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THE RICE BELT JOURNAL WEIH PTG. CO., LTD ........Pub-. WELS -f: : : : LOUISIANA THE MILLIONAIRE'S PURDEN. in a rec,-nt into"rview, John Ar b;uci klc , the nii!iona!re 'ffe i lian, .a thents the scrrou ff:l sp , tacle of the s',i]s of rich .\Anltriclans who trav'-l m(t. r E:uroLe and ii;,:int homell pleasuire sayý lthe ()iaha i .+e. Mlr..'r .buekle is lnot tic, O ior Arierica;u 'who Is asharnied of ', .e ,orlc ney b-urners, for every self r,,sp, ..cting American blushes at the re <ital ,I their insane doings lie is un able to coljlilpr(hend how menl W hoSef enrgy and business aIumen have' ac c inuu:ate(d vast lfortunes ('an possibly be t'athrs of such worthlehss sons. Evcry rli Ii youing nran %\ i; starts out to dl, on strate his elig:;blty to the fool-ki:lhr 'lass frinds plhni!v of help, and so long as thi' won(oy !aits it is a iolntiniui s:; lper i, nii e . on, a 2I -hour shli hin how to improve on his honme training, and by the time he reaches middle age he -an qualify for stellar roles. Th, niillionaire's son may have no greater natural ability in this line than the poor man's boy, but he has superior opportunities for Improve ment and better press agents to spread his fame. Kodama Ocamateu, a Japanese ex plorer, is on the way to Australia, where he will establish a base of op erations having the attainment of the south pole in view. He has had con siderable experience in the Antarctic and his prospective effort has the financial support of prominent Japa. nese capitalists. The Jap Is a small eater, as has been shown by the re markable endurance of the Japanese soldiers in the war with Russia, on short rations, and as Lieut. Shackle ton's failure was due to the exhaus tion of his food supply, Kodama Ocam ateu may by carrying meals in his vest poc let be able to advance the flag of his nation to the very pole. Traditions of the American south. west in the period immediately follow ing the civil war are recalled by the information from Germany that brig ands held the highway between Au gustowe and Lipsk on the Russo-Ger man frontier, one day last week, and captured fifty or sixty travelers, tak ing all their money. Most of the vic tims were horse-dealers, carrying large sums, and the total haul is esti mated at $25,000. That such things can be in an old settled country seems astonishing to Americans, and is prob ably in part attributable to the politi cal convulsions of the past four years in Russia. The trouble between Bolivia and Ar gentina seems to represent on a grand scale the spirit of "Kill the +,npire!" Bolivia and Peru had a boundary dis pute. It was referred to arbitration, and Argentina was the arbitrator. The decision which has been handed down displeases Bolivian hotheads, and a mob of them in La Paz attacked the Argentine legation. Argentina would be able to give Bolivia a lesson if the bad blood should result in war, but Bo livia's position is so clearly wrong that probably her own sober second thought will cause her to recede from it. Only a few months ago the police dogs of New York were regarded as a joke. Now the residents are demand ing more of them as a protection against burglars. There Is no denying the efficiency of these canine sleuths. They are not grafters, and their fidel, lty to duty often rises to th- heroic. A woman in Atlantic City dived from her yacht to rescue a drowning guest and swam with the latter to safety, while the men on the yacht, looked on. Here is another clear case of feminine invasion of masculinu privileges. The band of departed gypsies in New York who used their children as clubs on the officials in, their fight against deportation proved very plain ly the government's point against them as undesirable citizens. A socialist, sued for breach of prom Ise, has invoked the French law in his defense. It is odd how promptly these enemies of law resort to it when their own rights, privileges and property are in danger. A shipload of South American par rots recently landed in Mobile. Ala., serves to remind the public that Africa Is not our only source of rare and raluable zoological specimens. Automobile tires have been marked up. This is more likely to encourage speeding to get the increased cost back than to slowing down for econo my's sake. t It was a St. Louts man who died of sleeping sickness, not a Philadelphian The disease is net usually fatal in Philadelphia. The fact that undertakeis now call themselves "morticians" will not make p them any the more welcome. b Vnhin ts. a str f "wht ships it contained a drawing room onTED tRY o ,t, hae h,.,'." ,ps in Wa- which the most careful workmanship ':I :t, ,i'h ,. t'd Statt.s w id J·· ti·n t.r hwr (;.y Hilhir. so, retary of the " had been lavished. The guests gath :i O It sy , ao u it rI a t. erect rounI a huge mahogany table, ntrd CeOd as lovers. .Japan dh.t'l:t<rts war' whose polished top reflected the light u!;,I lt s t : i 'loer'. I (;n i haiis rt ,: : h n : llr from the colored ports of the dome, I,,:isw t ashington for the 'lari d: . st and were served with refreshments be lfawaii is capturtetd ,5 tha haps. All ports y!" itt.I'. 