?2C251ICHAIU PARKER, T-
3J2oi cooper, megxii: 3rS-
This Is a ttory of the European
war. It la a tale of aplea of
love and Intrigue among them;
of patriotism and sacrifice; of
war's horrora and demands. It
la not a plea for preparedness or 2
for anything else. The great eon. T
fllct across the water will pro-
duce some great literature such T
as the American Civil war and
the Franco-Prussian war and the T
Napoleonic wars produced and 5
much trash. Metropolitan crit- T
Ics unite In saying that "Under 4
T Fire" makes a bid for lasting T
I popularity. Read It and Judge 5
T for yourself. . l
T
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CHAPTER I.'
Just a Hint of Scandal.
Gedrgy Wagstaff anuntered Into Miss
Ethel Wllloughby's sitting room, at
tired Id tbe daintiest and fluffiest of
Bummer costumes. Georgy was the
daughter of Sir George Wagstaff of
the British admiralty. She found the
room deserted, except for her father's
admirable butler, who was at the mo
ment In the act of placing a tea-tray
upon Miss Wllloughby's table.
"Oh, BrewBter is Miss Willoughby
In?" she Inquired.
The correct Brewster Immediately
straightened himself up In his best
manner,
"No, miss! I think not," he replied.
Georgy strolled to the window.
"I dare say Ethel'll be here directly,"
she said to herself as much as to the
butler. "I'll wait."
"Yes, miss," Brewster acquiesced.
And with a bow of the utmost cor
rectness he went out, closing the doors
softly, behind him.
Georgy Wagstaff stood Idly looking
out of the window upon the view of
the Thames. It was an August after
noon and the river shimmered allur
ingly In the slanting sunlight. But
Ethel had asked her to meet a few
friends; and Georgy was fond enough
of Miss Willoughby not to be repent
ant for having foregone the delights
of a perfect summer evening out of
doors. As she stood there In the win
dow her governess entered.
"Oh! Hello, Georgy! Am I late or
are you early?" Miss Willoughby called
as she saw that one of her guests was
already waiting.
"Both!" said Georgy with a smile.
"I did want two minutes with you be
fore the others came. May I bother
you now?"
"Of course!" the older girl replied.
"But It's no bother," she assured her.
She sat down on one end of a long
settee and began to remove her gloves;
whereupon her younger charge perched
herself at the other end of the seat
and regarded her admiringly. Miss
Wllloughby's fair hair had just the
hint of red In It that was at the same
time Georgy's despair and delight.
And Ethel was far enough past the
schoolgirl age to have lost that angu
larity which Georgy still possessed
and loathed. As for coloring, they
both showed the healthy glow which
Is the distinguishing mark of young
Englishwomen of the upper class.
"You see," said Georgy, "I'm afraid
I'm going to be awfully presumptu
ous"
"Nonsense!" Ethel Interrupted. "You
couldn't be that when you and your
father have been so very good to me.
. . . Come on! Out with It!"
It was true that Ethel Willoughby
felt that she was deeply In the debt
of the WagstaEfs both father and
daughter. Before entering their house
hold as Georgy's governess she had
known them upon a footing of social
equality. But fortune had frowned
upon her. And when circumstances
had become most pressing Sir George
had come to her relief with the pro
posal that she undertake the guidance
of his somewhat difficult daughter. It
was not that Georgy was greatly dif
ferent from other girls of the Impres
sionable age. But Sir George's public
duties left him little time to devote to
tbe upbringing of his motherless child.
And It had Bti-uck him that Ethel
Willoughby was a person who at the
same time would be able to sympathize
with Georgy's Impulses and direct
them Into the proper channels.
"What's on your mind,. Georgy?"
Miss Willoughby asked again, as the
girl still hesitated.
"It's about your past," Georgy be
gan In deadly seriousness.
Ethel laughed at her tragic manner.
"Have I a past?" she Inquired
lightly.
But the romantic Georgy was not
to be diverted from her mood.
"That's just the question," she com
mented. "You know I shouldn't mind
It In the least If you had. I believe
In people living their own lives, in
their own way." Georgy prided her
self that she was "advanced." She
considered the ordinary insular atti
tude toward what Is termed morality
to be stodgy and Victorian. Indeed,
aha quite fancied the more free-and-easy
continental view of life.
