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'If K V -. & I pl ? ",nimilU"tiF -vi-v t(i -- ,;, -, & uv P Vh T v 'f1? is',r T '-'v " imv M' WW r f ' irl fff rfr'n : aPw riw (Copyright 1919, by Charles Alden SelUer. All Rlahts Reserved.) CHAPTER I CARTER CORWIN had lunched alone at an exclusive little res itaurant on a side street. A certain jfront-pago article In the Observer JF.Ultown's only dally newspaper hod jlukcu the edge off Corw ill's appetite. , To be sure, tho event had been im pending tl'o somber .'ihadow of war h.id long been stretching westward lover tho mighty expanse of water that certain nedulous and trusting Ameri- icans had glibly and unthinking! re-' feired to as providing "Immunity 'from Invasion". ' Hut the President's war message tutu viiiiu us u. ukouuvv niiuv.u uuimlv; t the expectancy which had preceded compr Nor could Corwln entirely gras'p the mighty significance of the thing. Ho was c onvinced that the volume of jproduccion, hitherto fixed'- at certain jlimits, would hnvc to be vastly in creased; there would have to be ex tensions, enlargements, and intensive 'schemes tc speed up, the manufacture lot munitions and the thousand and lone hnplementsofjiofittuoyon -vhlch Jare ttoo-eHrentlauvof Saf J1 'thei'd would have to be rapid and hazardous adjust intents; and In' soiqeciiseiT a complete .rebuilding; of many industries. The iwhole country would Have to work (and davo.as it'never, worked and saved bufor.e and the1- country would have to work and save, under the handicap lot a startling labor loss. For Ihe ikhaki clad stream that must be poured ;into devastated Euiope would have to be recruited from field and ofllco and factory. There was no magic by which an aimy could bo raised through nnrglj expressing, the wish. Filled with a vague disquiet, CorWIn raide his way" down. Mrtln slieet until lii reached Meridian avenue. Mttln unA Weric'ian toiiued Ihe but.i 'nesa centei".of Falljown. it was bhort ly after noon 'when Corwin reached 'the corner, and the hum of trafllc had somewhat subsided, i Corwin had an appointment with Gary Miller, president of the Mer chant's Bank; and he still had fifteen minutes to sparo when he arrived at (the corner. So he halted and leaned gainst one of the massive marble col umns that supported the ornamented 'farade of the building. The two streets formod a gigantic 'cross around which clustered many .business blocks. They were the only (business streets in Falltown, and the quiet residence sections surrounding excited a subduing influence, impart ing an ntmosphere of peace and quiet, i The peace-atmosphere seemed to be powerful today at least to Corwin. !For Corwin's reflections were running ito contrasts just at this Instant the contrasts of tho pursuits of peace and .the appalling devastation of war. K One section of Main street ran east (Wiitd... Corwin could see the street, Ip'avedfor some dlstnnce, broad and in vlting, with the sunlight streaming lupon It, until it' merged With the gravel road that dipped gently Into a valley boyond the edge of town. There it iwas lost. But it rcappeareu iarwier on, crowning a long slope and stretch ing on and on a sinuous white rib bon In the glaring noonday sun an artery that connected Falltown with the pulsing, throbbing world, However. Corwin's thoughts did, not stop wlfli tho end of, the road thoy wont right on to tho Atlantic coaBt, leaped tho mysterious waters, and took him to tho shoieS of France. And for a while, unleashing his Im agination, and feeding It vflth the graphic accounts ho hud read in the newspapers, he lookod upon tho bat- tloflelds; baw thfc Hun hordes ravage tho land; saw tliem sweep on In ser ried waves a succession of finely trained armies hurled at tho world's throat. It seemed to Corwln as ho leaned against tho marble pillar of tho Mer chants Bank that he could hear the thunder of tho mighty guns; he vis ualized tho endless streams of stretch er uearors returning ironi me irum with their shattered human wrecks; the ruined tovnaiand villages he saw the ghastly horror unfold In grUly do- it and Corwln got up from the table VtS;.fc3ggg 'with a conviction that the country W,Br&WfSSH W&B 'faced a task the enormity of which jk-VH )-' - vlISSi IP Icould not be comprehended on the in- Jl5v-:( JlAj' V'S '?5i 'sjpili ,staut. And, he grimly assured him- -rn -?'' v-rAW" j'"'' !"('lws ,self as lie walked down Main stieot, tffc tffr' ''-';,:- j (i I V' $$ f there weie nersons in Americu who v I'. .'it i-Ai iJ.'''ASve'?'S $&$ ' . . . Ut ! isSiin m:'ft ';!', ehend It. .'Kv.'A?amjiw:iir' ;-. ?..:,-, ?