i'
._I
By Genera
© A. WHITI
"Overhead the flock was growing.”
THE STORY SO FAR: Intelligence
Officer Bennlng learned in Mexico City
that 200,000 foreign troops under Van
Hassek were poised along the Rio
Grande for an Invasion of the United
States. He succeeded In gaining the
confidence of Flncke and Bravot, two
enemy officers, before returning to
vi A1
INSTALLMENT EIGHT
Washington. Flagwill, acting chief of
Military Intelligence, told him that forces
were also reported massing In the Medi
terranean and the Far East. Benning
continued to pose as an enemy agent
when Fincke later appeared In the cap
ital. Without warning, four southern cit
ies were attacked from the air. Wash
AS AS AS AS AS. AS. .
tngton was heavily bombed and the
President killed in the assault. National
forces were ordervd mobilized, but the
army was 111 prepared to repulse the
well trained and equipped enemy col.
umns which were about to advance
against them.
Now continue with the story.
I*. -ML A*.
CHAPTER VIII
Captain Franklin Boll, in com
mand of two outpost companies of
the 11th United States Infantry in
the vicinity of Laredo, had patrols
along the Rio Grande watching for
the first Van Hassek wave. Word
had flashed through of the bombing
of San Antonio and Boll knew that
the land invasion must be shaping
itself already for a vital blow at
Texas when daylight came.
Colonel Denn had spent a fretful
night, well knowing the tight pinch
in which he might find his regiment
at dawn. His regiment was at peace
strength, rifle companies running as
low as seventy, total strength 1,132
officers and men. No artillery sup
port had been sent him from Fort
Sam Houston, his only supporting
weapons were the 37-millimeter and
small mortars of his weapons com
panies. His ammunition supply was
less than one day of fire.
Such a thing as interdicting sus
pected points of enemy river cross
ing was out of the question. He had
given Boll, in outpost, eight machine
guns and some light mortars.
Lightning flashed in the distance.
A shrill screech came plowing
through the night. High explosives
crashed in to turn night into bed
lam. Fragments found a victim who
fell wfth a howl of pain. The crew
of a machine gun was dropped. Men
scattered, lay flat on their faces,
helpless against this hurricane of
destruction that howled down upon
them across the Rio Grande.
All existence was now engulfed
by the seething uproar of artillery.
Boll saw phat the regiment was
claiming the fullest force of Van
Hassek’s rage.
Half an hour and Boll’s casualties
were twenty. Patrols had been sight
ed, an increasing number of skulk
ers were reported closing in. Boll
saw that his position was becoming
untenable.
He started his men slowly to the
rear, with two squads covering his
withdrawal. The enemy, suspicious
of a possible trap in the nigHt, fol
lowed cautiously. From this Boll
guessed that only thq first scatter
ing bridgehead troopB were in ac
tion. But, haying gufessed that the
Americans w^pre without benefit of
artillery, Hhe Van HasSek officers
now would use’ the main bridge and
move across the Rio Grande in
force.
Boll had covered less than two
hundred yards when a rutmer ar
rived from Colonel Denn.
“The colonel says get back as fast
as you can!” the messenger pant-1
«d. “Regiment is pulling out right
away for the Nueces.”
i Half an hour later. Boll panted
into the regimental position. Cap
tain March, assistant plans and
training officer, came hurrying up
from a vacated regimental position.
“Regiment pulled out twenty min
utes ago,” March reported to Boll.
“You’re to follow at once as rear
guard. Trucks are ready behind this
hill. Colonel Denn left you some
baldoliers of extra ammunition, but
we ought to get back of the Nueces
before we fight. Second Division is
taking position somewhere back
there. Hurry your men along, Cap
tain!”
By jamming his men seventeen to
the truck, Boll got his command on
wheels. Two trucks went to the
wounded, one to his three remain
ing machine guns. He studied the
luminous dial of his watch, an anx
ious scowl) p*i hi? face as his c?nvoy
made ready to pull out. The hour
was a little past three o’clock.
A plane shot overhead, traveling
high and fast. Its shrilling motor?
sent a chill down the captain’s spine.
“It’ll be just too bad for us if
we’re not at trie Nueces by day
light,” he muttered to Captain
March. “And with light tfiie in half
an hour. I'm afraid we just can’t
make it!”
Major General Brill, area com
mander, kept his bead through tan
gled hours whose crises might have
put an officer of lesser mettle in a
dizzy whirl.
Inventory disclosed that the Sec
ond Division had escaped the sud
den storm with loss of forty-odd car
go trucks, seventeen men, five offi
cers, and two pieces of artillery.
Having given the Second its orders
to assemble and march on Kirk,
Brill set about his final tactical
plans.
