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v.K,, h U m B *V *»■';.' l' /'•■ h r ■ : \ 4 : l - h : I ' ’ ^ h- t'v '■\ i - ri ’’ .’« ' h \ i , ■■ SYNOPSIS. \Vanishing Fleets,” a story ol “w h at might have happened,\ opens in Wash- .hgton w ith the united States and Japan on the verge of wp.r. Guy Hilller, sec retary o f the British embassy, and Miss Norma Roberts, chief aide of Inventor Roberts, are introduced as lovers. The government is much criticised because of Its lack of preparation for strife, A.t the most inopportune moment Japan declares war. Japan takes the Philip pines wlthffut loss of a man. The en tire country is in a state of turmoil be cause of the governm ent’s indifference. Buy Hilller starts for England wlt}i secret message sand is compelled to leave Norma Roberts, who with m ili tary ofBcers also leaves W ashington on mysterious expedition for an Isolated point on the Florida coast. Hawaii is captured by the Japs. Country, in tu r moil. demands explanation of policy from government. CHAPTER IIJ.—Continued. “ ‘Am I right, sir,’ he said, ‘In con struing that white flag you raised as a sign of truce? And If that is so, I should like to be Informed as to why at the same time you lowered the United States flag from the peak?’ “The general, choked with mortifica tion, hesitated for a moment, and then found himself unable to express his relinquishment iu words. He slowly withdrew\ his sword from Its belt hooks, and held it, hilt formost, to ward the admiral, who seemed unable to realize that it was tendered in sur render. There was a moment’s si lence, in which he Ipoked down at that tryisty old blade of steel, never before •dishonored by a conqueror’s band. He glanced inquiringly at 'his fellow coun trymen, and then at the others, as If questioning their sanity. “ T regret To say, sir,’ the general answered, ‘that the flag was raised in surrender not only of this fortification, but of all military forces on the Is lands.’ “The admiral gave a quick start of surprise and. jubilation as the signifl- cance of this unexpected action dawned upon him. “ ‘The total surrender of the Phil ippines?' he questioned, as if It was beyond comprehension that without further effort this Island kingdom of the s^a was tranquilly to be turned oyer to; the first enemy who battered a challenge on its gates. “The general, beyond w^ords, nodded in confirmation. In a few quipkly spoken sentences tie admiral trans- ■^lated the details of the conversation to his compatriots, \(Joaded by the sneers and, satirical exclamations with which this was greeted, the general broke Into a sud den blaze of wrath, shook a clenched fist under the admiral's very nose, and In white heat exclaimed; ‘Yes, it comes easy; but it’s no fault of mine! I’m obeying orders. If I had my way I'd have seen you In hell before this happened. T would, so help me God!’ “'As a signal to the waiting fleet, they ran aloft the rising sun emblem of Japan, while the discomfited of ficers of'the United States retired to the barracks for the almost hopeless attempt of explaining the situation to the puzzled garrison. These were sol dier like, quick inovlngi wiry men from the west, proud of their country and their crops, and Were of the kind that could not understand dishonor throjigh mere obedience to higher or ders^ Thiey stormedjand^ swore, and for; a time |t seemed that mutiny ■would, spread throughout the fortress, ' mau -the-^eat guns, tear do'wn the.flag of Japati 'and Seifd hurtling masses of ^efltat steel out • Into the ranks of that force which had come upon them in a night and' won an unearned vic tory- But they, too, were creatures of discipline, find In the end reluctantly Uocepted ■ fate, “T!iie ^ e a t armada slowly gathered way-And crept forward almost be neath' the towering walls of the silent forts. Boat after boat brought its load of marines ashore and discharged flieni on ground which 'in other wars had been stained with, the blood of valorous men. Here oft theSet beaches had: stepped the armies