The Boy Scouts Afoot in France; or, With the Red Cross Corps at the Marne

CHAPTER XXVI

THE BADGE OF COURAGE AND HONOR “Not a thing,” snapped the tall scout, vigorously. “I waved to ’em as I drew near the houses. They seemed to be clustered in a bunch as if they’d been talking over something. Then one woman pointed at me, and say, if the whole pack didn’t make a break in my direction. Well, I thought at first I’d stand and try to explain; but when I saw those curved sickles and those big hoes swinging through the air, and heard how they whooped it up, why, I guessed it’d be a heap healthier for a fellow of my size in a different atmosphere. So I ran.” “I should say you did,” Bumpus told him, admiringly; “why, Giraffe, you just flew , that’s what you did. I warrant you only hit the high places right along. But what do you suppose they had against you to make ’em act like wild hyenas?” Giraffe was not the fellow to try and hide behind excuses when he had made a mess of things. In this case, however, he expressed himself most emphatically. “I tell you I never did a single thing to that bunch of crazy people!” he went on to say loudly, so that the others could all hear him. “I hadn’t a chance to, for you see they started at me before I got close enough to speak. I was just waving my hand to ’em, social-like, when one woman gave a screech, and then they commenced to make Rome howl. Wow! they’re certainly a queer lot, these French peasants. I’d like to know what there is about my looks to make ’em so hopping mad. I knew I was homely, like Abe Lincoln, but I didn’t think it’d get me into such a peck of trouble as all that.” “There must have been a reason for it,” said Thad over his shoulder; “though we may never find it out. Those people are as a rule friendly to strangers, and willing to accommodate. Something queer has happened to upset them, I should say.” “Well, I’ll never be happy till I learn what it was,” asserted the aggrieved Giraffe, “if I’d been one of the Greeks they tell you to beware of, bearing gifts, they couldn’t have acted worse. Yes, there must have been a reason. And what hurts me worst of all is that I’m still as hungry as ever.” They continued to speculate with regard to the strange thing that had happened, but none of them could hit upon any plausible cause. Later on they happened to hear something that gave Giraffe a clue upon which he worked assiduously. Many wild stories were in circulation at that time when the German armies were threatening Paris again. One of the most extravagant of these was to the effect that some monster German airships had set out for the French capital, intending to drop bombs, and create a reign of terror back of the French lines, so as to cause Joffre to give way. It may have been that some gossipy neighbor had just been telling them a wonderful story about certain daring vandals who had been lowered from these gigantic Teuton dirigibles, with orders to terrorize the whole country by starting fires and creating a panic. Just then they saw Giraffe running toward them, waving his arms in a strange way. It was like setting a match to a train of powder. They saw in this stranger one of the hated and feared German monsters of whom mothers had been talking for many years when children had to be subdued. And inspired by a mad desire to capture or destroy the stranger, who had evidently left the car, and run back so as to set fire to their houses, they had started toward Giraffe with all that hostile outbreak. It seemed a rather “fishy” explanation taken in all, even Giraffe was bound to admit; and yet not altogether impossible. In those black days when the invaders were rushing toward Paris many stories just as improbable found ready listeners, and were fully believed by the credulous peasants. They were all pleased when they could no longer catch that angry chorus of cries and hoots. As for Giraffe, he shuddered a little to contemplate what might have happened had he ever allowed those excited peasants to surround him, unable to speak their language as he was. Going hungry might be bad enough, but it was not a circumstance to being man-handled by a mob. “I wonder what next?” Bumpus was saying. “It seems that we just have to work our way along as we go. Didn’t I say the last lap was always the hardest of all to cover? We’re got time for a whole lot more adventures before we enter Paris.” “I’m looking to see some sign of that much traveled highway ahead of us,” Giraffe mentioned a few minutes later. “Seems to me we had ought to be nearly across country by this time. When we get out from behind those trees I calculate we’ll be able to glimpse something worth while.” Once again was Giraffe correct. No sooner had they cleared the obstruction to their view than they discovered the road in question. It stood out in plain sight, and there were as usual quite