"What on earth are you talking
about?" Ethel demanded. If the truth
were known, she felt the leaat bit un
comfortable beneath the frank stare
of her young friend.
"You remember a month ago, when
you said you went to Brighton?"
Georgy continued relentlessly.
"When I said I went to Brighton?
When I went to Brighton," Miss Wil
loughby corrected her coldly.
But the chill of her remark was lost
upon ber patient cross-examiner.
Georgy. was too intent upon uncover
ing the romance that she thought she
had stumbled upon to be so easily
discouraged.
Well, today at lunch Hugh Middle-
ton said you couldn't have been in
Brighton that week " She paused
to watch the effect of her bombshell.
"Did he? Really?" Miss Willough
by replied with well-feigned Indiffer
ence. But beneath her cold calm her
heart was beating furiously. She felt
for all the world like some wild thing,
trapped, at bay. And she turned away
to hide the alarm that she feared must
reveal Itself in her face.
"Yes! He was In Farls, and"
"Paris!" Ethel echoed with a faint
start.
Youth Is ever cruel; nnd Georgy
had no thought of sparing her compan
ion. Her sole idea was that if Ethel
were biding some secret liaison she
wanted to share the romance with her.
"Yes!" she went on relentlessly.
And he saw you there twice that
week, and both times with Henry
Streetman."
"But that's impossible!" Ethel pro
tested. .
"But Mr. MIddleton seemed very
positive," the younger girl said some
what doubtfully.
"It's too absurd!" Ethel cried, forc
ing a laugh. "I was at Brighton, as I
can very easily prove."
'Well that's settled!" Georgy ex
claimed, with an air of relief In aplte
of her hopes. Her feelings bad, as a
matter of fact, been somewhat com
plex. "Of course I'd only admire you
for being brave enough to defy the
conventions. But father wouldn't "
"But I haven't defied conventions
Ethel insisted, placing both her bands
over Georgy's as if to emphasize the
truth of her statement
"Oh, I don't care if you have," Sir
George's daughter told her callously,
"But you ought to care," Ethel pro
tested. "And as your governess I can
not condone such an attitude on your
part. Really, Georgy, stupid as con
ventions may appear sometimes, nev
ertheless there Is a bitter penalty ex
acted from people who break them."
Miss Wagstaff rose abruptly, as If
impatient with the views of her gover
ness; and, crossing the room, she seat
ed herself nonchalantly upon the arm
of a chair that was drawn up at one
side of the tea table.
"Oh, pooh!" she exclaimed. "All
that narrow-mindedness is old-fash
ioned."
The older girl regarded her reprov
ingly.
"What silly book have you been
reading?" she inquired. After her ad
vent into the Wagstaff home it had not
taken her long to discover that
Georgy's literary tastes had developed
along lines that would scarcely have
met with Sir George's approval.
Miss Georgy did not even deign
to reply to Ethel's question. They had
had numerous discussions more or
less heated upon the subject of her
reading, which Georgy regarded as
both footless and absurd. She had
openly rebelled at reading the books
that Ethel recommended to her. Jane
Austen and Mrs. Gaskell were, in her
opinion, hopelessly behind the times.
"I'm glad you haven't had an affair
with Henry Streetman," the younger
girl remarked. "I don't like him.'
"Don't you?" said Ethel, relieved
that Georgy was at last convinced that
her suspicions were groundless.
"No! Every time he comes into the
room my back sort of goes up, just
like Rowdy when he sees a cat." Row
dy was Georgy's Scotch terrier, whose
antipathy to cats was proverbial.
"Mr. Streetman has been very kind
to me," her governess observed.
"Oh, don't defend him!" Georgy
cried impatiently. "I know inside that
you agree with me."
Miss Willoughby did not care ' to
continue the discussion. And with an
air of dismissing both Mr. Streetman
and her relations with blm from her
own mind as well as Georgy's, she
rose from the wide seat, and as she
glanced at her watch exclaimed with
surprise:
"Heavens! It's after five. I must
fuss up a bit for the party." "
But Georgy would not be put off
so easily.
"Well, forewarned Is forearmed,"
she said sententlously. It was clear
that she did not intend to be squelched
like a child. If Henry Streetman
were still In her mind, she saw do
reason why she should dissemble in
order to please Ethel or anybody else.