of bid Spain, comlbg as:*ptc>nefers tb hattld with sav age foenden. In iormer years the wa- tars of, this hay oh another day |n . IjaF' had floated the vessels of brave ; Uewey’s fleet, .had rocked and, qUiyerei lien-dath the impact pf his gunS, ■ and Witnessed the ralsihg of his yictorious flag.’pver the smolferlhg • ranipatts. dud wi% su<d» a history of glory be hind'It, thh'-inoon on this night rose bvei> a ;laUd ellent. Conquered, and abandoned, If It Fhs of no; more Vattid thaU a tiiiy pebble cast Into a volition, seeking in' .the spread of the eagle’s wings the shadows of security, and, last of all, as a crowning climax of folly, the sending of warships to neutral ports! From east to west, as the oceans run, from the border line of the north to that of the south, there swept over the great waiting nation a call to arms. No dam built by mortal man could have stemmed that rising tide of indignation save the one that was erected by the administration la the hours of Its stress. News of it came unheralded as h a d , all the ominous stories preceding it. Even at the moment when an over throw of the governing power at Washington seemed imminent, there flashed across the wires from gov ernor to governor quick and in sistent demand for fighting men. fn every armory was heard the resound ing clash of rifles. A hundred thou sand men, drilled for the emergencies of a country’s need, sprang to their weapons like tensely strung warriors of old awaiting the pretor’s command to charge. A country, which through days of defeat had seemingly slept, sprang Into the harness of strife, as If electrified by the God of Battles. Sim- nations; friendly or unfrlei»a.ly, vlerU summarily excluded. Frdfeuts .frbmf oaptol,. . . a 'coapwl., virefs therefore open for Sttch, ''cbmmu- Ignpred. The United States was sud denly blockading not only Its pwn - ------ ...v,. u „ means of communication, but fie- Its ports as well. No message might he carried in or out, and, as if fearing also for Its southern border line, the soldiers of the regular army were placed there. The vessels of the navy which were In the home waters of the Atlantic were put on. patrol duty, steaming up and down the eastern coast with the regularity of police men on their beats. To the ■world at .large the United States of America might never have been. The fabled Atlantis of old could have disappeared no more completely nor been out off more effectually from Intercourse with outside mankind than was the great American nation. Whatever criticism and surprise had been caused among other powers by the abandonment of the Philippines and the Hawaiian Islands was out done by this latest move. Never be fore in the world’s history had a na tion enforced complete Isolation upon Itself, withdrawing within its shell as does a turtle when assailed. Hith erto It had been the custom of a peo ple attacked to maintain an outward seeming of uninterrupted comlaerce and unimpeded communication. No modem government had yet had the temerity to shut its ports to friendly nations, scorn intercourse with them, and trust to Its own resources for support and maintenance. Protests from friendly powers were unheejled or unavailing, because after a few , -CHAPTER IV. l i Kitl' •v> donsitiiqti,,’ firbhllBltihg,ii:|flac, p^sdage, and bbbfflnunlbaiEfbh, a i d nothihgi^drq,; No man might dross the bpydbr; and; ';V ■otphAce, mpMmei. ■ :the' .gfowihg ■ din of an- • .; :;,triw^h,t: in thb wfilrlhig c,Ufrbitnf tfn- , . titfts baypidd thim ^•’■::';’I./i^'taidib':'yie]aii^'bf^^ 4 oyer ..... , . ... K' :::-'-';#|ib|:'t]hbIi-jag;'Ba4 'dhcb.,-lloFn. m was completely beyond hla bompre^ attbm might be kipwn from .personal Observation wotfid be explained by his .They Ran Aloft the Rising Emblem of Japan. ultaneously with the ordering out Of all National Guardsmen and a further call for volunteers, which re ceived instant response, every railway traversing the country was requisi tioned by the war department. ■Yet, in all this turmoil the destina tion of this suddenly mobilized