~ The I
DESTROYER
By BURTON E. STEVENSON
CHAPTER XXII. (Continued.)
“I may be mistaken — but I
should like your judgment. In the
library, among the other books, is
one which describes the life of the
kaiser and his family—it is put
there, I suppose, for all good Ger
mans to read. It is illustrated by
many photographs. In looking at
the photographs, one of them im
pressed me as curiously familiar;
if I should happen to be correct,
it would make a most startling ar
ticle for your newspaper. But I
wish you to judge for yourself.
You will find the book lying on
the table in the library, and the
photograph in question is on page
68. If you will look at it, anl then
return here, I should consider it a
favor.”
Considerably astonished, Dan
descended to the library, found the
book, and turned to page 68. Yes,
there was a photograph of the em
peror, with the empress and Prin
cess Victoria; another of the
crown prince, with his wife and
children; another of the princes—
Eitel-Frederick, August, Oscar,
Adalbert. * • •
And Dan, looking at it, felt his
eyeballs bulge, for he jEound him
self gazing at the face of Kasia
Yard’s companion.
He told himself he was mistak
en; closed his eyes for an instant
end then looked again. There was
certainly a marvelous resem
blance. If it should really be the
same—Dan’s head whirled at
thought of the story it would
make?
He closed the book, at last,
climbed slowly back to the boat
deck and sat down again beside M.
Chevrial.
“Well?” asked the latter.
‘‘What do you think of it?”
‘‘If they are not the same man,
they are remarkably alike,” said
Dan.
“I believe they are the same.”
“Rut it seems too grotesque.
"Why should a Holienzollern travel
second class, dressed in a shabby
walking suit and without atten
dants?”
“There is a middle aged Ger
man with him, who is, no doubt,
his tutor, or guardian, or jailer—
whichever you may please to call
it.”
“His jailer?”
Chevrial smiled.
“ The emperor is a father of the
old school, and punishes his sons
occasionally by imprisonment or
banishment under guard. I fancy
that is the case here. Before I left
Paris, I heard rumors of indiscre
tions on the prince’s part with a
young lady in Berlin, which had
made his father very angry. This
J’ourney, perhaps, is a penance. At
east, it is worth investigating.”
“It certainly is,” agreed Dan
warmly, and fell silent, pondering
how best to prove or disprove this
extraordinary story. It was de
cidedly of the sort the Record
liked; if he could only verify it,
his return to the office would be
in the nature of a triumphl But
to prove itJ Well, there were
. ways?
A low exclamation from his
companion brought him out of his
thoughts. f
“Behold!” said Chevrial; and,
far away to the right, Dan caught
the gleam of a light.
“A ship?” he asked.
“No, no; it is the lighthouse on
what you call the Island of Fire.
It is America welcoming you, my
friend.”
And Dan, with a queer lump in
bis throat, took off his cap.
“America!” he repeated, and
Kasia Vard’s words leaped into
his mind. “The land of freedom!”
“Yes,” agreed his companion,
softly; “you do well to be proud
of her ? She is at least more free
than any other!”
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE LANDING.
When Dan Webster awoke, next
morning, his. first thought was
that something was wrong, and it
was a moment before he realized
what it was. The screw had
stopped. Instead of quivering
with the steady, pulsing like vibra
tion to which, during the past
week, he had grown accustomed,
the ship lay dead and motionless.
He got on deck as quickly as he
could, and found that they were
anchored in the shelter of Sandy
Hook, with a boat from quarantine
alongside. Already the deck was
thronged with excited passengers;
————
26
many of the women, in their eager
ness to go ashore, had put on their
hats and veils and even their
gloves. But word got about that
there was some sickness in the
steerage, and that it would proba
bly be some hours before they
could proceed.
Dan took a long look at the
familiar land; then lie hurried be
low to breakfast. He had planned
his campaign before he went to
sleep the previous night, and he
was eager to begin it. Breakfast,
therefore, did not take him long,
and he was soon searching the
decks for the man who; possibly,
was a son of the kaiser, but, much
more probably, merely a young
German who made the most of a
chance resemblance.
