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TME NASSAU POST: TRCEPORT. NY, THURSDAY, DEC. 81, 1»14
Eat Quality Home Made BREAD
Made of the Purest and
Best Materials Obtainable
IT COSTS YOU NO MORE THAN OTHER BREAD
QUALITY BAKERY
Cor. Grove St. and Olive Blvd. FREEPORT
Teleohone 402-R
Morning Shopping is always pleasant at this Store
We carry the Choicest Fresh Fruits and Vegetables besides FANCY AND STAPLE GROCERIES
'^SEAMANS"
27 W. Morrick Road Freeport, L. I. Telephone 710
Freeport Poultry Farms
On Positively Sanitary Ideals!
Sanitary Houses and Pens—The Finest Bred Stock—Produces the Best Eggs and Stock— Always Open for Inspection—Choice Broilers Always Ready for Immediate Delivery.
All Orders Promptly Delivered CARROLL STREET
TELEPHONE 812.W POST OFHCE BOX 75
MUlil I LJJMl. .'I.L-^ ..ll.l. .H-.^J IX.
Ford and Cole Automobiles
Distribute r|o^
London Lunonsine Detachable Top
Ford Parts and Repairing a Specialty W. T. Hutcheson
T«lc|>boiMCl8€91«inp<t«wl ..
144 Franklin Street Hempstead N. Y.
THE LAST SHOT
chat tae migtat watch how each man used hlB nfle, be drew back of the Un*. bis allm bo4y erect as b« rested on one knee, bis bead level witb tbe other beads while be fingered bis whistle. Tbe instant tbat Eugene Aronson sprang over the white post a blast from tbe whistle t>egan the war.
It waa a signal, too, for Stransky to play tbe part he had planned; to make the speech of his life. His six ^eet of stature shot to its feet wltn a Jack-in-the-box abruptness, under ^e impulse of a mighty and reckless passion.
"Men, stop firing!" he howled thun¬ derously. "Stop firing on your broth¬ ers! Like you, they are only the pawns of the ruling class, who keep us all pawns in order that they may have champagne and caviare. Com¬ rades, I'll lead you! Comrades, we'll take a white flag and go down to meet our comrades and we'll flnd tbat tbey think as w« do! I'll lead you!"
The appeal was drowned in the cracking of the rifles working as regu¬ larly as punching-macbtaM ta • tea- tory. Every soldier was Meing only bis sight and tbe running figures un¬ der it. Mechanically and automattcal- ly, training had been projected into action, anticipation into realization. A spectator might as well bave dialled to a man in a hundred-yard dash to stop running, to an oarsman in a race to Jump out of bis shell.
The company sergeant sprang for Stransky with an oath. But Stransky waa in no mood to submit. He felled the sergeant with a blow and, reck¬ lessly defiant, stared at Dellarme, while tba men, steadily firing, were BtUl oblivious of the scene. Tbe ser¬ geant, stunned, rose to his knees and reached for bis revolver. Dellarme, bent over to keep his head below tbe crest, bad already drawn bis as be hastened toward them.
"Will you get down? Will you take your place with your rifle?" demanded Dellarme.
Stransky laughed thunderously in scorn. He was handsome, titanic, and barbaric, with his huge shoulders stretching his blouse, which fell loose¬ ly around his narrow hips, while the fist that had felled the sergeant was Btill clenched.
"No!" said Stransky. "You won't kill much if you kill me and you'd kill lesa If you shot yourself! God Al¬ mighty! Do .vou think I'm afraid? Me —afraid ?"
His eyes in a bloodshot glare, as uncompromlBing as those of a bull In an arena watching the next move of thp red cape of the matador, regarded Dellarme, who hesitated in admiration of the picture of human force before him. But the old sorgeant, smarting under the insult of the blow, his sand- Btone features mottled with red patches, had no compunctions of.this order. He was ready to act aa execu¬ tioner.
"If you don't want to shoot, I can! An example—the law! There's no other way of dealing with him! Give the word!" ho said to Dellarme.
Stransky laughed, now in strident cynicism. Dellarnio still hesitated, recollecting I.an8tron'« remark. He pictured Stransky in a last stand la a redoubt, and every soldier was as precious to him as a piece of gold to a miser.