and splendidly powerful army remained a secret. .In vain the press of the coun try and Its most Influential citizens de manded knowledge; but not till the day when from all directions swarms of armed men sallied forth, was this information given. And as if black ened b y ,a scourge .of .locusts, the -UaUadas awakened one morning to find that along 3,000 miles of border land wete spread a line of soldier's, the iiost singular line of repulse M br Stretched hetyreen nations. It was one of excommunication,. - Not even. the. commanding oflleerS as they took .their stations knew the; whys or wherefores of this most ro: markable move'* although their In structions were of #he simplest, and vere that under ho circumstances, Were there,to lie nets of uafrlehdli.neSs ibt, ieVfih. uiidi^, ptb,y^htroh> jhove- ' ments pf ag^'eseioUl Th«T -«Pere W then!.' H %br was^thjhf^h ■ WherhlfbE,.a -bahle-- hiuched jOh :A|t-the. W ed^en-bl tfcls days there was no posslbUlty of con veying such remonstrance to the of ficials at ■yVashlngton. In the capital itself representatives of foreign Rations, hearing of this em bargo on the ports, stood upon their rights and demanded either their dis missal or the free and uninterrupted passage of .their ^ communications. Some, of the .more ‘impofttmate ones were politely, told ihat they might take their .departure at any time they deemed flit; but were given Warning that it miist bq within 48 hours or ■they would not be perpiiitted to pass the border line. Thesb discomfited diplomats either hastened-to the near-r est harbor, .embarking upon the last steamer, leaving, or chose to remalp within the. country. -•The maritime tiations' of Europe, aghast at -what they termed the inso lence of rthe United States, discussed means of bringing her to book and ^compelling her to open hCr ro a i steads; hut found a lack of unanimity as to inethod. Great Britain, Jealous-; of .Germany, but fearing a swift oh- slaught from the kaiser’s realm, hesl- litbd iO' take the initiattye and thus iedve her own coasts, exposed to at- taPlid. prance** with thO memory of an ehrlior war, remalneid passive. Sussla;’ SUdhrttng ntider the recollection of hOr .own '^efratj' refused tO take any steps wMcb difeCGy or Indirectly might aldr-afapan, ,4tnd tiie smaller nations: av^it^d a iChder. teaglabd; was placed In the mOst p&‘ cUMr and tiding position of all. -Thd iaSfc Official uUerance of the Ualtbcl Stiles to a foreign power had beOn hcje, in me positiye assertion that, coffie ;whai ffilght, she of aii nation^ need hhVe he fear of being embroiled, dMer ho clrcfiiflstanees^-p^^^ dDfdistr .’ : Shempr^lehd; War with AmcrlCtt,. : ; |jie. use i^reeih' j Tiie fenglisfa ambassador, whb •was- : : m o ' i ' M last-to take timely ad-' .^SUfrigo efrWs'-opportunity aUd seek i;-tenilioiiai^ residence in Montre*^^ came of paramount importance. Thus It was that HUUer, arriving at the'iilverpQoI docks, found himself the center of all ’interest. A swarm of newspaper correspondents, more or less distinguished'5h their profession, sought interviews; but, warned in ad vance by wireless telegraph, he de dined all conversation. The wharf was black with people, whb anxiously craned their necks to catch sight of the man who was expected to eluci date' the greatest mystery of the age. A guard of constables formed a hollow square round him and forced their way up the long, tunnel-like shed lead ing to the train which was to convey him to London. When he had gained his seat in a compartment reserved for his use, and the train whirled away past neatly- walled farms, prosperous villages and great cities, he wondered at the strange trend of events which had thrown him so prominently into the foreground. He smiled in Irony as he reviewed his own actual knowledge of the situation, and realized how little he had in the way of information In comparison 'with what he was ex pected to divulge. At Euston ■tation s he was escorted to a carriage, and whistled a soft note of surprise as he recognized on the panels the prime nilnlster’s coat of arms. Plainly he was to be subjected to what In America he had heard called the “Third Degree.” Surrepti tious nods were interchanged by a crowd of loungers, and such comments as “That’s him!