Dan possessed the aplomb which
only years of work on a great pa
per can give a man; he had
wormed interviews from many re
luctant and exalted personages;
he had asked questions which the
other man wras certain to resent,
often quite justly; he had drilled
himself to believe that, when he
was on the trail, all mankind was
fair game, and that any device
which would drag the truth from
them was justified—the truth, the
truth, that was the end and the
justification of newspaper meth
ods 1 Nevertheless, his heart beat
a little faster when, at last, he per
ceived the object of his search
leaning against the rail at the rear
of the upper promenade and gaz
ing out to sea.
I ve got buck fever, he told
himself. “It’s because I’m out of
training.” And then he won
dered if the prince was thinking
of Germany, and of the lady love
from whom he had been torn.
Nobody else, apparently, had
any thought for Germany or for
the open sea. Every one had
crowded to the side rails to stare at
the land or at the smudge of smoke
which marked Long Island, and
the stern of the ship was de
serted. Telling himself that he
would never have a better chance,
and that he must finish with the
affair before the ship reporters
came aboard, Dan braced himself,
approaching the solitary and
somewhat pathetic figure, re
moved his cap and bowed respect
fully. The prince, abruptly wak
ened from his day dreams, looked
up with a start, and met Dan’s
smiling eyes with an astonished
stare.
“I see your highness does not
u-member me,” said Dan, good
humoredly. “That is not*remark
able, but I was conceited enough
to think it just possible that you
might.”
“No,” said the prince, finding
his tongue, “I fear I do not * * •”
He stopped abruptly. “For whom
do you take me?” he demanded.
“Surely I am not mistaken!”
and Dan looked at him more close
ly. “No—it is really your high
ness! I cannot be deceived!’’
The prince met his gaze and
shook liis head, and tried to laugh.
But he was not a good liar—his
father had long since recognized
his unfitness for any diplomatic
mission.
“I see it is useless for me to dis
semble,” he said, in a low tone.
“But I am here strictly incognito,
and I beg that you will not betray
me. Where have me wet ? ’ ’
Dan’s heart leaped with exulta
tion. And then a little feeling of
shame seized him. It was too bad
to have to betray the fellow—but
duty demanded it! Perhaps, how
ever, it could be done in a way
that would not be offensive, He
opened his lips to explain, when a
stocky figure suddenly thrust
itself between them, and Dan
found himself gazing i^to a pair
of irate eyes.
“What is this?” demanded the
newcomer, though his voice, too,
was carefully lowered. “Who are
you, sir?”
Dan felt his good resolutions
ooze away at the other’s brutal
manner.
“I am a reporter,” he said.
“What is your business?”
“Gathering news.”
“Your business here, I mean?”
“I was just interviewing the
prince,” explained Dan, blandly.
“The Record would be very glad
to have his opinion of the Moroc
can situation, of the Italian war,
of the triple entente, or of any
think else he cares to talk about,
i Perhaps he could find a theme in
the destruction of La Liberte.”
! Ho spoke at random, and was
surprised to see how fixedly the
other man regarded him, with
eyes in which apprehension seemed
to have taken the place of anger.
“One moment,” said Pachmann,
for it was he, and he turned and
spoke a few rapid words of Ger
man to the prince, who reddened
and nodded sullenly. Dan judged
from the sound of the admiral’s
subsequent remarks that he was
swearing; but he preserved a
pleasant countenance, the more
easily since, happening to glance
up, he saw Chevrial leaning over
the rail of the boat deck just
above them and regarding the
scene with an amused smile. At
last, having relieved his feelings,
the admiral fell silent and pulled
absently at the place where his
moustache had been.
“When does your paper ap
pear?” Pachmann asked at last.
“Tomorrow morning.”
“You would not wish to use the
interview before that time?”
“No.”
Pachmann breathed a sigh of re
lief, and his face cleared.
“Then we are prepared to make
a bargain with you,” he said. “It
is most important that the prince’s
incognito be strictly preserved un
til tonight. If you will give me
your word of honor to say noth
ing of this to any one until 8
o’clock this evening, I, in return,
give you my word of honor that
the prince, at that hour, will grant
you an interview which I am sure
you will find of interest. Do you
agree ?’ ’
Dan reflected rapidly that he
had nothing to lose by such an
agreement; that 8 o’clock would
release him from his promise in
ample time to write his story; and
the interview might really be im
portant.