'rltu , s ii t ,t l ist , .t fore flevins recurred to the object of qt.,s titer ard whalo world iecoinmes (on- his visit, Hie drew from his pocket ; that 1' litedi Stales las ptw,.rl'l V," artevI I il..t tin t'Is ti s$ni' an official packet and laid it open be a Ii,-t to American waters as a ('anadian for him. l 'l tintrl agamnst whalt ilt Iritis s'i, ,s, is a terriile tillwniarin("e litilla. t lili "Gentlemen," he began, "of course irh is ,,t with a mrssag. . k ht i ys-Irsm you are interested in all that you have t riously disappears. Til kaiser is miss- - ino. King l:dwarl o(if England is ,'n- seen, and in the attitude of the United frintiel by Atdmiral itevins of the Unitted IStates. What I shall read to you are Stat, . The I readnaught, biggest oif 1-:n - la:tnd's warships. is disiovered ait an in. m y orders. I have come out here to passhblt pi';nt in the Thames. The story meet you for the purpose, first of all, now g(oes ack to a tilme many mlintIh/ h'rer the war breaks iout. anid Inventor that you may hear them." .i,,t rts visits tih president ti cabii nnt, telling of and exhibitin. a, mental pro~it'- 'The Roberts had ascended to an al in. This ercos frtion when tc- titude aove the others of the Ameri trifiid and Is to h.i applied to vessels. Atitude aie the others of the Amen trity for the manufacture of the mays- 1can fleet, and was resting in mid air. turius discovery is built. The mys- It was very still, the light hum of a tery Eof true levitation is solved. ltorts eviolves a great flying - small dynamo from behind the parti hin. The tainet plans a radipla |tions being the only disturber of si war against .tapant'se. This start foir the Sn of ('nflict a itlh a largo tlieet of Inon- , lence. lHe opened the document and stir airships is tmade with Norma in com- read: mandi. Tihe Japanese ithot . etliexin g Nip pin suplre(me, suddenly dlisirns the radi- '"You are instructed to intercept the oplano flit,. After nan,,tv,.ri.gf the air- British fleet and assure its officers of ships ditsend, artl h}y tus of strong mit- *'-. rots lift the airships, one by one. from i t the good will of the United States to tllhe sea. The t rip to the t west c'tast tf.ward his n!ajestK Edward VII., Atrita is ion oimenoit wa his majesty, King Edward V., a p::rtially disallil ralioplh no. ont" oif and all his subjects. You are to ex t. twrships is drieid intif the at, lain to them that the United States is laerin the Unitred Sulate to iawi 100 0 The vessels nr,. depositld in a mountainI compelled, in pursuance of its adopted lake in the United States to await paece. policy formulated at the commence CHAPTER XIX.-Continued. w ent of the war with Japan, to main "Men." he said, "I take no credit for tain the secret of its power until such the result, and I'm big enough so to time as it is deemed expedient to an report to Washington. This battle // / nounce it to the world. You will then brought out three heroes. Brockton, / endeavor to induce the British fleet Jenkins anti above all this little girl, 1 to surrender itself into your hands as Norma Roberts." His "God bless her!" / guests of this country, assuring those was lost in the tumult. They were men ,in command that all damages accrn intoxicated with the wine of victory. Ing will be repaired by the United They yelled themselves hoarse. They States. You are to use all due caution patted one another on the back, hurled ///to avoid injury to life, property, or their caps into the air, and finally / ,= pride, and to transport the entire fleet formed escorts of honor to conduct the to the waters of Chesapeake bay, aftes men and officers of the fleet to their The Wires Were in Charge of Militar/ Operators. which for a brief veriod the officers cabins, asking over and over for de tails of the fight. And even as those tired fighters went to rest, in a city across the con tinent newsboys were crying their extras through the streets, and the citizens of a great city were asking one another how the night had worked its miracle. A lounging patrolman in Ravenna park, which bordered on Lake Washington, had sleepily rubbed his eyes as the sun was tinting the everlasting snows of the Olympics. and had come to a sudden stop, lean ing against a tree and wondering if he was still asleep; but with his knuckles he could not obliterate the