The Mooreland Leader. (Mooreland, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, April 23, 1909 Page: 4 of 8
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I
Mc
Jr.
By Omer Schnoebelen.
MOORELAND,
OKLA.
I I I IHI I TT
THE
VANISHING
FLEETS
By
ROY NORTON
ILLUSTRATED BY A. WEIL
2£
Copyright, 1U07, bjr The An uoi u«l Huudkj
8YNOP3IS.
"Vanishing Fleets," a story of "what
might have happened," opens In Wash-
ington with the united States and Japan
near war. Ouy Hilller, secretary of the
RrillBh embassy, and Miss Norma Rob-
erts, chief aide of Inventor Roberts, are
introduced as lovers. Japan declares war
and takes the Philippines. Guy Hilller
starts for England. Norma Roberts
leaves Washington for the Florida coast.
Hawaii Is captured by the Japs. All ports
are closed. Tokyo learns of missing Jap-
anese fleet and whole world becomes con-
vinced that United States has powerful
war agency. En« ind decides to send
a fleet to American waters as a Canadian
protection against what the British sup-
pose Is a terrible submarine flotilla, mi-
ller Is Hent with a message. Fleet mys-
teriously disappears. The kaiser Is miss-
ing. King Edward England is con-
fronted by Admiral Bevlns of the United
States. The Dreadnaught, biggest of Eng-
land's warships. Is discovered at an Im-
passable point In the Thames. The story
now goes back to a time many months
before the war breaks out, and inventor
Roberts visits the president and cabinet,
telling of and exhibiting a metal produc-
tion. Tills overcomes friction when elec-
trified and Is to be appll«d to vessels.
Roberts evolves a great flying machine.
The cabinet plans a radioplane war
against Japanese. The start Is made for
the scene of conflict. The Japanese fleet,
believing Nippon supreme, suddenly dis-
cerns the radioplane fleet. After maneu-
vering the airships descend, and by use
of strong magnets lift the wnrshlps. one
by one, from the sea. The vessels are
deposited In a mountain lake in tne
United States to await peace. The Brit-
ish fleet accepts American hospitality and
Is conveyed to the United Slates by the
wingless terrors.
CHAPTER XX—Continued.
"Admiral, do you think there la any
gunnery that can hurt us, anything
that can overtake us, or that if we
■wish to we may not master the
world?" he asked in a voice of ex-
treme quiet.
Fields shrugged his shoulders hope-
lessly, made a grimace, and looked at
his fellows. "Gentlemen," he said in
a dry tone, "it seems to me that we
should without any delay accept the
hospitality which the United States
has extended so courteously."
The others appreciated the grim
humor of the situation, and in like
vein acquiesced. The surprise which
they had undergone was nothing
compared to that with which, as the
day waned, they witnessed the lifting
of their craft from the waters. With
the utmost care the task was accom-
plished, and everything made ready
for the westward journey. Only one
mishap occurred beyond the necessary
damage to the ships, and that was not
discovered until the following day. A
sailor of the Dreadnought, maddened
by the spectacle he had witnessed,
had unleashed a life raft unobserved
and thrown himself and It into the
water by the use of its tackle at some
hour of darkness when the vessels
were traveling at slow speed and
close to the surface of the waves. Rev-
Ins grieved more over this Incident
than any other; for he had set his
heart upon a bloodless victory.
Thus It was that on the following
day there rested In the Chesapeake a
fleet whose flres were banked, whose
men were prohibited from shore
leave and whose chief officers were
guests In the principal hotels of New
York and Washington under pledge of
secrecy. Rut in this they might take
heart: although some slight damage
had been inflicted on the vessels, in no
Instance did the flag come down, and
from each staff floated the union jack
unsullied. Communication between
ships and shores was interdicted; so
even the inhabitants of the borders
could do no more than look and guess
as to how the fleet had sailed in with-
out attracting attention or meeting
with rebuff
Another report came from China
that the fleet of the dragon was still
under waiting orders: hence there was
nothing for the administration to do
but mark time, which it did with poor
grace. Within a few days, however,
a more disturbing report came from
Europe by way of Canada, the usual
source of communication. It was to
the effect that the kaiser, learning of
the disappearance of the Rritish fleet,
~nd believing it destroyed, was show-
ing quick signs of aparression. Vainly
the administration hoped that his
belligerent intentions might be over-
estimated; but the passage of days
proved that he might be a menace to
the general plan
It was hourly expected that the pres-
ence of the radloplanes would be re-
quired In the west to meet the Chinese.