"There's nothing to be forewarned
about," Miss Willoughby observed, as
she paused at the door that opened
Into her boudoir. "You surely have no
right to put such a construction upon
my acquaintance with Mr. Streetman.
I can't let you say things of this sort
to me. It'i not fair to ma. It's not'
even fair to yourself."
While she was spo-klng the door
opened and Brewster, the butler,
stepped Into the room.
Mr. Streetman Is calling," he an
nounced In well-modulated tones.
Oil, show him up!" Miss Willough
by ordered. And as soon as Brewster
had vanished she shot a swift amllo at
her companion. "Speak of the
devil" she aaid good-naturodly.
"Ob, he Isn't the devil," Georgy re
plied. "More of a snake, I think."
There was certainly no reason to doubt
her extreme dislike of the gentleman
who was at that moment waiting be
low. Ethel's hand was on the doorknob;
but she hesitated long enough to say
to Georgy:
"I won't bo five minutes. Stay and
amuse him there's a good girl!"
Not I!" Miss Georgy doclared. "If
he wants to be amused he can read
I'lMich." And as she spoke she slipped
off her perch on the chulr-arni and
started for the door through which
Brewster had disappeared.
Don't be rude to him, please,
Georgy!" Miss Willoughby entreated.
She knew that Georgy and Mr. Street
man must meet; nnd she could not re
frain from trying to smooth the way
for her guest.
'Oh, I'll bo polite enough In my
own way," Georgy replied grimly.
She was well aware that she was an
enfant terrible; and sho often took a
mischievous delight in shocking people
by some unconventionally,
Ethel Willoughby had already closed
her boudoir door behind her; but
Georgy had not yet reached the hall
before Brewster returned to usher in
the caller, who was close upon his
heels.
Henry Streetman, handsome, well-
groomed, slightly foreign In appear
ance, bowed with extreme affability as
be came face to face with Georgy
Wagstaff.
But Georgy was decidedly cold to
him. She could be frigidly haughty
when she chose.
"How do you do!" she said, hardly
pausing In her hasty exit from his dis
tasteful presence. "Ethel's dressing,"
she told him hurriedly. "She'll be
In in a miuute. Goodby!" And hold
ing up her bead In undisguised scorn,
she promptly left Streetman to his
own devices.
-
CHAPTER II.
For the Fatherland.
Henry Streetman turned nnd stared
after Georgy with raised eyebrows.
A blind man could not have mistaken
the animosity that the girl felt toward
him. But that did not trouble Henry
Streetman. He was not a person
whose feelings were easily hurt
He had hardly strolled to the center
of the room when the butler reap
peared and paused just inside the
double doors that led Into the passage.
"Close those doors!" Streetman com
manded, quite as If he, and not Sir
George Wagstaff, were Brewster's
master. And while Brewster promptly
"All That Narrow-Mlndedness Is Old
Fashioned." executed his order, Streetman himself
stole quickly to the door that led, as
he knew, to Miss Wllloughby's dress
ing room. He stood there, silent, for a
few moments.'llstenlng. And then be
returned to the waiting butler.
"What news, Herr Roeder?" he In
quired. "Nothing, meln Herr!" Under Street
man's brisk questioning the man had
suddenly become metamorphosed. His
manner of a most correct English but
ler had fallen off htm like a cloak.
And now he saluted his interrogator in
a fashion unmistakably military and
German, at that. It was as if the fel
low had two personalities.
Streetman came nearer to the fel
low and bent his cold eyes upon him.
"You have searched Sir George's
desk?" he demanded.
"I have searched everywhere,"
Brewster or Roeder declared, still
standing at attention. An onlooker
could not have mistaken the fact that
Streetman was the hutler's superior
in rank. "But I can find no trace of
any papers about the navy such as
yon described."
"Have you trld-hls office?" his con
federate ventured.
Henry Streetman nodded.
"Witheut rtesult!" he replied, some
what gloomily, "But somewhere be
must have o copy of the admiralty
Instructions to the fleet These would
bo In his department; and we must
know at once what orders have been
given to the ships at Splthead where
they ar going when this review is
over,"
The epy, Roeder, saluted again.