a number of vehicles passing back and forth in regular procession. Everybody seemed more or less excited. From this fact Giraffe expressed the belief that the news of the great French victory must have been passed along, so that it was already common property. Men called out to one another, and in their voluble French fashion cried, “Vive la France! vive Joffre!” “Well,” said Giraffe, “we’re coming to the road, all right, but there’s another little trouble imp laying for us at the corner. If you look sharp you can see some men in army blue standing there; and they’ve already got their eyes on this fine car. It wouldn’t surprise me much if they wanted to take the same away from us, Thad. Bumpus, you said you could walk it, if you had to; so I advise you to get ready for business. There, that means for us to haul up; and that man in the lead looks savage enough to bite your head off, Bumpus; so be careful what you say!” CHAPTER XXVI THE BADGE OF COURAGE AND HONOR Bumpus failed to make any reply to this taunt on the part of Giraffe. He did sit up very straight, however, and cast an anxious look toward the little group of soldiers, one of whom had stepped upon the road and half raised his gun in a suggestive way. “Get out!” snapped the determined looking man who seemed to be in command of the squad, and wore chevrons on his sleeve to indicate that he was a non-commissioned officer. Of course he said this in French, but Thad knew what the words stood for. Even without that knowledge the commanding gesture with which they were accompanied must have told what was wanted. “But we are Americans, and this is our car. We expect to go to Paris, M’sieu. We carry a permit also.” “Get out; your car is needed by the French Government. We are taking every one we can find. No words now, or you may be sorry for it!” Thad did not seem to be shocked when he heard the other say this so brutally. He knew that the man had been sent out to round up all the means of transportation possible, and that his orders were to let none escape, whether the cars of the very rich, or the vans of business men. Indeed, what surprised Thad most of all was to hear himself addressed in such excellent English. Apparently, this man then had not spent his whole life within the borders of his native country, but must have lived abroad. “Please do not be in so great a hurry, M’sieu,” he went on to say pleasantly, as he put his hand to his pocket in search of the paper given to him by the obliging colonel. “Listen, we have been serving France with the Red Cross. See, even now one of my comrades still wears the band about his arm. Then, too, we had the happiness of assisting to carry dispatches to the front. For doing this we received a paper to show to any one like yourself who might wish to detain us, or take our car away. Kindly glance your eye over this, and then decide, M’sieu.” With that he flashed the magical document in front of the bluff sergeant, who had no other recourse but to read what was there written. It was wonderful what a change came over the man as soon as he saw the name at the bottom. He looked up into the face of Thad wonderingly. “What does it all mean?” he demanded in a subdued tone. “I see a name all France loves to honor, the man who this very day has saved our country. Do you mean to tell me you have been with General Joffre at the front, you boys?” “We have entered his Headquarters, we have shaken hands with him, and he has thanked us for what we did. More than that he gave us this paper you can see, with his name at the bottom. Is it enough, M’sieu? Can we go on to Paris, where we have promised to turn this car over to the military authorities for their service?” The bluff sergeant snatched off his cap. “I salute you, comrades. Pardon the little inconvenience we have put you to. I envy you your good fortune. The road is open to you, and here is your wonderful paper. Would that I had such a proud heritage to hand down to my children.” He stood at attention, with his hand upraised, as did the other soldiers, who while possibly not understanding everything, had heard enough to know that these wonderful American boys clad in those faded khaki uniforms had been in the company of the Great Commander. Thad would have liked to converse longer with the man, for he saw that he must be an uncommon character, but time was too valuable to waste just then. Bumpus was grieving, and wanting to learn the truth as to the safety of his mother. So Thad returned the soldier’s salute, and started up his engine, which had been suffered to stop working while they were detained, as gasolene or petrol was valuable. The last they saw of the sergeant he was waving his hand after them. Bumpus drew a long breath. “Another narrow escape!” he ventured, with a vein of relief in his voice. “Oh! a miss is as good as a mile!” sang Giraffe. “Some