From time to time Brill and his
staff were interrupted by reports
of air disasters over New Orleans,
Galveston, and Houston. Total losses
there aggregated twelve hundred.
General Brill directed his senior
aide to get General Hague at Wash
ington on the long-distance. The
hour was nearing three o’clock when
the Chief of Staff ot the Army
reported ready to talk.
"My best Judgment is to pull out
of here," Brill said, after he had re
ported latest developments in Tex
as. “We’re too thin to make a fight
for San Antonio, but we can do some
good delaying back of the Colorado
and Brazos while you get troops
enough into the Fort Worth country
to make a stand.”
The Hague voice responded with
quiet firmness, “You’ll proceed at
once against the erierhy, tirifl, and
make a stand in front of San An
tonio with your Second Division."
Brill groaned. “But Hague, are
you sure you understand the whole
situation down here? It’s simply in
viting a lot of nasty losses to no
purpose. I haven’t force enough
to—” >
“Let's not debate the matter,”
General Hague interrupted stoutly.
"Is that clear. Brill?"
“Perfectly, sir." There was nei
ther remonstrance nor equivocation
in the area commander’s voice now.
In a calm voice Brill repeated the
Hague decision to his staff. He of
fered no comment. Without speak
ing, the staff went to work <?n its
new plan.
Circling to the south, Brill found
the due-south road to Kirk, which
was under military traffic control, .
and sped to the vdlage, where he
found General Mole, division com
mander. Mole was a thin bit of
military hickory now nearing retire
ment age. .
Gepepal Mplp received his ,sujperi- I
or’s battle orders with a monosylla
ble of acquiescence, as if to hoard
'his jaded energies, and pfbmptly set
to work ‘with his staff. The division
staff was familiar with the country
and made prompt plans for organi
zation of a defensive position. Or
ders were ready within half an^our,
anfr sinct there was no eriemy im
mediately in prospect, the regiments
proceeded to 'trreir positions in their
cargo trucks.
General Brill stood in the growing
dawn apavely watcftip^ the Second
pass oift to Its battW tfntfs. A force
of 10.837 enlisted men and two war
rant officers, led by 546 officers.
As Captail? Boll sprang into his
station vrkgbn wifci Wiki lieutenants,
and sped to the head of his truck j
column,,Vo set , the .pace,* his eye
caught the flash Of ll^Ht that turned
the waning night into day some
miles ahead of Jiim.
“Step on her!” he barked at his
driver. “They’ll spot us in a min
ute—and .vire’he still in artillery
range.”
Boll sat with hands gripping his
knees while he observed the bursts.
Luckily they were striking to the
right and doing no damage. But
shortly the firing ceased, the air ob
server roared by again with a flare,
and rushed off to radib correction to
the distant gunners.
{Ie saw that there was the first
touch of gray in the air, Waton only
a matter of minutes. It would be a
miracle if he reached the Nueces
with half qf his men, and Irvckfl
As the night thinned out, he caught
1 i _ _ •
NEXT WEEK
AnoM*9* Ako*U*9 J*UtaUmt4
the distant hum of this new men
ace. /
Boll broke out the glass win
dows of his station wagon with the
butt of his automatic. He thrust
his head out and peered into the
sky. Planes were circling overhead
like so many mad wasps waiting the
instant of better visibility. There
was not long to wait. As night shed
its last veil, the war falcons swooped
one at a time to pluck the little
caravan to bits with their talons of
steel.
Men in the trucks opened Are with
their rifles. But the attacking planes
flew with the speed of the wind. They
dashed low, pumping bullets from
hot machine guns, releasing their
fragmentation bombs, and in a twin
kling were gone. Then back they
came, one at a time at irregular
intervals, to plaster the road with
their fury.
Overhead the flock was growing.
Fourteen planes, he estimated. Two
squadrons, force enough to tear him
to pieces bit by bit unless miracles
of good fortune and bad marksman
ship attended him along the red
course to the Nueces. Inevitably,
dropping down time after time with
out other hindrance than the ran
dom fire of his riflemen, the air
men would take their relentless toll.
A truck went out, the third one
back from Boll. It cracked up
across the road under impact of a
bomb. The driver slumped dead
in his seat. Men piled out and be
gan scattering out of the storm. Boll
stopped his car, ran back to straight
en out the- snarl.
Three planes zoomed down his col
umn, knifing the road. He saw two
of his men fall. He gave instruc
tions to a sergeant and two corpo
rals. They were to pass word down
the column. Hereafter stricken
trucks were to be shoved to the
side of the road, survivors and
wounded distributed to other trucks
as they passed along. All were to
act promptly on their own initiative
Boll ran back to his station wagon,
leaped in. The car was vibrating
with the gentle motion of idling mo
tors.