“Yes,” he said; “ I agree; but
on one condition,”
“What is that?” demanded
Pachmann, impatiently.
“That the interview be exclu
sive. ’ ’
“Exclusive?” echoed Pach
mann. “I do not understand.”
1 ‘ I mean by that that no one else
is to get the interview but me,”
Dan explained.
A sardonic smile flitted across
Pachmann’s lips.
“I agree to the condition,” he
said. “And you on your part
agree to say no word to any one;
you are not to mention the ap
pointment which I will make with
you.”
‘‘I understand,’ said Dan.
“But,, interview or no interview,
I am to be released from tbe prom
ise at 8 o’clock.”
‘‘ Yes. Very well, then. I accept
your word of honor, and I give
you mine. At 7 o’clock tonight,
you will call at the German con
sulate and ask for Admiral Pach
raann. I shall be in waiting to
conduct you to the prince.”
‘‘I thank yon,” said Dan, and
walked away, treading on air.
Then another consideration oc
curred to him. All this was going
to interfere with his evening with
Kasia. He must see her and ex
plain that he would be late. But
an official stopped him at the
gangway and explained that, un
der quarantine regulations, each
class mi^st keep to its own quar
ters until the boat had docked.
The delay was less than had
been feared, for the illness in the
steerage turned out to be well de
fined typhoid; so, at the end of
two hours, the big ship began to
move slowly up the harbor, with
the passengers hanging over the
rails, for the first glimpse of tlie
great city. There was the green
shore of Long Island; and then
the hills of Staten island; and
then, there to the left, loomed the
Statue of Liberty, her torch held
high. Dan took off his cap, his
| eyes moist; and then, as he
glanced at the faces of his neigh
bors, he saw that they were all
gazing raptly at the majestic fig
ure, just as he had been. Most of
them, no doubt, had seen it many
times before; some of them, per
! haps, had committed the sacrilege
of climbing up into the head and
scribbling their names there; they
had glanced at her carelessly
enough outward bound for Eur
ope ; but now she had for all of
them new meaning—she typified
the spirit of their fatherland, she
' welcomed them home.
And finally the wonderful sky
line of New York towered far
ahead, the v;eb like structure of
the Brooklyn'bridgc spanning the
river to the right; little clouds of
steam crowning with white the
summits of the towering buildings,
and 1,000,000 windows flashing
; back the sunlight. There is noth
! ing else in the whole world like it,
and the 1,000 passengers on the
; upper decks coming home, and the
1,000 men and women crowded on
; the lower deck, seeking fortune in
I a strange land—all alike gazed
' and marveled and were glad,
j Then, with a battalion of tugs
pushing and pulling and straining
and panting, the ship swung in
toward her dock, and soon she
was near enough for those on
board to see the faces of the wait
ing crowd, and there were cries of
greeting and wavings of handker
chiefs, and the shedding of happy
tears—for it is good to get home!
And at last the great hawsers were
flung out and made fast, and the
voyage was ended.
At this moment, as at all others,
the first cabin passengers had the
precedence, and filed slowly down
one gangplank, their landing tick
ets in their hands, while at another
the stewards proceeded to yank
off the hand baggage. Dan, lean
ing over the rail, watched the long
line of passengers surging slowly
forward, and finally he saw
Kasia and her father. He would
see them on the pier, of course, for
it would take them some time to
get their baggage through, and he
could explain to Kasia about the
other engagement. He followed
them with his eyes — and then,
with a gasp of astonishment, he
perceived just behind them, also
moving slowly down the gang
plank, the prince and the man who
had called himself Admiral Pach
mann.
But those raed could have noth
ing to do with Kasia! It was just
an accident that they happened to
be behind her. And then he
grasped the rail and strained for
ward, scarcely able to believe his
eyes. For Pachmann had spoken
to Yard, who nodded and walked
hurriedly on with him, while
Kasia, with a mocking smile,
tucked her hand within the
prince’s arm and fell into step be
side him. Along the pier they has
tened to the entrance gates, passed
through, and were lost in the
crowd outside.
Dan stood staring after them for
jet a moment; then, with the care
ful step of a man who knows him
self to be intoxicated, he climbed
painfully to the boat deck,
dropped upon a bench there, and
took his head in his hands.