In view of this necessity, it was de-
cided to dispatch Brockton and Jen-
kins to Berlin on a mission of diplo-
macy, They were ordered to visit the
kaiser at night, landing at a time and
place where they could escape obser-
vation, Induce the emperor and his
chancellor to get aboard the radio-
plane, and then, after it had been
demonstrated that Germany would be
powerless In the event of war, to de-
liver messages announcing that the
[ United States purposed to gain what
I support she could for a world's peace
voluntarily, but would compel it if
need be.
Jenkins was familiar with the Ger-
man capital, having been naval at-
tache there for a number of years. It
was he who evolved the details. The
American ambassador was unaware of
hiB country's defense until Informed
on the night of the arrival, and was
speedily enlisted in the enterprise.
Through him the kaiser granted the
Interview, which led to his visiting
the radioplane which bad been brought
to rest beyond the outskirts of the
city.
Brockton's task proved a most dif-
ficult one; for the emperor, a man of
science and interested in all engines
of warfare, insisted on being conveyed
not only to the plant on the key, but
across Chesapeake bay, where he
might look down upon the British
fleet. The night was Ideal for the
purpose, Nature seeming to lend her-
self In behalf of peace. The Norma,
now fully fitted and comfortable, was
utilized for the mission. Like all
others of the American fleet, she car-
ried provisions sufficient to enable
her to pass many times round the
world in case of emergency.
The kaiser marveled at the display
of ingenuity, and was told all but the
secret, without which no one could
cast the radioactive metal. He was
even permitted to handle the steering
levers and direct her flight for a time,
and entered Into this with the en-
thusiasm of a boy. He would have
driven her through the air at a speed
which would have heated her interior
had he not been cautioned, and re-
linquished his place in the hood only
when the shores of the western con-
tinent were reached and loomed dark-
ly far below.
It had not been Brockton's intention
to show him over the plant on the
key; but the sovereign insisted that
he permitted to alight, It being his
first visit to America, which he had
always longed to make, but had never
anticipated. He was permitted to
traverse the great machine shops and
view the working of the blast furnace,
and also to gaze at the formidable fleet
of monsters that rested idly along the
beach. Muffled in his great coat to
avoid recognition, he was strictly In-
cognito, and met neither the inven-
tor, "the assistant," nor Bevins, who
many hours before had retired to their
rest.
His mood of curiosity had given
way to one of thoughtfulness when the
Norma again took him aboard and
started northward. He sat silently in
the central chamber of the radioplane,
taking no part in the conversation be-
tween the chancellor and Brockton,
until the machine hovered over the
waters of the Chesapeake, on the
bosom of which, at anchor, rested the
British fleet, and then discussed the
possibilities of crossing the continent
to Lake Washington.
Brockton was compelled to enter a
protest, explaining that inasmuch as
the element of time for his return
must enter into their calculations,
they had only a small margin. The
kaiser remembered that he-was in a
machine which annihilated space; but
that in traveling from the west to the
east the difference in the rising hour
of the sun meant much in maintaining
secrecy; so he reluctantly relinquished
the idea.
"But it will not trouble you, will it,
to carry me across the cordon which
has been established between your
country and Canada on the homeward
flight?" he asked, and to this Brock-
ton assented.
They turned to the north, and at a
high altitude saw far below them the
constant glow of searchlights dotting
out In streamers of white the bound-
ary line between the two countries. As
fas as the eye could reach to the east
and the west the watch was being
maintained unceasingly. The kaiser
recovered his good humor, laughed,
and then, having nothing more to view
below, returned to the hood, where b^
again asked to manipulate the ma-
chine.
Jenkins was not pleased by the
recklessness with which his august
guest experimented with the levers
and switches; but feared to remon-
strate, though uttering an occasional
word of caution. Suddenly, as if con-
fused. the kaiser opened three
switches at once. The machine gave
a mighty lurch, and failed to obey the
expert hand that was instantly reached
forward to control it. The needle
showing the direction took a swift
leap and pointed to the northwest.