- tall; he glimpsed the spectacle of a gallant nation sacrificing its wealth and its manhood to stem tho human avalanche which was sweeping the world to its doom. The fato of the world wni in the balance; and Corwln rould nee multitudes of faces turned toward tho western horizon pallid, drawn faces bearing marks of suffer ing, all turned westward in muto ap peal, awaiting tho decision of the mighty-nation which held the future of the world in the hollow of its hand. I The picture had been vivid, and Cor- wlns chcst swclled with impotent sym- pathv a8 the scenG shitte(1 and he gazed around at Falltown, basking in lts atmosphere of peace and quiet "Why should we slaughter our youth to help England?" Here was a contrast! Corwin could see tar eastward, down Main street; by turning ho could see equally as far westwaid; looking up Meridian ave nue he could look for mifes out into the lertile countryside; and down Me tidlan avenue ho could see other fer tile miles of land. But Corwin could see farther than that and with closed eyes! On all sides the country unfolded plains and mountains and hills and valleys and virgin forest miles of cultivated land, eastward, westward, north and south; with teeming mil lions of people in shop and factory and Held and ofllco all dwelling In peace and fancied security, with un limited power and wealth on every hand. While at the very doors of this puradlse of peace a maniac lusting for power, backed by millions of his equally fanatical subjects, was en gaged in an orgy of murder and rape and destruction, And that demoniac loader, pointing a reoking finger at the fair country of Corwin's birth, had declared, insolently: "I'll stand no nonsense from America after this war!" Corwin grinned It was the grim smile of tho American flghtlng-raan accepting a challenge to do battle. And the emotion that seethed In Cor win's heait was Identlcnl with that which pulsed thiough the veins of tho sturdy youth of the country on the day their president solemnly drew the aword. There was no gnawing disquiet In Carter Corwjn's breast. He was an American. And whatever ho was called upon to do, ho would do cheer fully, eagerly not sullenly, as though ho were making a sacrifice, but with the conviction that ho had been en dowed with a rare privilege. He looked at his watch, found he had been dreaming for fifteen minutes and entered tho bank building where, an Instant later, ho was sit ting at a leather covered mahogany tnhln In President Garv Miller's nrt to nfline. crlnnlnc. his face flUBhod. 11 proud light In his oyes. Corwln Hquared hla ahoulders as though to adjust them to a new CHAPTIsrt n weight that scorned to be on them. oortWIN 'liked Clary Miller. Miller And a fugitive grin, wreathed his lips - waa big and loud-voiced, with a ns he crossed Meridian ayenuo and bluff, hearty manner and a ready walked down Main street toward his smile, Corwin likewise believed in Mil- oiIi?0t. jj , ... ler. Perhaps that waa because' he had Perhaps Mlor had not meant ex never had any direct dealings with the aMr what ho ad bM' he m,ht man. For some of Falltown's citizens could havo acquainted Corwln with Incidents which reflected very little credit on Miller's business instincts and ability. Those persons might nlso havo called Corwin's attention to Mil ler's egotism. But as several of thoso persons who might havo given Cor wln that Information woro members of tho board of directors of tho Mer chant's Bank, they did not think It wlso to disseminate the burden of their convictions. For Miller certainly did attract depositors. For several seconds following Cor win's entrance, Mlllor watched him with a genial smile. "Well," said Corwin; "it Is war." Miller ceased smiling and settled back Into his chair. Ho wrinkled his foieher.d, squinted his eyes and pursed his lips. If he struck a knotted fist against tho lips he might havo re sembled Rodin's famous "thinker". He would have presented a gros3 car icature, a positive libel upon the mas ter's creation, but it would have been the nearest counterfeit of a thinking posture Miller could have assumed But Miller's wrinkled brows and thoughtful eyes had impressed many of Falltown's citizens. They im pressed Corwln; and when Miller turned and fixed Corwln with a pene trating gaze, grunting "H'm", through his pursed lips, a chill came over tho young man's enthusiasm. "Speaking In a strictly confidential manner, Corwin," said Miller, heavily; "I think It is a mistake a monstrous blunder. The President is catering to (the jingo element in this country. Why in thunder do we want to Inter fere in the affairs of Europe, eh?" "The Kaiser's dream of World" "Bosh!" laughed Miller, heartily; "buncombe! You've been listening to tho jingo orators. Let Euiope work out its own salvation. Why should we squander our resources and slaughter the youth of our land to pull England's chestnuts out of the fire?" "The Lusltania " began Corwln. "Regrettable, but a mere Incident of war," declared Miller. "Those, things will happen. Germany must pay for that, of course and will, no doubt. She has already sent her regrets. However, that incident of itself does not pi ovide a basis for war. This coun try is becoming too idealistic!" Corwin wondered if what Miller said were true. Corwln, like millions of his fellow Americans, had been con tent to trust the President. His own half-formed and hazy opinions had not seemed to get him anywhere. He was not a statesman, a