"I have done my best" he said apol
ogetically. "I am sure you have," Streetman re
plied. "We know the Wllhelnistrasse
does not lightly overlook stupidity in
one of Its servants," he observed grim
ly. And then he motioned toward the
double doors that led Into tbe hall.
"See If anyone's coming," be said.
Roeder or Brewster opened the
doors and peered down the length of
the passage.
"No one is in sight; nnd I hear noth
ing," he reported.
"Now lock that door!" Streetman
commanded, poluting toward the one
behind which he knew that Miss Wil
loughby must be dressing.
The butler regarded him In alarm.
'Tardon, meln nerr but Is it
safe?" he ventured. "She Is a wom
an" "Do not be alarmed," Streetman re
assured him. "Miss Willoughby is
easily handled. She believes that I
work for the French secret service."
"Then she Is a fool," his subordinate
declared.
"No, no!" Streetman protested.
"We must not criticize the tools that
serve us." And as he spoke he went
to the telephone In a corner of the
room. Picking up the instrument, he
paused and turned, to the butler with
a look of amusement "Sir George
Wagstaff Sir Georgo of his majesty's
navy would be rather surprised if he
knew that from his house we were
communicating with our friends, tbe
Germans," he observed.
"Rather!" his henchman responded,
with a gleam of humor in his eyes.
"Now lock that door!" Streetman
ordered once more. "And now to re
port to headquarters again!" be ex
claimed, when the butler had turned
the key noiselessly in Miss Wlllough
by's door. "Hello! City, 4225!" he
said in a low but distinct voice.
Meanwhile the butler hovered near
by.
"You think, meln Herr, there will be
war?" he asked respectfully.
"I do not know. Cut we are ready.
And if war does come, it will be Ger
many's hour the day at last!" He
turned to the telephone once more, and
began speaking into the transmitter.
"Hello! City, 4225? Hello! Are you
there? Who is speaking . .
Twenty-six fourteen? . . . Hello! I
am thirteen seventeen," he said, giv
ing the number by which he was
known i the German secret service.
"Yes! We have no news of the Eng
lish fleet; we have tried everything.
. . . Very well! Goodby!"
He put down the instrument, and
a look of annoyance as well as per
plexity was upon his face as he
wheeled about.
"What is it, meln Herr?" his com
panion asked In an anxious voice. "Is
It bad news?" He had long worked in
conjunction with Streetman, and he
was quick to detect signs of trouble
upon him.
"They say they must know tonight,
without fall, the destination of the
English fleet," Streetman replied. . . .
He cast a quick glance toward Ethel
Wllloughby's boudoir. "So, Miss Wil
loughby, you have some work to do!"
he muttered, to himself more than to
his confederate. "Now, unlock that
door!" he ordered. "Ah! that Is done,
and we were not Interrupted," he said
In a relieved voice, when the deft
Brewster bad once more succeeded In
turning the key silently in the lock.
To expedite his prowllngs about the
house at nil hours of the day or night,
Sir George's butler had seen to it that
such things as hinges and locks
whether upon doors or desks were
well oiled. It was his genius for de
tails of thnt sort that had led to his
assignment to his present duty.
Henry Streetman dropped upon
Miss Wllloughby's settee In nn atti
tude of relaxation that revealed some
what the marvelous strain which at
tends the performance of exploits in
separable from his profession.
"Dangerous work, eh, Herr Roeder?
And poor pay!" be vouchsafed In a
sudden burst of good-fellowship. For
the moment he seemed almost human.
nerr Roeder pulled himself together
stiffly.
"It Is not for the money that I am
here," he answered proudly. "It is
for the Fatherland!" Despite the
guarded tones in which he spoke, there
was an earnestness born of sincere
patriotism that made Ills words ring
convincingly. One look at the man's
face, aflame with an almost fanatic
zeal, showed blm to be the sort to
whom a country may well trust her
secrets.
There Is a hint that young x
Georgy Wagstaff, hating the 4
sight of Streetman, suspects him
Instinctively and has watched
T him and the butler. What do you 2
say? ?
X 4,
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
8he Couldn't Have It.
A small boy who was sitting next to
a very haughty woman in a crowded
car kept sniffing In a most annoying
manner. At last the lady could bear
It no longer and turned to the lad.