The kaiser stepped back from the
hood, while Jenkins vainly strove to
bring the Norma back into her east-
ward course. Rapidly he pulled the
switches to and fro; but no answering
spark showed that they were In con-
tact. In alarm he checked the speed
of the radioplane, and called to Brock-
ton, who, frightened by the erratic
movements of the craft, had entered
the hood.
"I have to report, sir," Jenkins said,
"that the steering currents of the
radioplane are out of order, and that
we can no longer direct her course.
She is now heading nor'-nor'west."
Brockton's brows came together in
a scowl. Nothing but the presence of
his majesty prevented an explosion.
"What do you suggest?" he asked,
sharply.
"That we come to land and make
an examination and whatever repairs
are necessary, sir."
"Very well. Do so at once!"
Within a few minutes the Norma
had found a lower level and her
searchlights were bringing into view
the ground beneath. They were travel-
ing slowly over the primeval forest
In far upper Canada. A spot came to
view where there were no trees, and
Into this, like a crippled bird, the
Norma came to a stop and rested.
The emperor watched the first at-
tempts to define the difficulty with
anxiety, and then, yielding to his de-
sire for a sight of the open, asked "and
obtained the unclosing of the port,
through which he sauntered into the
night. Without observing what was
around him, he stood leaning against
the shell of the radioplane, thinking
with annoyance of the difficulties of
state which might accrue if his ab-
sence extended over a day. He was
aroused by the sounds of hammering
and rending within, and re-entered the
craft, which was now flooded with a
blinding glare of radiance brought Into
life by the ceaselessly turning dyn-
amos.
On their knees, with uniforms cast
aside, and recklessly tearing away the
carefully wrought woodwork of the
paneled side, were the admiral and the
engineer, while back of them the *dls-
tracted chancellor of the empire held
"Gott in Himmeli" Burst from the
Emperor's Lips.
a short crowbar in his hands and
displayed muscular arms which had
been bared to the elbow.
"I am sorry, your majesty," apolo-
gized the admiral, looking up from
his work, "but I am afraid that a
confused handling of the levers has ex-
posed a weakness. A cross current, a
burned insulation and a bad coanec
tion have fused our wires somewhere,
and we may be delayed for a short
time."
"How long?"
"I cannot say. Aside from the de-
lay, there need be no apprehension
because we have abundant food. We
shall have to uncover the damaged
section before we can estimate the
length of our stay."
Fairly gritting his teeth In rage, the
kaiser turned on his heel and strode
out Into the open air again. What a
fool he had been to. intrust himself to
a strange mechanism which at best
was treacherous! A day's delay would
not mean much; but what if they were
detained for many? The waning moon
had risen, and in its light he marched
up and down a stretch of turf with
military precision, until his anger be-
gan to disappear and his natural phil-
osophy to afford relaxation. He be-
came conscious of the beauties of the
night and the wilderness, and as time
went on was engrossed in contemplat-
ing them.
Only the moon and he seemed In
possession of this cleft in the forest
this grass-carpeted glade in^the center
of whose breadth a hurrying brook
threw strange ribbons of light upv.ard
Bordering this asylum of the wilder-
ness were the illimitable shadow:
cast by lofty spruce, flr and hemlock
trees, which thrust their slender
plumes like curious observers high
above the denser growths of scrubby
birch and jack pine. Here and there
were splotches of light where the
moon found ragged openings," making
of the woods a royal robe spotted
without regularity. It was a world of
enchantment, mysterious in its still-
ness, mystic in its beauty and alluring
in its atateiiness. Cares of stale were
forgotten, and he was yielding to its
spell when a voice at bis elbow speak-
ing in his native tongue interrupted
I his.meditations.
"Your majesty," the chancellor said, 1
they have found the break, and say
that with the tools at command It will
require several days perhaps to re-
pair it. Admiral Bevins expresses his
regrets and—"
"Gott im himmel!" burst from the
emperor's lips, and with a gesture of
hopelessness he waved his subject
away and began an agitated march
backward and forward, while the chan-
cellor returned to render what assis-
tance he could.
CHAPTER XXI.
His Majesty's Visit.
