Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, December 24, 1914, Page 2

Rhigrefoideded RAMBLER AUTO SERVICE CARS FOR HIRE PHONE 274-RE Vu lcanizing Doneat 711 E.Oak & BEEEEE ORI EEEEEEE SPBHIOODPBDPDHPIPRDIPOPSHOI The Ideal Christmas Remembrance The personal thought — spirit of the giving, de- termines the value of the gift. What then, could be more fitting than your portrait for the Christ- mas remembrance —t o carry your simple mes- sage of friendship? A dozen portraits solves, at once, a dozen perplexing gift problems. Hinke Photographer Tampa 513 1-2 Franklin Street Lakeland Pender;s Old Studio Studio now open every day Make an appointment today DO YOU WANT PURE TOILET PREPARA. TIONS? g We insure that our Marinello preparations contain no harmful ingredients. You will find the best always the most cconomicul and beneficial. Marinello toilet preparations can only be purchased here. MARINELLO SHOPS Room 103 Dyches Bidg. Phone 412 Lakeland. Fia. IS OUR MO TTO Which is proven by our six years success in Lakeland. Maker of the National Steel reinforced concrete Burial Vault Building Blocks of all discrip- tions. Red Cement, Pressed Brick, White Brick, Pier Blocks, 3 nd 4 inch Drain Tile, 6, 7 and 8-ft Fench Post; jn fact anything made of Cement. FLORIDA NATIONAL VAULT €O To Our Patrons: PLEASE PHONE Us to get your Work not later than 9 o’clock Wednesday morning, in order to give you the best service during the Season’s rush. Lakeland Dry Cleaning —PIANT— PHONE 405 Cor. N. Tenn. and Pine St. SRINTT LLE SEND YOUR FRIEND A Christmas Box Oranges or Grapefruit Packed by the FLORIDA CITRUS EXCHANGE I will be at the Exchange ev- ery week day between 9 a. m. and 12 m. to take orders. F. C. MURRAY. P. O. Box 191. COUP THAT FALED By H. M. EGBERT. (Copyright, 1914, by W. G. Chapman.) It was not the shock of arms, but thirst, that threatened to force the devoted city into surrender. For months the enemy had hurled their lines against the fortress, only to see the gallant troops retire, decimated, baffled by the strong earth- works that promised to hold out in- definitely. And until the city fell the forward march of the victorious army could not continue. General Lamarche was desperate. He could not leave the fortress in his rear untaken and continue his ad- vance toward the capital of the en- emy, for that would mean that his lines of communication would be sev- ered. And behind those walls the en- emy was reforming, ready to renew the war in all its pristine vigor. But for months no drop of rain had fallen. The springs within the city had run dry. The river had been dammed and diverted by the besieg- ers. And there remained hardly three days’ supply of water. That the city was in need of water General Lamarche knew; but he did not know how near it was to surren- der. And every day’s delay was worth a thousand men to those within. It was at this juncture that he gave audience to the man who had begged for an interview daily during the past month. “Let the fellow come in,” he said reluctantly to his aide. “Well, sir?” he demanded, as the ragged, wild- looking fellow stood before him. “My name is Durand,” said the man. General Lamarche started slightly. “The aviator?” he asked. Durand bowed his head. Lamarche, like every Frenchman, knew about Durand. He had been one of the foremost men to develop the dirigible gas-balloon. While others Rose Slowly Into the Alir. worked upon the aeroplane, Durand had brought the dirigible almost to perfection. And, at the moment when he was about to see his invention adopted by the French army, he*had committed murder—a foul, inex- cusable murder while under the in- fluence of absinthe, to which he had become addicted by reason of the mental strain he had undergone. He was shipped to New Caledonia, but, after serving three years there, he was pardoued and disappeared from the haunts of his associates. That was a year ago, and since then | nothing had been heard of him. “I want to do something for my country,” Durand explained. “You shall be attached to the aero- plane division,” answered Lamarche. Durand laughed quietly. “I do not wish to become a private aviator,” he said. “I have a plan by which you can capture Fort Gleichen.” “What is it?” asked Lamarche im- patiently. He had had a thousand plans submitted to him during the past three months. “Glve me a thousand pounds of melinite,” answered Durand, “and I will blow it into the earth. T will blow away all traces of it.” “If there is a thousand pounds of melinite to spare in France you shall have it, provided you can convince me of the feasibility of your scheme,” the general answered. “It is very simple,” replied Durand. “In the mountains of the Vosges, where I have lived during the last year, I have my perfected dirigible. I will load it with a thousand pounds of melinite, which is as much as it will carry, in addition to my own weight. 1 will steer it above Fort Gleichen, pull the valve open, after calculating the descent, and escape in my parachute. The balloon will drop squarely into the center of the fort and blow it from the face of the earth.” They talked over the project for a while, and the more Durand ex- plained, the more feasible his proposal appeared to the French general. Of course, from an aeruplane, only small hombs could be dropped. But there was no reason why a balloon should not contain a thousand pounds of melinite, an explosive deadly enough to obliterate all trace of the famous stronghold that barred the ad- vance of the army. It was obvious, T e e e e e S it kS e B R e S e B e P e M e S L s NI SRR o S R T il e S et S R e e PR D THE EVENING TELEGRAM LAKELAND, FLA., DEC. 24, 1914, furthermore, that the dead weight of i the load, after the valve had been opened, x\ould send the dirigible to earth with a speed and aim that noth- ing could avert. Seven days later Durand, with a thousand pounds of melinite in his dirigible balloon, and the parachute attached to the