There, half an hour later, a stew
ard found him.
“Beg pardon, sir,” he said
“Are you ill?”
Dan looked up dazedly.
“No,” he said. “Why?”
“The passengers are all off, sir.
If you have any luggage, you’d
better be having it examined, sir.”
“Thank you,” said Dan, and
got to his feet, descended to the
lower deck, surrendered liis land
ing ticket, and went unsteadily
down the gangplank.
The pier w .is littered with bag
gage and crowded with distracted
men and women watching the in
spectors diving remorselessly
among their tenderest possessions.
Each was absorbed in his own af
fairs, and none of them noticed
Dan's slow progress toward the
little office of the chief inspector.
After a short wait, an inspector
was told off to look through his
baggage, and, with Dan’s declara
tion in his hand, led the way to the
letter “W,” where his two suit
cases were soon fo\jnd. Dan un
locked them, and stood aside while
the inspector knelt and examined
their contents. He was through in
10 minutes.
“Nothing here,” he said, and
rose. Then his eyes ran Dan up
find down. “J see you have a small
parcel in your coat pocket. May I
see it?”
Without a word, Dan handed
him the parcel. The inspector
turned it over and examined the
seals.
“What’s in it?” he asked.
“A little electrical device,” Dan
answered.
“Well, I’ll have to open it—it
might be diamonds, for all I
know.”
“Go ahead,” said Dan, and the
inspector broke the seals, un
wrapped the paper, and disclosed
a small pasteboard box. He lifted
the lid, glanced inside, and then
looked at Dan.
“What is this? A joke?” he
demanded.
“I don’t understand,” Dan
stammered.
“You said it was an electrical
device.”
“That’s what it is.”
“Either you’re crazy or I am,”
said the man; “aud I don’t think
it’s me,” and he thrust the box
under Dan’s nose.
And Dan’s eyes nearly leaped
from his head, for the box con
tained a cake of soap, cut neatly to
fit it, into which had been pressed
a number of nickel coins.
(Continued Next Week.)
Lloyd* Guessed Wrong.
From Capper's Weekly.
T,eat we underrate the Job, here is r
little ancient history: In April, ISIS, the
odds of "Lloyds" In London was 2 to 1
that the war would not end by June, 1916.
but 10 to 1 that It would end before De
cember, 1916, and 16 to 1 that It would not
last until the spring of 1916.
In England all carts and wagons must
I bear the owner's name and address be
jfore feels* used la a public highway.
[r-—..
Holland's Lost Prestige.
| , , 1 TOT, « . ■ ~T» ■ - -
Prof. William Stearns Davis*
Before 3914 most Americans probably
had more friendly feelings toward Hol
land than toward any other of the
smaller independent countries of Europe.
They admired the Dutch thrift, enter
prise, and the heroic defense of liberty
in former days. When the great w'ar broke
out they were glad that Holland at least
was able to keep apart from it and to
remain a peaceful spot upon an afflicted
continent.
Today, however, our point of view has
decideJv changed. We believe, now that
events have marched, that Holland is
pawning her soul by her national policy,
or—less bluntly—that she Is manifesting
such an excessive anxiety for peace that,
in any case, the war will end with Dutch
men discovering that they have lost the
respect of the entire world. The following
seem to be undeniable facts:
Prussian “frightfulness” in Belgium,
however much it may have driven Eng
land, France and America to fury, has. in
a cold blooded, fearful manner, paid ex
cellent dividends in the smaller countries
of Europe; particularly it has sent animal
terror down the spines of the sons of the
i men who once held the armies of Spanish
! Alva and Philip II at bay. If only Holland
| can see her home territory left undevas
tated she seems willing to sacrifice all
things else. The presence of the great
Dutch merchant fleet in the Hudson has
a very direct connection (and to Ger
many’s advantage) with the burning of
Louvain and the slaughter of the inno
cents in Flanders.
If the Dutch had not allowed them
selves to be utterly intimidated they
would not have tolerated outrages against |
therpselves so gross as to drive any self
respecting nation to desperation. Our own
grievances were great, yet British official
figures show that up to April 25, 1917,
(after America had been for three weeks
a belligerent) only 20 American ships of
59/)00 odd tons had been sunk by German
mines or submarines. But that same date,
however, 76 Dutch ships of 119,00d tons
had been similarly destroyed wit^1 cor
respondingly greater loss of life, and Hol
land was still most correctly “neutral.”