In the heart of the woods, untrodden
before by man, the sound of the ham-
mer awoke the German emperor after
his hours of anxious study. By choice
he had declined to sleep in the radio-
plane, and rolled himself In his blan-
kets on an open spot of turf. The cares
of the day were upon him again with
all their perplexities. The sun had not
risen, and the cool breath of the morn-
ing came to his lungs with iuvlgorat-
lng freshness, while a bird of the far
north was beginning a thin piping to
its mate, and a camp robber, brilliant-
ly impertinent, hopped round his
woodland couch and gazed unabashed
at royalty.
He threw aside the blankets which
ad been tightly rolled round him,
walked to the brook, whose song had
lulled him in his dreams of the night,
and bathed his hands and face in the
icy water. A great trout, disturbed
by the intrusion, sped swiftly away
from a rock and disappeared in a
dark pool with a final sweep of its
tail. The emperor dried his face on
his handkerchief and walked slowly
across the glade to the Norma, which
he entered curiously.
There they all were as on the night
before, tired, work-worn and anxious,
the chancellor still with his sleeves
rolled up, the rear admiral stripped to
his undershirt and the engineer peer-
ing through his glasses at the tangles
of wire. On the night before the
kaiser had stormed and threatened,
had mumbled angry soliloquies, and
sworn mighty oaths to the unheeding
woods. Now at the sight of these
faces before him he understood to the
full that these, his hosts, must have
labored throughout the night trying
to undo the accident which perhaps his
own hands had wrought. It softened
his mood.
They saluted him, and Brockton rose
stiffly to his feet, wiped his hands on
his trousers, and repaired to the rear
of the radioplane, from which he
apologetically returned with breakfast
for his guest. The emperor ate with
an appetite which was made keen by
the balsamy night air in which he had
slept, and then began wishing that
he, too, might take part in this manual
toll. Almost involuntarily he assisted
the fat old chancellor, who was pry-
ing loose another board with a crow-
bar; but he felt that he was in the
way, and after lounging round the
craft-for a time decided that he would
have another look at the brook. It
was swarming with trout, and, half
ashamed of his zest, he returned to
the Norma, and, like a boy preparing
to play truant, furtively secured a
line, and attached it to a fly which he
had in his pocket book.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
WHITE DEER WAS STONE DEAF.
THE GOSPEL
IN ANTIOCH
Soaday School Letioa for April 25, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper
Remarkable Animal Encountered by
Hunters in the Woods of Maine.
Speaking of blindness, deafness and
dumbness among cats and dogs. Dr.
H. D. Gill, veterinary surgeon and
horseman, told incidentally of a re-
markable wild animal, a deer, that
was once encounteied by two friends
of his who were hunting near Moose-
head lake in Maine.
Out-with a guide, the hunters came
to a spot from which they could see
within shooting distance four deer
grazing, one of the four being white,
an albino. The hunters fired and shot
two of the deer of natural color, the
third one at the report of the guns
springing away to safety, while the
white deer remained stock still.
The wind was toward the hunters
and they had not been heard or
scented, and apparently the white deer
had nOt heard the guns. But in a mo-
ment it turned its hehd and then it
bounded away after the other surviv
ing deer.
It seemed clear to guide and hunt
ers that the white deer was stone
deaf.
Juvenile Logic.
Marie is a very bright kindergarten
pupil. She same home to her parents
the other day and told them that the
kindergarten teacher had said she will
grow up to be a very nice looking
young lady if she Is a good girl, but
will grow up to be a very ugly wom-
an if she is a naughty girl. "Is that
true, mamma?" asked Marie, and she
was informed that if the teacher .aid
so it was true. Marie sat stil for
a while pondering seriously. "But
lUamma," she suddenly burst forth
asain, "why was the kindergarten
teacher 60 naughty when she was a
little girl?"
Sadness in Memory.
Tennyson: Sorrow's crown of si,i
row is remembering happier things.
LESSON TEXT.—Acts 11:13-30; 12:25.
Memory verses 22, 23.
GOLDEN TEXT.—"The disciples were
called Christians first In Antioch."—Acts
11:26.
TIME.—The Antioch church was formed
soon after the martyrdom of Stephen. A.