floating vision before him. He con vinced himself by a lusty hail: "Hello, out there! What are you doing? Get off that lake!" and back to him there volleyed a storm of objurgations in an unknown tongue. Not until he had called a fellow officer and rowed a boat round those fallen monarchs of the deep did he learn that they were captive to his country, and then, elated with the news, he hastened to impart it. But this was not the only surprise for Seattle. For some days preceding troops had been pouring into the port, and it had been the general belief that they were being mobilized preparatory to embarkation for the Philippines or Japan. On this morning, however, there was an exodus. Nearly all the troops had disappeared in the night. Likewise there were strange happen ings in the telegraph offices. When men went to consign messages they were met with the intelligence that the wires were in charge of military operato(rs, that nothing could be re ceived for any point hey&rd the hor ders of the Unitedt States, and that all messages without exception would be censored before transmission. The newspapers fumed and roared, untij they learned that all incoming news would pass uninterruptedly; but that for plurposes known only to the gov eminent the story of the presence ti the Japanese fleet would be closely guarded for the time being. For once the Post-Intelligence, the Times and Star united in attacking the adminis t ration. Polite officers forwarded appeals from the chamber of commerce to W\ashlngton; but the government an swered that there was no alternative, because if the secret was knowy throughout the United States the chances for its leakage across the lines would be augmented. All Sound tralfic stopped, and from the great union depot no departing trains rum blcd. \\ithin an hour it was known that a cordon of soldiers surrounded tihe city, and that all traffic or com n munication with thel( outside world was interdicted. Seattle had Ibeen isu Ia'e'l. Thus it was that the presentce of the captured fleet and the thethodl of its taking were unknown to the country at large. Seattle extended al! consis tent courtesies to the vanquished; bui, it afforded little balm. And thus it was that for many days, imprisoned, powerless, and lost, with crippled tops, crushed stacks and un der the white flag of surrender, the flower of Japanese prowess floated on an inland sea in sullen mourning, while the gasping world shuddered in contemplation of its fate. CHAPTER XX. What Befell the Emperor. Like a lonely rock that has with stood the fury of a storm and the bat tering of the seas to emerge again into sunlight, the president felt his time of justification approaching. His hour of triumph was at hand, and his prayers were being answered; but the task was not yet done. The unqualified victory over the Japanese fleet made the outcome of the war a certainty; hence it was with patience that the administration waited for the next move in the far east, which must of necessity come China. There was no doubt that she would assist her ally. At first this seemed an imminent action; but sev eral days passed bringing through the* secret service no news save that her fleet. huge and well manned, was making preparations to sail. The president, knowing that for the accom plishment of his purpose oriental power must be broken, indulged in the fervent hope that the attack might come soon. There was less trouble internally, as the people were beginning to have faith in the administration, though they were speculating as to what course of procedure was being fol lowed. It was while affairs were in this condition that the sailing of the l3ritish fleet was duly announced through secret channels of informa tion. The coterie saw before it the necessity of either abandoning the hope of teaching China a drastic lesson and announcing its secret to the world or meeting the British squadrons and holding them hostage in the interest of peace. They chose the latter alter native, and thereby was caused the strangest chapter in the history of war. Like that other sally outward to the western seas, this one was timely. It was made when the British fleet might be met beyond the reach of wireless telegraph communication, and the pe parture from the key was also under cover of darkness. Again there was a resemblance to the Japanese affair, in that the appearance of the radio planes created surprise and consterna tion on the warships. Here, however, the similarity ended. The Anglo Saxon mind knows no such thing as surrender when once it is stirred to the depths of its stubbornness. It can read only two answers to the riddle of conflict-victory or death-as has been attested Iby many a hard-fought bl:ttle on land and sea. The