A shout went up from the men
in Boll’s true*. A plane crashed
qtft of the sky and whanged into
the gpay/ eartji. It burst instantly
into flames. Boll’s riflemen had
claimed another bird in this unequal
clash. 4ut the next instant brought
red retalfeition. Another truck no|ed
off the road in a crush of wounded
men and dead. Boll saw the sjw
vivors act promptly to extricate j
thenjselves, gather up the mainfed 1
and flag down succeeding vehicles.
The village of Encinal flashed by.
Boll shook his head and swore bit
terly. Encinal told him that he had
little more than started on his long,
desperate run. Next would come
Artesia Wells, which would be little
more than halfway to the Nueces/
He looked at his watch and saw
the hour was short of six o’clock. He
groaned and passed a tormented
hand across his face. Misgivings
struck turn of making it through.
His hiiiid mode a nasi> calculation.
At their rate ot kill, those vultures
would tear his column to pieces be
fore he could run under the dubious
cover ahead.
Decision snapped in his mind as
he saw a new flight swarming into
the fight. The birdmen were travel
ing high, but heading straight into
the conflict.
More than twenty more planes he
guessed in the daze of tragic dis
covery. His eye raced over the ter
rain. There were mesquite, juniper
thickets, some rugged dwarf pine
Scattered, his men would have
refuge until Van Hassek’s columns
wheeled up.
He roared an order to stop foe
truck and teaped to the ground, ^he
(inwoufidea then with him he in
structed to -keep up their rifle tire.
Standing beside the road he signaled
a halt, fftotioned the command to de
truck.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
A Nourishing
Diet That Is
Low in Cost
By DR. JAMES W. BARTON
(Released by Weetern Newspaper Union.)
IN MY student days we
learned that there were
three main classes of foods
—proteins (meat, eggs, fish,
cereals), P'
starches TODAY'S
(bread, pota- ur .. TH
toes, sugar), "tHLln
and fats (but- COLUMN
ter, cream, fat
meats). The other foodstuffs,
salts—iron, lime, phosphor
ous—and water, were consid
ered “necessary” foods.
Today foods are not considered
entirely from the standpoint of fuel
or heat, but from the standpoint of
the building of the body and main
taining the various body processes
In proper condition to do their work.
In days when foods necessary to
maintain health are of the utmost
importance to a na
tion, adults, children
and children of the
future, not only must
these foods be ac
quired but they must
be within the reach
of those with low in
come.
That the expectant
mother must have
an excess quantity
of foods containing
Dr. Barton all the rood essen
tials—proteins, fats,
starches, minerals and vitamins—is
agreed. It is a source of surprise
and satisfaction therefore to learn
that research workers at Columbia
university have found that the ex
pectant mother can live on a diet
costing as little as 34 cents a day
and still get generous amounts of
all food substances she needs.
Suggested Diet.
This diet is announced by Dr.
Clara Taylor, Columbia university,
assistant professor of nutrition.
A sample day's menu consists of:
Breakfast—four prunes; one cup of
oatmeal with a little sugar; two
slices of whole wheat toast; one ta
blespoon butter; one glass of milk.
Lunch—Cream of tomato soup
made with one half cup of tomatoes,
one-fourth cup evaporated milk, one
teaspoon flour and one teaspoon fat;
salad of one egg, lettuce, mayon
naise; cheese sandwich (three
ounces of cheese and teaspoon but
ter) on whole wheat bread; one
glass of milk.
Dinner—Three ounces broiled beef
liver; one baked potato; one cup
kale or cabbage; two slices whole
wheat bread; two tablespoons but
ter; one banana; one glass milk.
Sugar allowance for a day is one
ounce.
• « *
What to Do for
Cases of Enuresis
ONE of the gratifying discoveries
in recent years is a method or
methods of curing bed wetting or
enuresis. Even after children reach
their teens, they may be embar
rassed by this distressing condi
tion.
In young children, liquids are cut
down toward evening, the child is
sent to the bathroom before going to
bed and as the parents are retiring
the child is awakened by his parents
and walks to the bathroom again.
This gets him completely, awake pnd
is considered an i/npbrtarit part of
the treatment. Formerly the par
ent carried the child to the bath
room and in many cases he was
not completely awake. Part of the
treatment also were methods to pre
vent the child lying on his back dur
ing sleep—knot in tail of sleeping |
garment, narrow space in bed pre
senting him lying on |iis back.
A great a‘dv»rtre in thelrtbl blent
of older boys and girls is the eating I
of the salt s&Pfyvftl. Nq,lk|ui^j
of any kind is ntUnved'after 4‘p:Vn., *
and a sandwich of bread and butter
with a layep; of te^le'9^ | or wplt j
fish, or salt meat is given at bed-'
time. As salt holds 70 times its '
own weight 6i this^ grefcltf 1
amount of salt at bedtime holds the
water in the tissues till morning,
thus preventing it going down to the
kidneys.