aluminum stern, rose slowly above the French camp into the air. From the walls of the fortress the besieged general, glass to his eyes, watched and wondered at this new maneuver. He had sworn never to surrender, and by herolc privations his men had managed to conserve still another day’s supply of water, though nearly all their animals were dead of thirst. It was the general’s intention to cut his way out at the head of his troops on the morrow, and die upon the field—unless it rained. But the scorched heavens refused to open. Day and night were one brazen glow of heat. All night heat lightning played on the horizon, and‘ sometimes the distant muttering of thunder was heard, but never a drop of rain had fallen. Durand rose slowly into the air, l‘nd, as he did so, the airguns of the fortress opened fire upon him. But it is the most difficult thing in the world to hit a quickly rising balloon, and neither Durand nor Lamarche had any fears on that score. If the bal- FOEEFFTPFAPRFNIOPOPOFUEY SOFEFIFF I OBAPISOERBNG SO loon were hit, the melinite would ex- & plode in the air and the balloon and aviator would vanish—but no harm would come to the besiegers. At worst, the experiment would harm no- body. At an altitude of two thousand feet the balloon was safe from danger. Durand smiled as he heard the great shells whizzing around him. He knew that only a miracle of marks- manship could bring him down. At four thousand feet Durand was only a speck in the sky, hardly to be discerned even through Lamarche’s glasses. The French camp strained its eyes upward. The report of the broken man’s exploit, which was to restore his honor and bring, no doubt, the ribbon of the legion of honor, had become universal. And in the beleaguered fortress for the first time an inkling of the airman’s intentions became obvious when a' tiny speck was seen to detach itself from the slightly larger mass and drop toward earth, Instantly it had begun the swift descent, while the balloon, relieved of its slighter burden, shot upward, in | spite of the rapid escape of gas. The dirigible ascended five hundred feet before it paused, stood still, and then began {its downward rush. Durand had planned his descent so that it should carry him into the French lines. But to his horror a sudden breeze drove the parachute straight toward the inside of the fort- ress walls. And then, resigning him- self to the inevitable, he devoted all his efforts toward saving his life, rather than attempting to gain the camp of the besiegers, which would mean an instant drop to death. It was about a minute after he had pulled the cord of the valve when Du- rand dropped, unharmed, at the feet of the general in defense of Fort Gleichen. But nobody noticed him, for all eyes were strained upward to where the great balloon came whirling down, straight toward the fortress. Here Durand had not miscalculated. It fell true as an arrow, and the heat light- ning played about it and— Boom! The most awful detonation that had ever been heard since war began filled the whole air with sound. A coil of cloud enveloped everything and shut out the sunlight. Slowly it drifted away. And everyone knew what had occurred. The dirigible had been struck by lightning during its descent. An instant later the sun disap- peared. And suddenly, with the sound of a million bullets, hailstones the size of pigeons’ eggs whizzed to the earth, followed by a drenching down- pour. Never had it rained as it rained that afternoon. The water fell in torrents. It was as though a million koses were turned earthward from the heav- ens. In two minutes the camps were flooded. The streets of the be- leaguered town ran water. Men flung themselves upon their faces and wal- lowed in the precious rain. From every house buckets, bath tubs, im- plements of every kind were out- stretched to hold the life-giving water. The cisterns overflowed. The be- sieged city was saved. Durand stood before the general within the fortress. His hope had failed, by the interposition of the un- expected element, fate, which sends 80 many schemes agley. He expected death. He was not even in uniform—a hopeless, ragged ex-convict, bearing the stamp of shame upon his furrowed face. The general turned to him. “Do you know what is going to happen to you?”’ he asked. “A firing party, I suppose,” muttered. “No,” answered the general quiet- ly. “You are going to make a halloon for us.” Durand Make Sunflower Useful. In some countries, notably in the Russian provinces north of the Cau- casus, the sunflower serves other pur poses besides ornamenting gardens with its huge golden blossoms. The seeds are used to make oil, which is employed both in the manufacture of ; soup and in cooking. The stems and leaves are burned and the ashes used to make potash. Last year the sun- Phc No. 340 B .e, Laa L R zznz»mnmn»zu . 3 Llean, .wie and i ’ First-class. i WM D“‘in( Rcom Seivice,Unexcelled. \ Rates Reasonable. Y iy Patronage Cordially Invited. H | N W;W*W¥ {Whether It is A Bourid Book & Pamphlets § Letter Heads % & Business Cards Calling Cards Invitations] Programs Or Anything that Is to be Printed Remember the ey i Evening Telegram’s % Job Office Is one of the BEST Equipped in the State and will be glad to take your order. Ggngngngs & Superior Work Quick Service Reasonable Prices Is Our Slogan Phone 37 Evening Telcgrim| lmldm Head of Main Street =] i Fresh Apalachicola 25 Oysters 50c qt; pt!éUc Try our Home-made Peanut Brittle and Chocolate Fudge H. O. DENNY Elliston Building. PHONE 226. Prompt Del. L. W.YARNELL LIGHT AND HEAVY HAULING HOUSEHOLD MOVING A SPECIALTY HORSES AND MULES FOR HIRE flower factories of the Caucasus pro- hones: om 109; lu., 57 GM duced 15,000 tons of potash. BB OO OO BB OB ) Big Specials for the Last Christmas Shopping- Cut Glass Chi Suit Cases We expect to close out these lines made some very attractive p Don’t miss them Model Hardware C. E. TG . 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