"Boy, have you got a handkerchief?"
she demanded.
The small boy looked at her for a
few seconds, and then, in a dignified
tone, came tbe answer: "Yes, I 'avo,
but I don't lend it to strangers."
London Chronicle. . ,
HERE'S ONE OF REASONS
WHY EVERS HATES UMPS
Captain of Braves Tells About Run
in Hs Had With Official In Game
t 8t Louis Several Years Ago.
Johnny Evers tells about a run-in
he had with Umpire Rlglcr at St.
Louis some years ago. "The fans In
St Louis always rode me there," said
Evers, laughing. "They never seemed
to let up od me. They'd call me a
crab and all that. It was a bit an
noying, but I paid no attention to
them.
"Finally, one series, we were play
ing our lust game with the Cards. It
came to the ninth inning and wo
Cubs were ahead something like seven
to one. It was easy going for us, but
still those fans continued to ride me.
Johnny Evers.
"Two were out and none on base In
that ninth when I came to bat O'Con
nor was catching for St. Louis and
Rlgler was behind him, umpiring.
"I turned toward those fans and, lu
an undertone said: 'You big stiffs,
you.'
"Like a flash Rlglcr was on me.
'Get out of the game,' he ordered. I
was amazed.
"O'Connor tool: off his mask. 1
say, nobody heard that but you and
me, Rlgler,' he said.
"'Can't help It,' said Rlgler, 'he
can't get away with that stuff when
I'm around.'
"Out I went to the clubhouse, al
though two were out and we hud the
game cinched a mile. As I strolled
awny I heard those fans yell Joyous
ly: 'Aha. So you got It at last, eh?
Aha !' "
Although Evers closed his story
here, it was evident that this was
merely one of the many reasons why
he has little use for umpires.
Plants Have at Least Three
Senses, Declares Botanist.
James Rodway, who Is the curator
of the British Guiana museum and
an eminent botanist, declares that
plants h,ave at least three of our five
senses feeling, taste and smell and
that certain tropical trees smell water
from a distance and will move straight
toward It.
But trees not In the tropics can do
as well. A resident of an old Scottish
mansion, says a writer In the Scots
man, found the waste pipe from the
house repeatedly choked. Lifting the
slabs in the basement paving he discov
ered that the pipe was completely en
circled by poplar roots. They be
longed to a tree that grew some 300
yards away on the opposite side of
the house.
Thus the roots had moved steadily
toward the house aud had penetrated
below the foundation nnd across the
basement until they reached their goal,
the waste pipe, 150 feet away. Then
they had pierced a cement joining aud
had worked their way In. There seems
something almost humun In such un
erring instinct and perseverance in
surmounting obstacles.
The Flag of Denmark.
The flag of Denmark Is a plain red
banner bearing on It a white cross,
and is the oldest national flag now In
existence. For over 300 years Norway
and Sweden were united with Den
mark under this flag. In the year 1219
Kind Waldemar of Denmark, when
leading his troops to battle against
the Livonlans, saw or thought he
saw a bright light In the form of a
cross In the sky. He held this appear
ance to be a promise of Divine aid,
and pressed forward to victory. From
this time he had the cross placed on
the flag of his country and called It
the Dannebrog the "strength of Den
mark." The Difference.
Among the many things we admire
In woman, says an Ohio paper, is the
way she can dine once a year at some
fashionable hotel and use the finger
bowl with the utmost sang frold,
whereas her husband counts himself
remarkably fortunate If be doesn't ac
tually knock the thing off the table.
-& n
FAMOUS OLD PORT
MARSEILLES A POINT OF IMPOR
TANCE FOR CENTURIES.
French City, Older Than the Country
Itself, Is Now the Naval Base of
the Forces of the Entente
Allies.
"Marseilles, the unwearied contes
taut for Mediterranean trade during
20 centuries, and the city .wherein the
earliest naval traditions of Franca
were formed, whence fleets were sent
before Rome's day of power to chal
lenge the great Mediterranean port
city, Carthage, is today the principal
naval base for the allies upon the Mid
dle ocean; and, with the shifting of
the stress of the wortd-wnr toward
the eust, to the Bnlknns, to Turkey-ln-Europe,
to Syria nnd Mesopotamia, It
Is become a place of first strategic con
sequence, while, from Its harbor, a
steady stream of the 'sinews of war
fare' Is pouring into the vltnl fields
bordering the Eastern seacoast," be
gins the primer on war geography Is
sued today by the National Geographic
society.