\ and “ 'B’s the bloke w’ats goin’ to tell us abaout it!\ floated to him as the footman slammed the door behind, mounted the box and whipped the team into a gallop. He was ushered Into the sacred pre cincts of the prime minister’s private chamber, and found awaiting not only that Important person hut the foreign secretary, and a lord of the admiralty as well. The ponderously sealed packet from his ambassador was torn open and read aloud. It contained the following startling statement from his perturbed and irate superior: “I have the honor to inform your lordship that I am in a country evi dently Inhabited, by maniacs. I have painstakingly sought a logical expla nation for the acts of this government, and frankly admit that I am- nnable to understand-either its attitude toward his majesty’s government, its proposed plan of campaign, or what the effect of this war will be upon other nations. I have been, persistently refused any Intimation as to what has taken place or IS intended. In a personal inter view with his excellency, the presi dent of the United States,. I have been positively Informed that his country will under no circumstances permit any demonstration against Great Brit ain, but that it may become necessary to suspend intercourse for a tima 1 cannot tell what Is meant by this, nor would he gi've me further information. 'The attitude of the administration, backed up by congress, is that of su preme egotism and self-sufficiency, despite the position taken by the peo ple' and the press* as s'ho'wn In news papers which are sent herewith. In view of the uncertainty of the stlua- tlon, the enigma presented by the United States government’s attitude, and the threat that within 48 hours all exchange of cotnmunicatlon will be suspended, 1 deem it wise to suggest that his majesty hold himself In readi ness tO“make an overpowering -naval demonstration in -these or Canadian waters, if need should arise. I am sending this by my secretary, who can answer any questions of a more perti nent nature as well as I could.” The letter, written In the crabbed band of.the ambassador, was slowly read aloud, those present straining their hearing that no word might be lost,/and at its conclusion they sat dumbfounded.-' “You ■were there, I believe,” said the prime' minister, slowly s-winging back and forth Jn his swivel chair, and ad dressing the secretary, “when the news the Surrender of the Philip pines .VdS tecelved?” “Yes, yoUr lordship.” \Whdt excuse had the government to mahfe tor such unwarranted ac tion?”. \None whatever.’* “Do you fiaean to say that they suf fered 'withbut! protest or defense the surrender of. a fortification which cost ^millions of pounds*.' was adequately equipped and able td ropel successfully the attack Of such a fleet as Japan sent agatast iti,” “Yes, they 4ven accepted It com placently;'* From rdupd the room canle mur murs of aindzemsht, while the rustle pjE newspapetf showed the anxiety of those present to glean What informa tion they coUld t)e perusal. Losing i their phle^atlft air of' self po|4eSsIon and casting: official dignity to tne’wJhds they botaharlpd Silliidfrwith qUeslUons, which In th e .plain he was unable to, auawer. The f'dldO Of the stately lord of the admiralty :^6se aboVO; the others tn ;a. sudden* ipsistent petulant ques- 'tiOh; ’’ ■ “DO you know anything else worth •white.?” he askOd. . ' > , *‘No,” auBwbrOd' Hilller,, “I have no knowledge other . than that which I ;:have given ,to’ you, which Ip itself Was- gathered piseifh.erO thafl from an hhsolutely siloftt'and se.oretlve goV;- ■■iWhUient.'' ' . . • <TO GONTlNUaj?,) jB, IKiyin,-secretary of the; National; tfhioii.'of': Gletka, aneW n's • .that. ■ m-: Ohee deceived: this: oard .froot au iippi-i ployer- who lives in the north Of Lon- don: “I am a single man* emplOy tWP,; porters and five clerksi, -NO married, man shall ever enter my.employ.'