way or other we seem to get around every difficulty that crops up. Sometimes it’s Thad’s knowledge of mechanics that saves us; and then again it turns out we have in our possession a little magical document that makes friends out of enemies.” “Yes,” added Bumpus, drily, “you forget one important thing that has saved at least one member of the crowd a tanning, and that’s the possession of a good pair of running legs, and the ability to use the same.” “I guess you’re right there, Bumpus,” acknowledged the other. “Now, if it had been you that same mob was chasing after, I can see your finish, because they’d have grabbed you in less’n no time.” “Then it was lucky you got hungry instead of me,” chuckled the stout boy, as he once more settled himself back comfortably in his seat. The soldiers had been stationed at a commanding point, for it was at the junction of the two roads. No doubt they had been able to commandeer numerous cars and other vehicles; for certain wealthy old men in Paris having learned about the victory won by the French army were beginning to come out, with the desire to gaze upon the scene; and this gave the watchers a chance to stop them and send a soldier back in charge of the car. “On the home-stretch at last, Bumpus!” exclaimed Giraffe. “I recognize this section, and we can’t be more’n ten miles out of the city. Before long we’ll begin to catch glimpses of the distant Eiffel Tower and some of the higher buildings. But there are still a number of pretty little villages to pass through.” “Thad, I’m going to ask a favor of you!” called out Bumpus just then. “Go ahead, then,” floated back over the shoulder of the pilot at the wheel. “Now we could easily get another back here in the tonneau of this wide car by squeezing a little. I’ve noticed several wounded soldiers walking toward the city, and there’s one right now ahead of us. Why couldn’t we offer to take him in, and give him a lift? I’d be willing to hang on outside, if need be, so’s to assist one or two of those noble chaps.” “Bully for you, Bumpus; you’re always thinking of some one else!” applauded Giraffe, who could appreciate these things even if they did not seem to come to him in the same way they did to the other comrade. “And we’ll do it, too!” exclaimed Thad, only too willing to be of service to one of those who trudged along through the dust, heading for a hospital. So as they overtook the walking man Bumpus called out to him. “Hey! there, don’t you want to get in, and ride to the city with us?” he asked. Thad brought the car to a standstill, for the soldier had stopped upon hearing a voice hail him. They saw that he was a youngish sort of man wearing a short beard. He had his right arm bound up with bandages, showing that the busy workers at some field hospital must have taken care of him, after which he was to go to a base hospital for further attention and recovery. “But I do not go to Paris just yet, young Messieurs,” he told them in good English too, for many Frenchmen speak the language, as they come in frequent intercourse with the people across the Channel. “My home it is in a village outside the city. First I must show myself to my wife and family, that they may know I am yet alive. Then, too, I have something else that they should see.” With that he turned more fully toward them, and Thad saw to his great surprise that the private was actually wearing a glittering emblem. It was really the Cross of the Legion of Honor, only bestowed, like the English Victoria Cross, upon some man who has shown extraordinary valor in battle, performed some wonderful feat of bravery, in fact. To see it on the breast of a humble wounded private trudging wearily along a dusty road near Paris naturally gave the boys a thrill. They looked upon the man now as an exalted hero, for he surely must have done something wonderful; and yet if that were so how did it come that he still occupied such a humble rank? His eyes were glittering with happiness. He touched that emblem proudly, and with almost reverence. “Ah! young Messieurs,” they heard him say, “it was mon colonel himself who tore this splendid medal off his own coat and pinned it there. ‘It shall stay,’ he told me, plain Jaques Leforge and but a private, ‘it shall stay until I see your own fastened there.’ And that too on the field of battle, with men dying all around us. That was a most proud moment for me, let me assure you. And as I walk along all this way to my home I am telling myself that my Janet and the little ones they too will be glad, for never again can any one point a finger at Jaques Leforge and say he is a coward, and that his blood is water.” “What! did they say that of you, then?” asked Thad, deeply interested in what he was hearing, for it seemed as though they were on the point of learning how a miracle had been wrought in the nature of this man. “It is too true, M’sieu,” the other replied, sadly. “All my life I have been told that I had no spirit, that I would never stand the test when it came to war; that the heart of a timid man dwelt under my uniform. So I too had come to believe it, even I, Jaques Leforge, who should have known better. I often told myself I was meant for only a poltroon, a coward; and when the war came I went to my place in my regiment believing that I should die of fright when the guns rang in my ears, and the shells, burst all around me. Ah! that was a strange delusion, M’sieu, a most strange deceit.” “Tell us all about it,” urged Giraffe; while Bumpus leaned over and kept his eyes glued upon that wonderful medal which the dusty private bore upon the left bosom of his blue uniform. “I do not know just how it happened,” continued the man, modesty. “They said we would charge. I shut my eyes, thinking that I might be tempted to run away, and sooner than have such a disgrace come upon me I meant to die. Then we were going in, and all around me men were struggling and striking and dying. I too gave and took and, most wonderful of all, found that I was not afraid. Then came the signal to retreat, for the enemy they were too many for us. As we fell back the cry arose that our colonel had fallen and was left behind. M’sieu, I do not know what possessed me to turn back and run into the mass of the enemy, striking right and left. They swarmed about me, but somehow I always seemed to escape death. Then I saw my colonel there upon the ground, wounded. He waved his hand to me, seeing the blue there; but I did not stop only long enough to snatch him up. Just then I seemed to have the strength of a dozen men. I fought my way through again, and staggering I reached our lines, where my comrades nearly smothered me with caresses. And after that my colonel pinned this to my coat, and said I was a brave man. The best of it to me is that he will live to lead his men again. That is all. And I, Jaques Leforge, did it.” “You must get in here with us,” said Thad. “We will not take no for an answer. You are tired, you are almost spent, and your home may still be some miles away. Besides, we want to put you down there, so that we too may see what those neighbors will say, those who misjudged you all these years, when they see that splendid medal, and know that you have won it.” “That’s the talk,” said Giraffe, promptly; and even Bumpus, much as he wanted to hurry along, would not have arranged it otherwise. So the wounded hero was helped into the car, where they made room for him on the rear seat. It was not more than five minutes later when he pointed ahead with his uninjured hand and called out: “There, you see the little church, M’sieu—my house is at the corner, and that woman who is coming out of the gate, she is my Janet, my wife!” CHAPTER XXVII CONCLUSION As the car bore down and stopped in front of the humble cottage gate the little French peasant woman stared hard, as well she might. To see her “man” riding in such a fine vehicle alongside four strange young chaps was enough to make her believe in miracles. Then, as some of the boys helped Jaques to alight, for he was trembling violently, and could hardly have managed it with one hand, she noticed that he had an arm bound up as though severely wounded. With a cry she flung herself upon him and clasped her arms about his neck. Out of the cottage flew three children whom the soldier hugged as well as he could with that single arm. From neighboring houses flocked the inmates, so that presently there was quite a crowd assembled to see the strange return of Jaques Leforge, the man whom they had always believed to be so sadly lacking in the quality of courage. Then some one discovered the shining badge, pinned to the left breast of his dusty and torn blue coat, which bore many marks of the conflict through which he had so lately passed with such credit. Loud cries attested to their wonder. Jaques was called upon to explain the mystery, which he attempted to do, perhaps after the same fashion that he had in English given it to Thad and the others. It was a picture well worth seeing. The four scouts sat there and looked on with the keenest of interest. Why, even Bumpus for the time being utterly forgot that he was in a terrible hurry; for he wanted to share in the triumph of Jacques. So it sometimes happens that men, as well as boys, bear the name of coward when it is not at all deserved. Poor Jaques had so long been accustomed to hearing his neighbors call him timid and weak-hearted that he had come to take it for granted he was really lacking in moral fiber. But when the war came, and he actually found himself, he was not long in proving the falsity of the charge. From the abject manner of the old men and the chattering women it was evident that the same Jaques would from that hour