Will any sane Dutchman argue that his
government would have tolerated similar
outrages from Hayti or Siam? It is mani
festly a case where the national inde- j
pendence has been compromised by a
process of sheer terrorization.
Dutchmen say they must get coal from
Germany, and therefore must trade with
her. Of course, they admit that they can
get coal from England except for the sub
marine pirates. They have not the cour
age to allow their small but decidedly ef
in th© New York Times.
fective navy to convoy the coal ships
across the North sea, and so maintain an
honorable status of armed, neutrality, pro
tecting their own rights, but doing no
harm to Germany. They say. indeed, that
they fear Germany will not respect armed
neutrality, but will in such a case declare
war; therefore, they waive their mo?t
obvious international rights. Clearly here
also is evidence of a nation no longer in
dependent, but reduced to a kind of trem
bling Teutonic satrapy.
Dutchmen of course realize that it Ger
many is not entirely expelled from Bel
gium, and especially if Germany can keep
any kind of a grip on Antwerp and Zee
brugge, their own economic and political
independence would be ruined in a decade.
They have far greater direct interest than
any of the kaiser’s enemies, except Bel
gium herself, in seeing Germany com
pletely expelled from that country. Here,
again, they have let themselves be so
completely intimidated that they dare not
lift a finger to save their own future
existence as a nation.
Americans may grant that the preser
vation of the self respect of Holland is not
in our keeping, and that it is not for us
to settle whether Dutchmen are justified
in saving their land from possible devas
tation, even at the cost of the last vestiges
of national honor. What we do desire
Dutchmen to understand is that the world
is completely taking their measure. Be
cause we think of them as we do, we do
not propose to teach them counterlessons
in “frightfulness” by drowning their citi
zens, firing their farmsteads, making
Gelderland as desolate as Hainaut, deport
ing their women or levying enormous
requisitions, although our “strategic
necessities” are quite as urgent as those
of the Imperial gentleman whose friend
ship is still officially cherished by his
“good sister” of The Hague.
We do, however, feel it an urgent duty v
to insist that in dealing with Holland our w
government take advantage of every f
economic circumstance and every formal
right under international law to make
this intimidation and subjection of people
once proud and free of just as little ad
vantage to our enemies as possible.
When Dutchmen can ©how that their
government has uttered more than bleat
ing protests at the sinking of its ships
and the murder of its citizens upon the
seas, and that the spirit of William the
Silent and of the later W’illiam of Orange
is not absolutely dead, they can approach
us with requests for those ship clearances,
and that grain and cattle fodder which
may be of very direct use to the amiable
pan-Germans who have already indicated
Holland as their speedy prey.
[ AN AMERICAN'S PLEDGE, i
Issued by the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
In this time of national crisis I pledge myself to support the
military, financial and economic policies of my country.
I do this, first, because the United States stands for democracy;
for the right of the people to a voice in their government. Under this
government I have received a good education; I have been protected
in my life and property, and I have had an opportunity to enter any
activity in life for which I am fitted.
1 make this pledge, secondly, because I believe democracy, not
only in the United States, but also throughout the world, is threatened
by the ambitions of the German kaiser and his advisers.
He has established a military system whose avowed purpose is
conquest.
He has waged war by barbarous and inhuman methods, the prin
cipal sufferers of which have been helpless men and women and
children.
He has encouraged a course of instruction by which the youth of
his nation have been educated to believe in force and conquest.
He has repudiated treaties.
He has violated all the principles of humanity and international
I iaw in his treatment of the conquered Belgians.
lie has conspired against our country while at peace with us.
He has sought to embroil us in war with other countries.
He has based his policy toward other nations upon falsehood
and deceit.
For these reasons I accept the judgment of the president that no
man and no nation can depend upon the word or treaty of the present ^
German government.
For these reasons I pledge myself and my property to the cause u
of my country, and.I will accept whatever service I am able and fitted-Jt
| to undertake. ^
| j Small Nations and America.