"One ought to be enough to kill mo if you're going to do it to slow music," said Stransky. "You might as well kill me as the poor fools that your poor fools are trying to—"
Another breath finished the speech; a breath released from a hall that seemed to have come straight from hell. The fire control officer of a regi¬ ment of Gray artillery on the plain, scanning the landscape for the origin of the rifle-fire which was leaving many fallen in the wake of the charge of the Gray infantry, had seen a figure on the knoll. "How kind! Thank you!" his thought spoke faster than words. No need of range-finding! The range to every possible battery or infantry position around La Tir waa already marked on his map. He passad the word to his guns.
The burst of their flrst shrapnel- shell blinded all three actors in the scene on the crest of tho knoll with its ear-splitting crack and the force ot Its concussion threw Stransky down beside the sergeant. Dellarme, as hla vision cleared, had just time to see Stransky jerk bis hand up to his tem¬ ple, where tber© was a red spot, be¬ fore another shell burst, a little to the rear. This was harmless, as a shrapnel's shower of fragments and bullets carry forward from the point of explosion. But the next burst In front of the line. The doctor's period of idleness was over. One man's rifle shot up as bis spine was broken by a jagged piece of shrapnel JackeC Now there were too many shellt to watch them individually.
"It's all right—all right, men!" Del¬ larme called again, assuming hia cheery stnile. "It takes a lot of shrap¬ nel to kill anybody. Our batteries will soon answer!"
His voice was unheard, yet its spir¬ it was felt. The men knew tbrougb their training tbat tbere was no use of dodging and tbat their best protec¬ tion was an accarate fire of tbeir own.
Stransky had half risen, m new kind of savagery dkwnlng on hla features as be regained bis wits. Witb In¬ verted eyes be regarded the red ends of his fingers, held in line with the bridge of bis nose. He felt of the wonnd again, now that he was less dlny. It was only a scrmteb and be had been knocked down like a beef la aa abattoir by aa tuueen enemy, on whom be coold not lay hands: Deaf- ealasly. tbe shrapnel Jackets oon- to craek with "oknac^^h—; as tlie swin hremtk at tkai nlMllea sprMitf. TIM swur
smoke and dust, aa they flred thTi>M;b a fog at bent figures whose legs wert pumping fast in dim pantomime.
But the guns of tbe Browns, abo, have word that the charge has begou. Tbe signal corporal is waiting for the gesture from Dellarme agreed upon as an announcement. Tbe Brown artil¬ lery commander cuts his fuses two hundred and fifty yards shorter. He. too, uses percussion for moral effect.
Half of the distance from tbe foot to the crest of the knoll Fracasse's men bave gone in face of the bot, siz- zling tornado of bullets, wben there ia a blast of explosions In their faces with all the chaotic and irresistible force of a volcanic eruption. Not only are they In the midst of the first lot of the Browns' shells at the shorter range, but one Gray battery has either made a mistake in cutting its fuses or struck a streak of powder below stand¬ ard, and its shells b' mong thoes whom it is aiming to . ^t.
The ground seems rising under tbe feet of Fracasse's company; the air th split and racked and wrenched and torn with hideous screams of invisible 4eBODa. TlM ¦•• atop: tbey aot oa tba aaeaatrollable tBstJnM of self-pres¬ ervation' against an overwhelming force of nature. A few without the power of locomotion drop, faces
A Blood-Curdling Burst of Whistlei Passed Over His Head.
pressed to the ground. The rest fl6e toward a sliouider of the slope through the instinct that leads I hunted mau in a street Into an alley hi a confusion of arms and legs, press ing one ou tlie other, no longer sol dicrs, only a mob, they tlirow them selves behind the first protection that offers itself. Fracasse also runs. H« runs from the flame of a furnace dooi suddenly thrown open.
The Gray batteries have ceased fir Ing; certain gunners' ears burn undei tho wordB of Inquiry as to the caus« of the mistake from an artillery com mander. Deilarme's men are hugging the earth too ciose to cheer. A desire to spring up and yell may be in their hearts, but they know the danger oi showing a single unnecessary Inch o( their cranlums above the sky-line. The sounds that escape their throats are those of a winning team at a tug ol war as diaphragms relax.
With the smoke clearing, they see 20 or 30 Grays plastered on the slope at the point where the charge waa checked. Every one of those prostrate forms is within fatal range. Not one moves a finger; even the living are feigning death In the hope of surviv¬ ing. Among them is little Peterkin, so faithful in forcing his refractory legs to keep pace with his comrades. If he is always up with them they will never know what is in his heart and call him a Coward. As he has been knocked unconscious, he lias not been in the pell-mell retreat.