. 'As far as possible with my tradespeople f only deal ■yith those who- are What else I desire I order fr.oopi my stores. I. will have nothing to do with dirty, careless, idle and mostly thieving married fools.”—Casseips Sat urday Journal. Aunt Harriet's Omnipotence, In the Beecher family the name Mrs. Stowe was often quoted to the rising generation as one . having amr thorlty. On one occasion a grand niece of Mrs. Stowe became -yery angry at a playmate and, stamping her foot, said: \I hate you, and I don’t want a-nythlng more to do with you; nor your man servant, nor your maid servant, nor your ox, nor your ass.” Her mother sternly reproved her, asking her If she. knew what she was saying. Little Miss Beecher promptly replied: ‘Wes, the ten command- mends.” “Well, do you know who wrote them?”. The child, looking disgusted, an swered: “Goodness, yes! Aunt Harriet did, I s’pose.”—Woman’s JoUrnal. Bloom on rne Egg. “I know these eggs, at least, are fresh,\ said the young housewife. “As I took them from the basket, a white bloom, like the down of a peach,' came off my hands.” Her husband, a food expert, gave' a sneering laugh. “In that case,” he said, “I will fore go my usual morning omelette. That bloom, as you so poetically call It, Is lime dust. It shows that the eggs are pickled. Lime dust, which rubs off like flour, is the surest test we have for pickled eggs—a not unwholesome artiffie, but not to be compared. With the new-laid sort.\ ^ jkhtlOjpatWfl M . . mapf yefr pf . ii* fipPd, :apd'-4e®§^leto whs thken w»t«x Jeteihy.lhefpre; It'-iyas hgt'; '^e pft§h'dfrfreks;ourseiyes;;grepily Ifi' the '■ apprehenslpn' of ihisfortunea ■which, after all* never happen at all. We efaould do; oilr best and wgit calm ly^ the result. We. often hear of peo ple breaking flown frpm overwork, but In nine eases out of ten they are real ly suffering frpm .worry and anxiety.—- Sir John,Jjubbock. Whrited the Painkiller. ' I Whenever two-year-gld Kuland, •' bumped fils-Inquisitive bead or bruised' , his adventurous' body a bottle of some' good old-fashioned lotion Was brought out and some of Us soothing contents applied to the injured part. Recently Ruland received Ms first spanking, an experience which Was to him totally new, strange and mystifying. About all he understood of It 'was that It' hurt and Immediately after being al lowed to wriggle off of the maternal knee he toddled toward the shelf on which stood his old friend, the bcfttle, and with hands upraised cried Implor ingly: “Botty, botty, give Wuland botty twlck.”—Kansas City Times.- ■h Rather Hard. The messenger entered the. palace with the dispatches. “Brimstone and asphalt!” ejaculated Castro, as he read the yellow slip. “Holland threatens to spank us.” “Well, what of it, your excellency?” responded the. secretary. “Other na tions have threatened to do the s a m e ^ “Yes, but, confound it, this Is/k, spanking that will hurt. The Dutok wear wooden shoes.” . . Lives Lost in the Industries. The construction of every skyscrap er claims an average of at least three victims, and of the 19,000,000 .industri al workers In this country 500,000 are killed or maimed every year. Trip t o Florida Free I will pay your railroad fare to Hilliard, Florida, frpm any point In Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, or Kentucicyr any day during Decpmlber, if you buy a iO-aere truck farm for $210 in the North' FJorlda Fruit and Truck Farm District, 3 0 miles from Jackson ville, which wlii earn $2,000 to $3,ODD a year. Sixty-two men took advantage of the hohiie- seekers* excursion to Hiliiard on |N0vdfhi)<3ir 24th and they bought 114 fanhs. Each was given a lot Jn IfiHiard free, A-* ' You are offered the sam e advantages^ Write gtiick.. th e nearest unsold farm to town will be reserved and accdmmo<* dations a t ourfieadquarters Will b e a rranged for you. R e a d E v e r y L i n e o f i b i s A d v e r t i e e f f i e n t I will send you full details of this offer, plat