The Argosy, June 1904 — page 75: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FORCED INTO SOLDIERY. Turks will come here, let us get'a band together who will fight.” “Wight! Fight! But we are Chris- tians.” * Are you?” I asked, surveying the cowering, cowardly group. “ The Lord must be proud of you.” I turned and walked back to the door of Adria’s room. After a loud knock I heard her voice. “Ts that you, Frank: “Yes. Are you ready to come out?” “T am awake and dressed. JL hear shouting. Come in and tell me what it is all about.” I opened the door. The girl stood near the window of her room with her rifle ready for instant use. “Tt is said that the Turks have at- tacked the village,” I explained. “ That is Ww hat I thought it was,” said calmly. “ Are there many?” “ Everybody here is too demoralized by fear to know anything,” I answered. “Nufet, the proprictor- ‘of. this grand establishment, who is a Christian, is wringing his hands in ter ror, and doing nothing “to defend his place.” “T know,” she said. “They will crouch and cower and then tell of the ercat excess of numbers that overcame them. I suppose a dozen wild brigands are attacking the village and could be defeated in ten minutes by twenty de- termined men.” “TI believe you, Adria. But where are we to get the twenty determined men?” “Well, PU be one, and you are worth three, so that’s four. If the innkeeper will be another, that’s five. We ought to eet fifteen others.” “Ts this Paris education?” “No, this is common sense. The world is filled with horrible news of villages being -sacked and robbed and the people tortured by bandits or Turkish soldiers. Do you think that a company of soldiers could sack a town if the inhabitants fought like men?” “ But the men are mostly in the army. The women——” “Nonsense! I am a woman. If I could not fight better than the average man in Turkey I would—well, I’d be ashamed.” “ And do you insist on fighting? ” A 9 2? she PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG connichook cried. o61 “Tf this inn is attacked I shall fight till my last—no till next to my last cart- ridge is gone. Then—we will say good- by “You are a heroine. Then come! Let’s get the crowd in order.” The wildly gesticulating throng seemed frightened by our appearance. Adria and I each carried a rifle, and she, in her peasant’s garb, seemed as danger- ous asa fighting man. In fact, “not one of the eroup knew she was a oitl. “What will you do?” asked Nufet, rubbing his hands together and glancing o with ay prehension at our rifles. “You fool!” I said. “ We are going to defend this inn. Have you no guns? ” “Yes, we have guns.” “Then why not get them out and de- fend your homes? 2 “But the Osmanli?” “ Nufet, you are cither a fool or the biggest coward IL know. Now get your guns and let us stand together and de- feat these Turks.” “ But they cannot be defeated.” “Well, you are the limit. A few women from my country could teach your men courage. Get the guns.” Alas!” “Cut ont your alas! Get the guns!” Nufet looked at me a moment in dumb surprise. L had clubbed the rifle Schryada had given me, and stood as if ready to batter out what little brains he had. “T will,” he said sullenly, and left. Shortly he returned with half a dozen miserable old rifles that had not been used in years and were about at the end of their period of usefulness when they had been in service. “ Now get your men,’ I ordered hin. “They are coming! Listen!” he “Who will fioht ? 7 “All!” shouted the eroup. Nufet flung the rifles on the floor aud fled. We saw his portly and manly form disappearing through a doorway lead- ing to some hiding-place he had beneath the level of the ground. The others, ‘about six in number, turned to flee in like manner. “Stop or I will kill you all!” T shouted, aiming my rifle at the one near- est the door. ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED CO