His first stabbing thought on coming to waa that he must be dead; but, no; he was opening his eyea sticky witb dust. At least, he must be wounded! He had not power yet to move his hands in order to feel where, and when they grew alive enough to move, what he saw in front of him held them frigidly still. Hia nerves went search¬ ing from his head to hla feet and— miracle of heaven!—found no point of pain or spot soppy with blood. If he were really hit there was bound to be one or ttaa otber. ba kaaw trom read- Inf.
Between him and tbe faces of the Browns—yes, the actual, living, terri¬ ble Browns—above the glint of their rifle barrels, was no obstacle that could stop a bullet, though not more than three feet away was a crater made by a shell burst. The black cir¬ cle of every muszie on the crest seemed to be pointing at him. When were tbey going to shoot? When was he to be executed? Would he be shot In many places and die thus? Or would the very flrst bullet go through his head? Why didn't tbey fire? What were they waiting for? The suspense waa nnbearable. The desperation of overwhelming fear driving him in Irre¬ sponsible Impulse, be doubled up hla legs and with a cat's leap sprang for the crater.
A blood-enrdling burst of wb^tlee paased over his bead as a dosen rlflea cracked. l%ls tioM be was sur^y kniad! Ha was In aome otber world! WMoh WM tl. tha «ood or tba badt
of one battery of tljat Gray regiment of artillery, eaca firing aix 14-pouso shells a minute methodically, every shell loaded with nearly two hundred projectiles, were giving their undivid¬ ed attention to the knoll.
How long could his company endure this? Dellarme might well ask. He knew that he would not be expected to withdraw yet. With a sense of re¬ lief he saw Pracasse's men drop for cover at the base of the knoll and then, expectation fulfilled, he realized that rifle-fire now reinforced the ene¬ my's shell fire. Hla duty was to re¬ main while be could hold hia men. and a feeling toward tbem such as he had never felt before, which was love, sprang full-fledged into his heart as he saw how steadily tbey kept up their fusillade.
Stransky, eager In response to a new passion, sprang forward into place and picked up his rifle.
"If you will not have it my way, take it yours!" said the best shot in the company, as he began firing witb resolute coolness.
"They have a lot of men down," said Dellarme, bis glasses showing the many prostrate figures on the wheat stubble. "Steady! steady! We have plenty of batteries back in the hills. One will be in action soon."
But would one? He understood that with their smokeless powder the Gray guns could be located only by their flashes, which would not be vis¬ ible unless the refraction of light were favorable. Then "thur-eesh—thur- eesh" alMJve every other sound in a long wall! No man ever forgets the flrst crack of a shrapnel at close quar¬ ters, the first bullet breath on his cheek, or the first supporting shell from his side in flight that passes above him.
"That is ours!" called Dellarme.
"Ours!" shouted the sergeant.
"Ours!" sang the thought of every one of them.
Over the Gray batteries on the plain an explosive ball of smoke hung in the StlU air; then another beside it. "Thur-eesh — thur-eesh — thur-eesh," the screaming overhead became a gale that built a cloud of blue smoke over the offending Gray batteries—beauti¬ ful, soft blue smoke from which a spray of steel descended. There was no spotting the flashes of the Browns' guns in order to reply to them, for they were under the cover of a hill, using Indirect aim as nicely and ac¬ curately aa If firing, pointblank. The gunners of the Gray batteries could not go on with their work under such a hailstorm; they were checkmated, They stopped firing and began moving to a new position, where their com¬ mander hoped to remain undiscovered long enough to support the 12Sth by loosing his lightnings against tho de¬ fenders aJ the critical moment of tho next charge, ^vhich would bo made aa soon as Fracasse's men had bee'ii rein¬ forced.
^There waa an end to tho concus¬ sions and the thrashing of the air around Deilarme's men, and they had the relief of a breaking abscess in tho ear. IJut they became more conscious of the spits of dust in front of their faces and the passing whistles of bul¬ lets. In return, they made tho sec¬ tions of Gray infantry in reserve rush¬ ing across the levels, leave many gray lumps behind. lUit Fracasse's men at the foot of the slope poured in a heav¬ ier and Btill heavier fire.