rank high as the greatest hero the little village in the environs of Paris could ever boast. Thad was only waiting to get a chance to shake hands with the soldier before making a fresh start. The others felt just as he did about it, Giraffe in particular wanting to be able to say that he had actually gripped the fingers of a hero to whom had been awarded that highly prized Cross of the Legion of Honor, which is only bestowed on those who have shown exceptional valor on the battlefield, or in the service of France. Managing to finally catch the eye of Jaques, Thad beckoned to him. Apparently the man understood, and his sense of gratitude caused him to push through the throng of admiring villagers until he reached the side of the car. His wife and children clung to him as though they feared he was about to be whisked out of their sight again before they had hardly seen him. “We are going on, Jaques,” said Thad, “and would shake hands with you first.” “Willingly, young M’sieu!” cried the soldier, “though my neighbors have almost taken the life out of my fingers already. If this is what it means to be reckoned a hero I do not know how much of it I may stand. But I owe you and your comrades a debt, for which I can only give you my thanks. Here then is this wife of mine who cannot yet believe what her eyes tell her, and that her Jaques is wearing a decoration. Tell me your names, if you please, that I may introduce you to her.” This the boys did gladly. They were pleased to see that the brave Jaques had such a neat and adoring little wife, and such a healthy brood of children, the future hope of France. After that there was nothing else to delay them, and so Thad made the start. The last they saw of Jaques he was waving his hat after them, standing happily there in front of his own little white gate; while the crowd still clustered around, eager to see, and if highly favored, even touch that wonderful badge of courage that decorated his torn and bloody coat. “I’d call that a splendid and fitting finish to our experience along the battle line of Joffre’s men!” declared Giraffe, as soon as they were once more progressing along the smooth road. “Yes,” Bumpus added, “we’ve seen the fighting, the taking care of the wounded, and it was only right we should be on hand to take part in the homecoming of the hero. Bully for Jaques, say I, and may he long flourish. That wound of his will get well in time, though I suppose the poor fellow may have to go to the front again, so that perhaps he may never live to see the end of the war.” “You’re mistaken there, Bumpus,” said Thad, on hearing the stout chum paint such a grewsome outlook for the little family of the hero; “Jaques confided to me that he had lost the better part of his hand, and that hence he must be out of the war for good, though he may still serve his country at home in some capacity.” “Well, it’s a funny thing for me to say that I’m glad to hear that,” Bumpus remarked, with a grin, “but you know how I mean it. Jaques has done enough, and ought to be spared for his family’s sake.” “What’s the programme now, Thad?” asked Giraffe, partly rising in his seat as he spoke, in order to stare far ahead, where through the haze he believed he could already catch a glimpse of the city they were heading for. “We’ll find Mrs. Hawtree,” replied the scout leader; “then learn how we can get a steamer for New York. There’s going to be a big rush on the first and second cabin accommodations, and I’m afraid we’ll have trouble in finding berths.” “Oh! that isn’t going to bother me any,” laughed Allan, good naturedly, for with the end of the long and arduous journey through the war-torn region in sight he felt that it was easy to accept things as they came. “If we’re forced to it we can take potluck and go steerage.” “The only thing I don’t like about that,” declared Giraffe, “is the grub part of it. They say you don’t get all you’d like to have in the way of eats. But then, with so many fine society folks having to take steerage passage, mebbe the companies will reform, and do better. Let’s hope so.” “So long as I find my mother, and she’s feeling a heap better,” observed Bumpus, with not a line of worry across his forehead now, “I’m not going to bother my head about such a trifling thing as eating.” “Of course not,” flashed Giraffe, with a grin, “because plump fellows such as you can be like hibernating bears, and live on their fat for a certain length of time; but it is a whole lot different when a slim-jim like me has to go hungry. But I’m considered a pretty good rooter for grub, my folks tell me, and if there’s any to be had I’ll get there. Thad, take a good look right over there, and tell me if you don’t think that’s the old Eiffel Tower right now standing up against the skyline like something on stilts.” At that of course every one showed the most intense