
ern tongue, and he was astonished to
hear that the unpalatable soup was
aa English dish.
' "English," cried one of the monks,
adding that an English sailor had
been there not long before and recog
nized It
"What did he call It?" asked the
clergyman.
The monk had to think for mo
The emperor, a tall, typical Prus
sian, came first, leading the Princess
of Wales, then came the Prince of
Wales, escorting the Princess Isold;
the young emperor was not married.
The hidden orchestra played the old
melody, "Die Wacht am Bhein." When
bis majesty finished the regular circle
the chancellor Introduced the cheva
lier. The courtiers fell back at a mo
tion from the emperor and he and the
chevalier spent some time In what
was apparently an intimate conversa
tion. When the dance began he was
dismissed and the emperor waltzed
around the great hall once with his
cousin, the Princess of Wales.
Chevalier di Leon stood alone for a
short time, watching the dancers with
interest; then the Baron von Koener
came and whispered in his ear that
the Countess Roslny desired to dance
with him. Dl Leon smiled pleasantly
and followed the baron, who led him
to a young woman of great beauty.
Her large, dark eyes rested on the
bowing chevalier; her rosy cheeks
dimpled in a smile as she stood up to
take his arm. They waltzed away from
the baron, who looked after them with
admiration.
The chevalier proved to be a master
of waltzing; disregarding-the usual
habit, be did not stop after the first
tour of the room, but continued. The
countess smiled at him coquettishly.
"Chevalier, you dance wonderfully."
"Ah, you, countess, are the dream
of a dancer."
They arrived at the countess' chair,
but the chevalier showed no signs of
stopping and carried her along as eas
ily and gracefully aa the morning
"I Am Very Much Honored," Hs Said
Simply.
breeze carries the fragment of thistle
down.
"We are creating a sensation, Chev
alier dl Leon."
His majesty and the princess left
the ball at midnight and soon after
the Countess Roslny found an oppor
tunity to talk once more to the chew
ller.
"Atn I asking too much of you In
Inviting you to our house ball on Sat
urday next?"
The chevalier bowed and smiled at
the countess, whose long, silky eye
lashes shaded her beautiful eyes with
such apparent innocence.
"I am very much honored," he said
simply.
He met the chancellor once more In
the buffet that adjoined the great ball
room. He took the chevalier by bis
arm and led him to a table. There, in
the company of high nobles and diplo
mats, they clinked glasses and drank
to the health of His Majesty, the Em
peror of Germany.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
ment before he could recollect the
strange English name of that soup.
Ah! be bad It It was "beesly
muck!" Stray Stories.
8tudylng Geography In Arabia.
The geographleal globe In the shop
is the first and only one in Kowelt
and is one of four or five in all Arabia
from Bagdad to Aden. It was placed
in the Bible shop to draw people
there and It is serving its purpose
splendidly.
The less Ignorant of the place, and
these included the masters of sailing
ships that had made the trip to Af
rica and others who had traveled In
Bombay, were not hard to convince
that it really represented the earth.
The delighted to have pointed oat to
them the places they had visited. Yet
even these could not help pondering
that self-raising problem of bow the
under half lives.
But the rest would exclaim: "Mas
hallah," "Whatever God wills," and
doubt not that it was another Chris
tian hares?. Christian Herald,
THE
THOUSANDS OF DRAGON FLIES
Queer Sight Witnessed by a French
Naturalist While .Making a Tour
Through Morbihan.
A professor of zoology at Lille, M.
Charles Barrios, was making a tour
through Morbihan, in France. As he
was walking along the road he noticed
that a multitude of dragon flies were
alighting on the telegraph wires. The
singular thing about it was that they
all rested at an equal distance from
each other, and all occupied the same
position, with head turned toward the
west
From all sides the dragon flies ar
rived and always placed themselves
in the same position, and at the same
distance from each other. They re
mained as if glued to the wire, motion
less and paralyzed. Each new arrival
flew over the fixed bodies of the
others and took Its place In the line.
This chain stretched Itself out to
ward the west, and turned toward the
setting sun. Professor . DarrloB fol
lowed the route for a long distance
and found the same strange phe
nomenon. He estimated the number
at 60,000, at least At an abrupt turn
of the road to the south, the telegraph
line turned also. There not a dragon
fly was in sight! The wire was abso
lutely free from them! With the
change of direction it seemed to have
lost attraction for them.
Was this chance? Did the electrlo
currents running from the east to the
west exerclBe any influence upon
these insects? Was it the solar re
flection? Explain It, who can. In
any case It would be interesting to
know whether this phenomenon be an
isolated one or not
KING'S SIGNPOST IS QUAINT
8urmounted by Device In Oak, Depict.,
lng the God Tyr and the Great
Mythological Wolf.
The llustratlon shows a signpost
remarkable for its decorative qualities
which King George of England has
Just had erected by the roadside near
Wolferton railway station on the San
dringham estate. The post is sur
mounted by a device in oak, carved,
painted, and gilded, depicting the got
A King's Signpost
Tyr trying to wrench his arm from
the Jaws of Fenrlr, the great mytholog
ical wolf of the old Norsemen, after
whom, It Is supposed, Wolferton waa
named. The wolf was symbolical of
Fate. ' In the background la a repre
sentation of the gilded rooms of Aa
gard. RIDDLES.
Why are fishermen and shepherd
like beggars?
Because they live by book or by
crook.
Why Is a thief picking a coiner's
pocket reminded of a line in Othello?
Because "who steals his purse
steals trash."
Why Is a shoeblack like an editor?
Because he polishes the understand
ing of his patrons.
see
Why Is a whisper like a forged
note?
Because It Is uttered but not aloud
(allowed).
When Is a sheep like Ink?
When you take It up Into the pen.
'
What Is the best way
man's love?
to keep a
Not to return It
r-- j
What Is a button?
A small event that Is always coming
off.
1 Ill I