armada of Great Britain had sailed with appreh.nsions, being fully cognizant that it was invading a terri tory of mystery and danger, and the vigilance of its watch, therefore, was , never relaxed. The consternation - caused by the first sight of the aerial fleet was immediately followed by a 2 hurried clearing of the decks for ac t tion, although defeat in a battle against such overpowering odds was a 1 foregone conclusion. No gun was fired, however, and all stood expec tantly awaiting a declaration of intent from the monsters of the air which had come upon them in the full glare of the afternoon sun. With slow and stately majesty the t radioplanes approached, each flying the flag of the United States and be neath it the emblem of truce. The Dreadnought, answering sluggishly to the swell and hurling great cascades of water from its bow, was in the heart of the formation, and in its pon derous might seemed fearless of any thing afloat. Toward it the foremost radioplane directed its course, drop ping steadily down until full abreast and on a level with the great fighting tops, while the officers of the battle ship watched with amazement its splendid control. Not till then was there a visible display of life aboard it. A port opened and into the black ness of its frame Bevins emerged, while directly behind him stood the scientist, who had recovered, and was to witness the first full demonstration of the power he had evolved. On the bridge of the battle ship the British admiral stood, surrounded by staff of ficers. "Good afternoon, admiral," the American hailed. "Glad to see you. How do you like the looks of us?" Across Fields' face flitted a half smile. "We are very well indeed, Ad miral Ievins; but can't say we are particularly glad to see you, or sure that we like you until we know more. Clever invention that. Mlust have been conceived by an Englishman." Behind the United States officer a withered little figure became Im bued with a sudden frenzy of passion that threatened to interject an un pleasant remark; but Bevins checked him with a laugh and grew serious again. "Admiral," he said, "my country isn't at war with yours. You under stand that." Fields looked relieved, and lost somewhat of his air of set defiance. At the head of his men he crossed to the end of the bridge where he might be nearer the one addressing him. The nervous strain of the situation was be ing rapidly diminished. "Frankly, I'm glad to be reassured," he replied. "There are a lot of things we'd rather know." "And which I shall be glad to ex plain if you and a dozen of your im mendiate sublerdinates will come aboard as my guests." The invitation was immediately ac cepted; hut it was a trying intervi.ew for the Britons. The machine on which they were received was the Roberts, which was the latest pro duction of the plant on the key. It was larger than its predecessors, and and men of Great Britain will be en tertained by the United States." Bevins stopped and looked into the faces confronting him, which ex pressed a variety of emotions, running the gamut from stolidity to wonder. and from compliance to indignation, The British admiral's visage was a frowning one. "Your country asks too much!" he said, almost explosive. ly. "And really it volunteers no ex. planation of its acts or intentions.' Some of his companions nodded their heads in approval. "We can't ac cept." Bevins reopened the parchment. "! must then read you the concluding clause," he said, and began: "It is strongly desired that there be no clash at arms; but in any even) you are to return with the fleet." There was brief silence in the room, which was broken by Fields, who jumped to his feet. Bevins rose, and the other officers did likewise. The situation threatened unhappy conclu, sions; but Bevins held up a restrain, ing hand and went on: "Here! Before you underestimate the force of this last clause, let me give you a demonstration of what we can do and how difficult it would be for you to offer any defense or effec tive resistance whatever." He turned to a speaking tube, gave a curt order and requested his visi tors to look through the transparent ports, which were suddenly opened be neath their feet. The Roberts swept up into the air to such a plrodigiou.; height that the internal pressurE against her shell became terrific. She was at such an altitude that no mortal being could have withsto;od the strain, and only her splendid anchorable con struction and cohesive qualities kept her from flying apart. The world be low was reduced in appearan e until its surface was obliterated i a d(lull haze and the shadows of the sun were marked against its eastern outline. In great circles she descended, until the water again became visible, then