"Marseilles has been an important
city through all of Europe's historic
ages. It has been In competition for
the commerce of Its inland sen from
earliest times; has seen its competi
tors, one by one, reach their zenith
and decline, while It still remains a
foremost Mediterranean port, Its ri
vals today are of the younger set of
cities, Genoa, comparatively youthful,
and Trlest, a newcomer Into the fold
of contending world-ports.
"Genoa, though of about equal age
with Marseilles as a harbor, first came
Into commercial fame during the early
middle ages. Sldon, Tyre, Athens, Co
rinth, Carthage, Ragusa, Pisa, Venice
and a host of other cities have at one
time nnd another fought a bitter rival
ry with Marseilles, and of some of
these even the history of their efforts
Is forgotten, while their one-time rival
has passed through several declines to
ward an even greater future.
"Tracing Its descent from early
Phenlcian times, the fortunes of Mar
seilles have fluctuated with the for
tunes of civilization upon the Mediter
ranean coasts. The Thoceans, a Greek
people whose trading Instincts carried
them beyond the confines of the known
world of their day, came after the
Phenlcians, took Marseilles from
them and made it the New York of
the ancient world. Due to their en
terprise Marseilles became the first of
trading cities, and, during the Punic
wars, Its aid saved Rome.
"Sltunted In the center of things
Mediterranean on the Gulf of the Lion,
enjoying the advantages of an excel
lent harbor, well equipped, together
with a rich and productive hinterland,
Marseilles has again become the first
port on the inland sea, the first port
of France, the second city of the re
public nnd one of the wealthiest com
munities In Europe. It lies 534 miles
south-southeast of Paris, with which
it is connected by the Parls-Lyon-Medl-terranee
railway. The manufacturing
city of Lyons lies 219 miles to the north
upon the River Rhone, whose princi
pal channel reaches the Mediterranean
sen, 2,r miles west of Marseilles.
"While Marseilles possesses few ar
chitectural extravagances, it Is well
and solidly built and thoroughly mod
ern. It has preserved no Interesting
rem.v'ns from ancient times; for the
modern spirit, which has characterized
Its long life, has left It little appetite
for reminiscence, and the wars that
have swept over It have destroyed
much of Its heritage. The public
Works of the city and its conveniences,
however, are on a par with those of
the best-administered municipalities
of today.
"The port does n vast export and
Import in peace times; buying cattle,
coffee, raw cotton nnd silk, hides and
grnln, nnd selling cotton and woolen
goods, ribbons, soap, silk, sugar, grain,
fruits, wine, oil and perfumes. Its
shipping business Is carried on along
12 miles of model quays, where 2,500
vessels cun be accommodated at one
time."
Lightning's Freak.
Lightning recently at Spartansburg,
S. C, snapped around the premises of
J. Y. Cuntrell. Ills two children, sit
ting In a swing fastened to one of two
trees situated close together, had their
dresses scorched by a bolt of light
ning which struck the tree, tearing the
bark off In places but not hurting the
children In the least. Four mules
hitched to a wagon In tho road Just op-.
poslte the tree were knocked down,
one being killed. A fence 40 feet far
ther down the road was set on fire. A
single bolt of lightning performed the
whole feat. Besides knocking down
the four mules hitched to the wagon
In the road the lightning made a hole
us large us a water bucket Just behind
the wagon. The bolt set the fence of
a hogpen afire which was on the oppo
site side from the two trees, and at
least 40 feet down the road.
Prussian Cities Buy Milch Goats.
' A number of German cities have ta
ken practical steps to solve the milk
problem, width still Is very serious In
the large centers of population. Twelve
of the largest Prussian municipalities
have bought 75,000 goats in Switzer
land. The animals have been turned
over to the owners of small farms in
the suburbs of the cities on condition
that they deliver 70 per cent of the
milk obtained from the goats to the
relief stations, where it is distributed
among poor families with small chll
jdren. The goats furnish 200,008
quarts of milk a day. ,