! *----------—----—-1 ■'
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
There should be no maudlin sentimen
tality about small countries. A country
no more attains virtue through being
small than an honest industrial or com
mercial combination attains wickedness
by the fact of bigness. Americans wrill
welcome and applaud the administration's
apparent disposition to pursue henceforth
a policy which, so far as we can right
fully prevent it. shall no longer allow
small countryies, while wearing the smug
face of neutrality, to contribute in any
way to the support of the enemy of Amer
ica and the enemy of civilization.
Sweden has shown how much watching
a small country can need. Sweden’s gov
ernment w’as caught red-handed as an
out-and-out instrument for German diplo
matic communications from Buenoe Aires
tha; are as criminal as the private letters
of gunmen or “Apaches.” Far less dra
inage, but far more important to Amer
ica’* success in the war have been the
cold revelations of commercial statistics
shoydng that small countries which have
beet, plaintively appealing for American
foo4 products have long been sending to
our gnomics food anh other necessities in
quantities anywhere from ICO per cent to ;
1,000 per cent more than they had done
before the war.
It is gratifying to lielieve that the farce
of cur indirectly assisting our own ene
mies is now* ended once for all by the
embargo' and the tightening of the naval
blockade. It is comforting to see some
evidence that experience with Sw’edcn
and the cold facts of {Dutch, Scandinavian
and J$wiss traffic with Germany aroused
at Washington a salutary skepticism, a
very inquiring vigilance and a new aiid
moro vigorous and matter of fact policy
in cooperation with our allies in respect
to those countries ami their ships and to
neutrals in general.
Lonely survivors of the obsolete and
puerile tradition of “twisting the lion’s
tail,” pro-Germans and those sentimental
ists who in the name of a diseased liber
alism. comprise a sort of American “Bol
shevUti," will doubtless hasten to murmur
against England In her controversy with
Holland. They may murmur, too, at oui
Increasingly practical ar.d unsentimental
polity at Washington. But this war is a
high moral issue. We are fighting rightly
and fdr the right. For three yearn far
too much complacency was shown neu
trals neighboring Germany. The time has
come when not sentimentality nor quib
bles, but cold blooded pursuit of victory,
limited In method only by fundamental
law, right and equity, should rule the
councils of Washington, London, Parle
Rome and the other allied capitals.
Figures on the War.
From the Philadelphia Evening Ledger.
For those who like to read statistics
about the war, here are a few fresh facts
which come to us direct from Charles M.
Schwab:
Bethlehem Steel Works is paying out }1,
pflo.ooo every 24 hours for labor and ma
terial.
Eighty per cent of the Be.thiehem out
put today is going to the United states
government.
Yet Bethlehem is only turning one
big guns a week.
And lo do anything at all along the ::no
milo front in France It Is necessary. Mr.
Schwab telis us, to have one of these b.g
guns every 20 feet.
If you like figuring, get out your pen
cil and go to It.
Men Who Do the Fighting.
From the Speetanor, London.
In reply to the suggestion of Oerman
propagandists that the Dominion tmeps
are being made to do more than their
share of fighting, tha war office has
stated that since July 31, 84 per cent of
the men engaged In active operations were
from the United Kingdom, and these
British troops sustained !)2 par cent of
the casualties. English troops represent 70
per cent of the total, Scottish 8. and Irish
6 per cent. The English casualties have
been 76 per cent, the Scottish 10. and the
Irish 6. Oversea troops, while* contrib
uting 36 per cent of the armies, have suf
fered only 3 per cent of the casualties. V
The Vigor of Ufa. W
From the Outlook. *
Rome good people think that boxing,
football and universal physical training
will blunt the Intellect of "our American
youth." It certainly does not have this
effect upon Mr. Roosevelt, for he came
back from Jack Cooper's and perpetrat
ed one of the best of his characteristic
epigrams. In a speech last week In behalf
of Mayor Mltchel he referred to that
fighting candidate and to his *—
nents, the Tammany repi
Judge Ilyian and the pacifist
tive. Mr. Htllqult. as follows:
The foes of Mr. Mltchel have a ike.)
* “Why should he drape himself to the
American flag?” I can answer. It is
because the flag will look out of
place on either of the other two
candidates.