"Down there's where we need the sheila now!" spoke the thought of Dei¬ larme's men, which he had anticipated by a word to the signal corporal, who waved his flag one—two—three—four —five times. Come on, now. with more of your special brand of death, fire-control ofl^lcer! Your own head Is above the sky-line, though your guns ure hidden. Five hundred yards be¬ yond* the knoll is the range! Come on!
He came with a burst of screams so low in fiight that they seemed to brush the back of the men's necks with a hair broom at the rate of a thousand feet a second. Having watched the result, Dellarme turned with a confirmatory gesture, which the corporal translated Into the wigwag of "Correct!" The shrapnel smoke hanging over Fracasse's men appeared a heavenly blue to Deilarme's men.
"They aro going to start for us soon! Oh, but we'll get a lot of theml" whispered Stransky gleefully to his rifle.
Dellarme glanced again toward the colonel's station. No sign of the re¬ tiring flag. He waa glad of that. Ho did not want to fall back in face of a charge; to have hia men silhouetted in the valley as they retreated. And the Grays would not endure this show¬ er-bath long without going ono way or the other. He gave tho order to fix bayonets, and hardly was it obeyed when he saw flashes of steel through the shrapnel smoke aa the Grays fixed theirs. The Grays had 500 yards to go; the Browns had the time that it takes running men to cover the dis¬ tance In which to stop the Grays.
"We'll spear any of them who has the luck to get this far!" whispered Stransky to his rifle. The sentence was spoken In tbe midst of a salvo of shrapnel cracks, which be did not bear. He heard nothing, thought noth¬ ing, except to kill.
The Gray batteries on the plain, having taken np a new position and being reinforced, played on the crest at top speed Instantly the Qray line rose and started up the slope at tba run. With the purpose of contusinc no leM than kUllng, tbey used percus- 3lon, which burst on striking tbe ground, as well as shrapnel, wblcb burst by a time-fuse In the air. F'oun- tains of sod and dirt shot upward to neet descending sprays of bulleta. The concussions of tha earth shook tho ate at Denaraa's maa. bllado* Iv
Clothes for Young Men
rOR tba Toung Fellows whe are nearly Men. but Who are a mighty aight more particular than most Ma* —who know what's what, whea It aomaa to the shape of a Coat or a pair of Trouaera—for these exacting Young Fellows, we have just the Suits they win like. They are always look¬ ing lo us for evsrything that's fashion¬ able and snapt>y.
Long or Short Trouser Suits is a variety of new Fall Fabrics. There ars Stripes, Broken Checks and Mix¬ tures In Worsteds, Cheviots, Tweeds, Aa., Ac. Single or Double-Breastsd.
Ton get something more than good Material and strong Tailoring when the Boys are Clothed here! You get style, originality, and fitting with an individual effect, and above all the satisfaction of knowing that you bave the right thing at the right prioe! We're the Store for Young Men!
Barasch's Dep't Store
THE CLOTHIERS
65 So. Main Street FREEPORT, L I.
tuxphone m2>i
HUBHES4B>
29natlMtiiAv.-68CMrfSt. ^Hi*
9ID0T Corrects all Dlfllcalt Olbnl Defecto of Vision. v|
EIPERT.'
ETE-TKSTING FREE | Consult at. Once. *
Help Wanted andFurnished
COMPETENT, EXPERIENCED NURSES; MAIDS, COOKS, AND GENERAL HOUSEWORKERS; PIECE AND FAMILY LAUNDERING. HOUSE AND FURNITURE RENOVATING. MEN BY DAY, WEEK OR MONTH. ALL KINDS OF WORK BY CONTRACT.
An der sonV Employment Agency
12 WAVERLY PLACE-TELEPHONE 890 FREEPORT, N. Y.
Education Is The Best Investment
Commercial Education is the Most Rapidly Acquired and Pays the Biggest Dividends
"Browne's Business College'"
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Ticket blanks fur¬ nished Long Itland ttudcnts. aecuiing rail' road ratea lower than commutation.
Flatbush and Lafayette Avenue*, Brooklsna, N. Y.
TELEPHONE, MAIN 1356
One Block From Long Island Railroad. Depot
WE HAVE NO BRANCH SCHOOLS ANYWHERE DAY AND EVENING SESSION
Indhridiial InstnictioiL Graduates Placed. Opei AD SmuDer. BegiB Now
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