the vessels upon it, and last of all the crests of the waves. Now she swoolped lower, and then at a slpeed of nearly 600 miles an hour whipped a straight line close above the tops of the fighting mas;;, slowed down, and whirled in and out, about and above the British ships as easily as would a swallow in playful flight. On the decks of the vessels men stared in wide-eyed amazement at this demon of the air, at first fearing that control had been lest and the lives of those aboard were in jeol ardiy. Then at the splendid exhibition of speed and han dling they were dumbfoun- .d. The Roberts then ros' in one quick lift until it was a'bc:-e tl:, p!ne of altitudi, assumedl by the (r:t!!r, nachin ls. poisrl for a moment. and (ca nl to a sitop. In all this time no one h ad sl po!en a word. Now the:." tur::ed to the A\mer ican, unloosin their convuls:i; e clutches from the seats andt liberattd trom the spl 11. (TO BE CONTINUED, jCY BREEZE MENACES TRIP IN BiLLoo1 REMARKABLE EFFECT OFSUDDEN GUST OF COLD AIR ON GAS BAG. New. Yo:k- In i , , a trip i I,allhn) in ('alit rrunii o ier 11 pe s \\''ekly h i, t1, follo, S;ralphc d sc.rilptiln San .laci('illto anl" St lernarda were blue behind w' lon luck flt us andl our globule , tfIating The baronmeter was firm at 16,500( when the wind turtiedl fickle. the sweep of a northlern chinooký, the south, where the waters of t Gulf of (.alifrnia br'eed coolness whi)ping breeze (clut chd the ball,. Our flight was ctlhc.kei, and, fromy warmth of a Iilnu(+ent wfore, we sb. s. ered. Instantly the gas reacted. , Sneedle that showed our heighttr Ip S i it e Ld 1 "Don't Jump," He Shouted. bled and whirled away from the three-mile mark. I gasped as we fa and looked at Mueller for the sitj "Sand overboard." He had seized t barometer in his hand. Its point tW h toward zero. I' The desert rushed up to meet I, n Sage-brush and cactus that had bel mere dots sprang into vivid relit a Hills became mountains, while tem e watch ticked once. Bottomless cma yons yawned under us with jaws ile for the prey from the skies. In ml the wilderness of rock and ruin then was but one tiny spot of yellow sfa where death, perhaps would look tim other way. e My ears seemed to burst. Ble rushed to my head and drummedi my temples. My head reeled in th a heavier atmosphere. I saw the hali c' son that had been a thousand leagt I away swept out of sight by the teut of the peaks that hemmed us in. Al L still we dropped as though a catapm a had hurled us. a Mueller said never a word. Mo0m Sless, he watched the patch of led . sand. A reef of lava, sharp Us a knife, bordered it. Yet he made p sign. He dropped the barometer Ed clutched at a sandbag. I heard throl the throbbing of my ears a voice th* shouted: "Hang to the ring! DS' jump!" I grabbed at the stout wooden rll that held the ropes above my Ihea We struck. Sand flew into my t@M and my head roared with the tt impact. My body swung acros thei basket and flattened Mueller agil the rigging. Then, before I had tli to think, we were racing skya , Sagain and I was lying limp against Y wickerwork. As rapidly as a moment before i had whirled to zero, the barometr Swas now dancing over the thouissdi 3toward the black mark that registed 16,500 feet, as far as the barometat would go. Again we were back 1 the skies that tossed us to debro tion one moment, and the next 5* denly snatched us from the claws & t rock. So fast did we rise that we shd through the colder wind in the raI of a second. The barometer needil cast a shadow on the last mark 8: the dial, and still the big bag of pl5 careened upward. Mueller had brusho' the dust from his face, and now stod silent, watching the world drop awaYl. "Eighteen thousand," he flgur1 "19,000, 20,000-we're far over 20,OO and still rising." Here our lost wind gripped us sg and we were kiting eastward. The San Jacintos were but a mere blurt fading blue and the hollow into Wi1l we had been thrown was far 1 among the desert ranges that oW. speed piled behind us. Concrete House Collapses. Winnipeg, Man.-Four mznc were 10 jured, two mortally, when the hand' some reinforced concrete apartmed block known as the "llredalbane," b, ing erected in Margrea\-e street at I cost of $250,000. collapl:sed with a crash. Heavy rains had (moistened the concrete so that the steel girders g~' way and the heavy floors tell to the basement. The four nwn were is, specting the work at the time. Police End Long Sleep. Los Angeles. ('al. --The attle of patrol wagon that ca(n, to, take bil to a hospital awoke Edward W4 . Clr8 from a three-day shleep. 1l,' had b54A in a comatose ('caontlition that 1rs.~ M. Donald, his landlady. d(id not plain. When he awoke 1.(, at up bed, rubbed his eyes add in what all the noise was about.