However, there are some cases of
bed wetting that are not due to nerv
ousness or to emotional disturbance,
but to some condition of the kid
neys, bladder, or the generative or
gans themselves. The editor of the
Journal of the American Medical
Association advises that before any
treatment for bed wetting is begun
a thorough examination of the kid
neys, bladder and generative organs
be made, including X-rays, to de
termine whether the cause is or
ganic or functional.
• */ *
question box
Q.—Please advise me regarding
the cause of glaucoma, and is this i
ailment curable?
A.—The causes of glaucoma are
not definitely known. Some derange
ment of liver or kidney or both is
believed a cause. .Sometimes glau
coma Is due to some disturbance
in eye itself. In older people may
be due to high blood pressure. He
redity Is believed to be a factor.
Medical and surgical treatment to
relieve symptoms Is the usual pro
cedure.
Sub-Stratosphere Training
For Army Air Corps Crews
A school for the instruction of air corps officers in the new
technique of high-altitude flight, with emphasis on the use of oxy
gen equipment, has recently been opened at Wright field, Dayton,
Ohio. Some of the. actiinties at this school are shown in this
series of pictures.
dBm », «.
Above: A student learns the
“How, Why and When” of
breathing through an oxygen
mask—one of the first courses
given in the Altitude school.
New types of masks, oxygen
tanks and working principles
are explained.
Right: This experimental elec
trically-heated suit provides
warmth without weight, and is
worn underneath regular flying
clothes or coveralls. Weighing 7
pounds, it keeps a pilot comfort
able in temperatures that out
side are as low as 60 below, F.
These suits are designed pri
marily for pursuit pilots who fly
in the stratosphere.
Inside this pressure chamber, officers “go up" to 18,000 feet
without oxygen. Pumps exhaust air in the chamber for accurate
simulation of altitude.
Altitude chamber con
trols. An operator takes offi
cers inside the chamber up
to 18,000 feet and back in
about half an hour. Without
oxygen average men “black
out” above 20,000 feet.
---' M l- , f
Going up ... . Familiarization with new oxygen and communi
cation equipment is acquired u>hen officers attending the Altitude
school board a Flying Fortress for practice at 30,000 feet.
■ 1 ..
- ' . ,» it ?! *sr-r • * •' r 1’
Dr. Wm Lovelace, Mayo Foundation, inventor of oxygen mask
(center), shownwith pilots on historic substratosphere flight in!938.
SEWING
CIRCLE
L> IGHT now’s the time to get
^ into a gay new print, or a
suave black frock in flat crepe or
thin wool, or a bright-colored spun
rayon. Something slick and young
and decidedly new-looking, that
will be as smart this spring, for
eoatless days, as it is right now
under your coat. Here’s a perfect
love of an afternoon frock—not too
dressy for general wear—that will
accent the curves and belittle the
waistline of practically any figure.
This design (8867) is one of
those gracefully simple basics that
you’ll want to make up in more
than one version. The deep V of
the neckline is a perfect back
ground for jewels or a cluster of
flowers, so that you can vary it
endlessly with different accesso
ries. Detailed sew chart included.
• • •
Pattern No. 8867 is designed for sizes
14, 16, 18. 20; 40 and 42. Size 16 requires
4 yards of 39-inch material without nap.
Mall your order today to:
SEWING CIRCLE PATTERN DEPT.
Room 1324
211 W. Wacker Dr. Chicago
Enclose 15 cents In coins for
Pattern No. Size.
Name ..
Address ..
Beware Coughs
from common colds
That Hang On
Oreomulslon relieves promptly be
cause It goes right to the seat of the
trouble to help loosen and expel
germ laden phlegm, and aid nature
to soothe and heal raw, tender, in
flamed bronchial 'mucous mem
branes. Tell your druggist to sell you
a bottle of Oreomulslon with the un
derstandlhg you must like the way It
quickly allairs the cough or you are
to have your money back.
CREOMULSION
for Coughs, Chest Colds, Bronchitis
Wretched Minds
How wretched are the minds of
men, and how blind their under
standings.—Lucretius.
WHEN kidneys function badly and
you suffer a nagging backache,
with dizziness, burning, scanty or too
frequent urination and getting up at
nignt; when you feel tired, nervous,,
all upset... use Doan’s Pills.
Doan's are especially for poorly
working kidneys. Millions of boxes
are used every year. They are recom
mended the country over. Ask your
neighbor!
WNU—U 11—41
MORE FOB YOPR M
• Read the advertisements.
They ate move than a selling
aid for business. They form — _
an educational system which Vu
is making Americans the best- ® ™
educated buyers in the wofld. an
The advertisements are part £|
of an economic system which
fa giving Americans more
for their money every day. A