of the truck farms, • portfolio of pictures of the farms, the new Imbhovements and the to-wn of Hilliard and a book about the -wonderful de velopment of truck farming In Northern Florlfla. I will reserve for you, .the moment I get your postal or letter stating that yPu want pa'rticulars. and may go to Hilliard, the nearest farm to the town of Hilliard then unsold and Hold It' until you mahe your trip. My propo.lilon io pay yopr rnllrand fare Ut srOod miy day darlnsr December. I will arrange so you can secure 10 acres of th i s , land In th e h e a r t of the N o rth Florida F r u i t and TruclC Farm ^ D istrict near Jacksonville a t *x0 a. month, and besides X a building lo t 25x125 feet absolutely free In the town of H illiard adjoining these' farm s. Many fru it and truok farm s l,n the Jacksonville dis trict n e t S250 to $600 per acre every year. the great A tlantic Coast cities and cities as far w e s t as Omaha: depend absolutely bri th e Flbrlda F r u it hnd Truck farm s fo r early M areii^ Urtd . A p ril sfrawberries. oelerjr, ir t s l l pota- toes, cabbage* lettuce and rad ishes? W ith oUe of th e s e farm s — ........ - _____ ___ ..., «.. — . your cgn have- a n .fnebme-4H6rt c a n - a trabt; as 10 acre s a t $21 an depended on y e a r 'after y e a r aore. jfibre thtnn tOO-Tarma-kave- and yoa Odn- g e t -it- iC you 'save been fn l-e.Q«. tfinri s ■ No tnfercfl't and no taxem till payments are completed, -you don’t have_ to 'plonepr;—these. F r u i t and IWuok Farpis are In the h e e r t of clyilizatl'on—near JackSoriVille alid iCsS th a n two tufles from '-'the vAtJahtlb- Coast- Line Railroad, w h ich had a big tw e n ty-car sw jtoh track a t Hll? |(ard. a thrifty R ttlo ; City., w ith telegraph, long distance tele- Fifth— You can hold It a s an , investm e n t and seR, a t 100% ,ad- vanoe -by th e end n f the first year. Here Is What m y company of« fers yoot I w ill have delivered to you Im mediately upon receipt of your application for one of these 10-acre N p rth F lorida F r u i t and T ruck farm s a certificate of p u r - ' chase w h ich Is Issued by the Chicago. Title & Trust Co., capi tal $5,000,000. The title to th e entire tra c t Is held In tru s t for the benefit of purchasers b y th e Chicago Title & T ru s t Company, one of th e strongest, safe s t and best g u a r antee title and tru s t companies In the U n ited States. _Ask your hanker or law y e r about th e safety of .title to land issued under Its guarantee by the Chicago T itle & T r u s t Com- paiiy, and. satisfy yonfself. T h e ,/' Chicago Title & T r u s t CompSny w ill Issue a deed and guarantee v title to th e 10-acre tijaot and to th e reslRbnce lo t 'which '\*e give you free, ' ■you don’t have ,to irrigate* fight crop pests,, n o r w a tch the , hea\venS for rain. There Is no chance fo r failure of crop. ThS- rain fall In N o rthern F lorida av- ' erpges 80 Inches and Comes. every m o n th in the year. I t al- • ways, h a s rained 80 Inches or m o re as long as any * fa rm e r, no-w ,living In Florida, cart re member, and alw a y s'W ill. You o-We ft. to -yOnrself' to-take advantage of th is opportunuy. 'm f -.8 h T h e re never w a s a-tim e When a Iflrwl nnvriVidnV* YxrJ’sVxIrr nei-ty 4-Ur^. well to a hnlf -dciew pptotm- frk »«5» • ■ t W \ a t o 5 i r ‘' « ' . V three general stores, and these I ■will.,send the. .ffiat oi: the , la n d North ^ o r i d a j l ? m ^ n d T rack „,TYbait 10 hexes means to. y o n t .money m a k ing ittvest- 'm ent and a heme 1« th e finest a ll in the'w o rld. NCrthern F lorida is w a rm in Winter and' ’there are ’rtC ex- tre^mes of *heat in .sammey? Seeondr-;yoa can m a k e a good lo&tn and: will Kro’w the finest- fralts and v e g e tf b lel s?rCr. tpr and more' to the acr.C than in any ether section Of the Soath,' F o u r a —Ton don't ha-ire to itnow- farming tfl makC one of, lO-aore farms pay yon big . i T j a r s . « S K « r | '4 - a 5 ! ? : F « W v G O I I N W A l - L Proftidefrt 1532 First National Bank Bldg., jls U ' H % t Vv: *. m0. ? ^ 1 1 !, f