D. 36. Paul and Barnabas were at An-
tioch in some part of A. D. 43-46. The
famines occurred during A. D. 43-48; that>
In Palestine (Ramsay) in A. D. 46. The
visit of Paul and Barnabas (Ramsay) to
Jerusalem was probably the same year,
A. D. 46.
PLACE.—Antioch, the rich and impor-
tant capital of Syria, 300 miles north of
Jerusalem. St. Luke was a native of An-
tioch; so was Chrysostom.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
"Having proceeded to such a
length, the rage of the people turned
upon the whole Christian body."—Cam-
bridge Bible. The disciples "were scat-
tered abroad." The Greek verb la
based upon the thought of seed-sowing,
and Indeed every disciple was a seed
of truth. May all Christians be such
when they go abroad, traveling either
for business or pleasure. The Jews
were like foolish children trying to
stamp out a forest fire, and merely
spreading more widely the sparks and
blazing coals. The disciples were
driven "as far as Phenice" (Phoenicia,
the Mediterranean coast north of Gall-
lee), "and Cyprus" (the large Mediter-
ranean island northwest of Jerusalem,
60 miles from the Phoenician coast),
"and Antioch" (the most northern city
on the coast. Thus the fleeing Chris-
tians, "following the track of coasting
vessels, went northward."—Rackham.
It Is easy even for the modern
church to conceive Jewish prejudices,
and fe^l that there is no possibility
of much good outside "our" denomina-
tion, or "our" country, or "our" race.
True Christianity, however, makes its
followers realize that all men are
brothers for whom Christ died, and
that the most degraded nations and
races have in them the making of
saints and apostles.
V. 21. "A great number believed, and
turned unto the Lord." The reasons
for this were many:
1. The Christians who established
the Antioch church had been strength-
ened by persecutions, which they had
met with unflinching bravery and
fidelity.
2. The very vices of Antioch showed
the need of a purifying gospel, and
doubtless many were disgusted with
them and eager to turn from them.
The strongest Christians often grow
up amid corruption
3. The people of Antioch were ener-
getic, vigorous, in the habit of doing
things. The aggressive character of
Christianity appealed to them, and
when they accepted the new religion,
they carried into it the same activity
that had brought success in the world-
ly enterprises of Antioch.
4. But the chief reason for the
growth of the Antioch church is given
in the text. "The hand of the Lord
was with them." "The hand" is the
symbol of power and of work. Willing
Christians are God's hands. Through
them God can easily accomplish what
would be impossible to their unaided
efforts. Here were a little group of
refugees, poor, despised, pursued.
Here was one of the world's proudest,
mightiest, richest, wickedest cities.
And the handful of refugees so moved
upon the city that three centuries later
Its greatest son, Chrysostom the gold-
en-mouthed preacher, said that half its
population were Christian.
V. 22. "They sent forth Barnabas,"
that he might (1) learn the exact state
of affairs, since rumors, untrustwor-
thy even in these days of the tele-
graph, were doubly doubtful then; (2)
encourage the new disciples; (3) warn
them against error, and (4) prevent
discord between the Jewish and Gen-
tile converts, of which the sequel
showed the real danger (Acts 15:1-25).
They might have sent a letter, but
face-to-face methods are always best.
V. 28. "A great dearth throughout all
the world ... in the days of
Claudius," the Roman emperor who
reigned A. D. 41-54. This does not
mean "all the world" in our enlarged
sense, but all the civilized world, the
Roman empire; nor does it mean that
the famine fell upon all parts simul-
taneously. That widespread failure of
harvests and scarcity of food did occur
is "singularly well attested, consider-
ing the scantiness of evidence for this
period. Suetonius alludes to asslduae
sterilitate8 causing famine prices un-
der Claudius, while Dion Cassius and
Tacitus speak of two famines in
Rome; and famine in Rome implied
dearth in the great corn-growing coun-
tries of the Mediterranean; Euseblus
mentions famine In Greece, and an in-
scription perhaps refers to famine in
Asia Minor."—Ramsey. The famine
probably occurred in Judea A. D. 44-46.
Josephus tells us that the Syrian
queen Helena of Adiabene, a Jewish
proselyte who was then In Jerusalem,
Imported corn and figs from Egypt and
Cyprus, which she distributed among
the people to save them from starva-
I tion.
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The Mooreland Leader. (Mooreland, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, April 23, 1909, newspaper, April 23, 1909; Mooreland, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc157785/m1/4/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.