diplomatist or a politician; and he had no knowledge of tho inner workings of the machinery of government. Miller's patronizing smile nettled him made him feel insignificant, ig norant. Miller's position, bringing him into contact with men of large affairs, undoubtedly eave him an ooDortunlty "to learn things that the average cltt-, zen did not even dream of. He saw a tolerant gleam in Miller's eyes It was as though Miller was thinking that Corwin could not be ex pected to have definite opinions upon so abstruse a subject. Corw'n oven saw a glint of pity in the big man's eyes a fatherly, benignant, humor ous pity. Corwin desired Miller's good opin ion, and he divined, that to persist in disagreeing with the man would be nonsensical. And perhaps the coun try was becoming too idealistic. Cer tainly the country should not he plunged into the appalling catastrophe of war on foreign soil for merely sen timental reasons. Corwin was convinced that ho had yielded too completely to the spell of patriotism which hod held him in Its clutch a few minutes before enter- (Ing Miller's office. He knew that reauy Dig men never permmea ineir enthusiasm to rule them stern re pression, dignity and much delibera tion were the mental weapons with which they fought the betraying ebul lient emotions. They did not permit the world to know their thoughts. Miller, Corwln was convinced, had signally honored him by taking him' into his confidence, and he was con scious of a certain shame as he si lently watched the big man. Miller observed the collapse of Cor win's structure of incipient enthusi asm, and his smile grew bland and condescending. "To be sure," he went on; "we shall all be called upon to make sacrifices If Germany accepts our challenge. We shall have to do things wo have never done before, and we shall have to face unheard-of conditions abnor mal and startling. We shall have to raise money billions! And of course we shall all do what we can. This bank, I presume, will havo to bear its share of the burden. And we shall bear it cheerfully. And I do not want to be understood as opposing tho war; I am merely not overly enthusiastic about It. But I am telling you this In strictest confidence, you know." When Corwin emerged from the bank building a few minutes later nftcr concluding his business with Miller he felt that his glowing pic tures of a few minutes before had been daubed with too much color. Look ing eastward as he paused fpr an In stant on the corner of Main and Me ridian, he could seo no farther than the crest of the slope where the gravel road strotched. Ho made no fanciful mcutal flight to tho battlefields of stricken France and Belgium It all seemed yaguo and far, now, i . 3V T Sf '"iin If have boon slyly poking fun at Corwln" for tho tho latter's quick defense of (he Piesldont. For Miller had de- clared his Intention of holplng ns much as ho could. Or perhaps Miller had br-rn suffering from an attack of indl-, EPiiion corwin's grin grow to a biond smile. Half way between Meridian and the nest rnrtior. Corwln hoard a hurried step behind him, and a friendly hand I was laid on his shoulder Ho turned ' to sen Morley Roberts, president of the Falltown Steel Products Company, smiling gmvoly nt him. Rohert't fell Into step with Corwln, and they procccdnl down Main street. Corwln had always felt flattered by Roberto' fiiendllness, and he had not failed to notice the man's frnnk Inter est in him. At tho club where Cor wln spent many of I1I3 evenings Rob erts seemed to deliberately seek him out. Corwln had cultivated Roberts, for though ConVln had Inherited consid erable wealth and was not forced to search for clients, the prospects of one day getting the legal business that Roberts could throw In his way was not to be lost. Roberts was tall, dark, with black, lambent eyes, straight, strong features and a haid mouth. Ho was broad shouldered and erect, suave, and smoothly courteous. "Heard tho news, Corwln?" he asked. Corwln nodded. "Everybody seems to have heard it," he replied. He smiled, calling Roberts' attention to the little groups of Falltown's citizens who were eagerly discussing the new phase of the international, situation. Newsboys were shrilling the moment ous Intelligence, dinning it into the ears of probable customers; men were shouting to one another; a street car clacked by, loaded with grim-faced, eager-voiced men; the town seemed to have shaken off its mid-day leth argy, and was humming and throbbing with life. TO BE CONTINUED DEEPEST WELL IN THE U. S. Present Depth Is 7,214 Feet, After Five Years' Labor. After five years' labor and an ex pendituie of more than $300,000, the deepest well in the United States still lacks a few feet of equaling the depth of the woild's deepest well in Rouma nia. During 191G the bit probing the heart of the earth advanced only thirty-rour feet making the present deptli of the Geary well near McDo nald, Pa., 7,211 feet. The Roumanian well is 7,300 feet in depth. 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