interest. Thad, on looking in the quarter indicated by Giraffe’s extended finger, quickly announced that the tall scout’s eagle eye had not deceived him. “Yes, that’s the tower, most certainly,” he said, in a satisfied way; “which fact tells us we’re on the outskirts of Paris at last.” “Everything seems pretty peaceful here, I should say,” Bumpus remarked, just as though he may have been indulging in some sort of wild fancy founded on the mad scenes which history describes as having racked the French capital at the time of the Commune, a hundred and more years back. “Oh! we’ll find Paris pretty quiet, with so many people gone, and business dead,” Allan ventured to say; “but all the same I’m anxious to take a turn about the place now we’re here. I’ve been studying that little guide book we got hold of, and set down a lot of things we ought to see, before we leave for the good old United States.” Under the belief that the great German army of invasion might succeed in investing the capital, tens of thousands of the best inhabitants had departed for points further south; indeed, even the French Assembly had abandoned Paris and gone to a safer place, so that the legislative branch of the government should not suffer in case of a siege, as in the previous experience. As they continued to glide along the smooth avenue, surrounded by scenes of constantly increasing beauty such as can be found in few other places on earth, the four comrades of the khaki felt a sense of peace fill their hearts. They seemed to be far removed from those terrible battlefields upon which they had so lately looked; and it was hard to realize that only a score or so of miles separated the invading German army from the goal which they had set out to capture and hold as a prize. Bumpus lay back in his comfortable seat and dreamed dreams. He had little doubt but that he would be able to find his mother without much trouble, and to him that September day seemed like the end of a bad dream. All the dreadful things that had passed in review before their eyes he would now try to forget, since they had been but a means to an end. Soon they would find themselves threading the streets and broad avenues of the great metropolis, and looking upon the myriads of fluttering tri-color flags which would be given to the breeze as the citizens learned of the wonderful battle which their idol Joffre had won on the banks of the Marne. And here, having safely arrived at their goal, we may leave them, in the hope that at no distant day it may once again be our pleasure to meet Thad and his gallant chums in the pages of still another volume, in which shall be described further interesting and profitable adventures that are likely to come their way. THE END Footnotes [1] See “The Boy Scouts on War Trails in Belgium.” The Boy Scouts Series By HERBERT CARTER Price, 40 Cents per Volume, Postpaid THE BOY SCOUTS ON WAR TRAILS IN BELGIUM; or, Caught Between the Hostile Armies. In this volume we follow the thrilling adventures of the boys in the midst of the exciting struggle abroad. THE BOY SCOUTS DOWN IN DIXIE; or, The Strange Secret of Alligator Swamp. Startling experiences awaited the comrades when they visited the Southland. But their knowledge of woodcraft enabled them to overcome all difficulties. THE BOY SCOUTS AT THE BATTLE OF SARATOGA. A story of Burgoyne’s defeat in 1777. THE BOY SCOUTS’ FIRST CAMP FIRE; or, Scouting with the Silver Fox Patrol. This book brims over with woods lore and the thrilling adventure that befell the Boy Scouts during their vacation in the wilderness. THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE BLUE RIDGE; or, Marooned Among the Moonshiners. This story tells of the strange and mysterious adventures that happened to the Patrol in their trip among the moonshiners of North Carolina. THE BOY SCOUTS ON THE TRAIL; or, Scouting through the Big Game Country. The story recites the adventures of the members of the Silver Fox Patrol with wild animals of the forest trails and the desperate men who had sought a refuge in this lonely country. THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE MAINE WOODS; or, The New Test for the Silver Fox Patrol. Thad and his chums have a wonderful experience when they are employed by the State of Maine to act as Fire Wardens. THE BOY SCOUTS THROUGH THE BIG TIMBER; or, The Search for the Lost Tenderfoot. A serious calamity threatens the Silver Fox Patrol. How apparent disaster is bravely met and overcome by Thad and his friends, forms the main theme of the story. THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES; or, The Secret of the Hidden Silver Mine. The boys’ tour takes them into the wildest region of the great Rocky Mountains and here they meet with many strange adventures. THE BOY SCOUTS ON STURGEON ISLAND; or, Marooned Among the Game Fish Poachers. Thad Brewster and his comrades find themselves in the predicament that confronted old Robinson Crusoe; only it is on the Great Lakes that they are wrecked instead of the salty sea. THE BOY SCOUTS ALONG THE SUSQUEHANNA; or, The Silver Fox Patrol Caught In a Flood. The boys of the Silver Fox Patrol, after successfully braving a terrific flood, become entangled in a mystery that carries them through many exciting adventures. The Boy Allies (Registered in the United States Patent Office) With the Battleships By ENSIGN ROBERT L. DRAKE Price, 40 Cents per Volume, Postpaid Frank Chadwick and Jack Templeton, young American lads, meet each other in an unusual way soon after the declaration of war. Circumstances place them on board the British cruiser “The Sylph” and from there on, they share adventures with the sailors of the Allies. Ensign Robert L. Drake, the author, is an experienced naval officer, and he describes admirably the many exciting adventures of the two boys. THE BOY ALLIES UNDER THE SEA; or, The Vanishing Submarine. THE BOY ALLIES IN THE BALTIC; or, Through Fields of Ice to Aid the Czar. THE BOY ALLIES ON THE NORTH SEA PATROL; or, Striking the First Blow at the German Fleet. THE BOY ALLIES UNDER TWO FLAGS; or, Sweeping the Enemy from the Seas. THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE FLYING SQUADRON; or, The Naval Raiders of the Great War. THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE TERROR OF THE SEAS; or, The Last Shot of Submarine D-16. The Boy Allies With (Registered in the United States Patent Office) the Army By CLAIR W. HAYES Price, 40 Cents per Volume, Postpaid In this series we follow the fortunes of two American lads unable to leave Europe after war is declared. They meet the soldiers of the Allies, and decide to cast their lot with them. Their experiences and escapes are many, and furnish plenty of the good, healthy action that every boy loves. THE BOY ALLIES IN GREAT PERIL; or, With the Italian Army in the Alps. THE BOY ALLIES IN THE BALKAN CAMPAIGN; or, The Struggle to Save a Nation. THE BOY ALLIES AT LIEGE; or, Through Lines of Steel. THE BOY ALLIES ON THE FIRING LINE; or, Twelve Days Battle Along the Marne. THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE COSSACKS; or, A Wild Dash over the Carpathians. THE BOY ALLIES IN THE TRENCHES; or, Midst Shot and Shell Along the Aisne. The Broncho Rider Boys Series By FRANK FOWLER Price, 40 Cents per Volume, Postpaid A series of stirring stories for boys, breathing the adventurous spirit that lives in the wide plains and lofty mountain ranges of the great West. These tales will delight every lad who loves to read of pleasing adventure in the open; yet at the same time the most careful parent need not hesitate to place them in the hands of the boy. THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS WITH FUNSTON AT VERA CRUZ; or, Upholding the Honor of the Stars and Stripes. When trouble breaks out between this country and Mexico, the boys are eager to join the American troops under General Funston. Their attempts to reach Vera Cruz are fraught with danger, but after many difficulties, they manage to reach the trouble zone, where their real adventures begin. THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS AT KEYSTONE RANCH; or, Three Chums of the Saddle and Lariat. In this story the reader makes the acquaintance of three devoted chums. The book begins in rapid action, and there is “something doing” up to the very time you lay it down. THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS DOWN IN ARIZONA; or, A Struggle for the Great Copper Lode. The Broncho Rider Boys find themselves impelled to make a brave fight against heavy odds, in order to retain possession of a valuable mine that is claimed by some of their relatives. They meet with numerous strange and thrilling perils and every wideawake boy will be pleased to learn how the boys finally managed to outwit their enemies. THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS ALONG THE BORDER; or, The Hidden Treasure of the Zuni Medicine Man. Once more the tried and true comrades of camp and trail are in the saddle. In the strangest possible way they are drawn into a series of exciting happenings among the Zuni Indians. Certainly no lad will lay this book down, save with regret. THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS ON THE WYOMING TRAIL; or, A Mystery of the Prairie Stampede. The three prairie pards finally find a chance to visit the Wyoming ranch belonging to Adrian, but managed for him by an unscrupulous relative. Of course, they become entangled in a maze of adventurous doings while in the Northern cattle country. How the Broncho Rider Boys carried themselves through this nerve-testing period makes intensely interesting reading. THE BRONCHO RIDER BOYS WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS; or, The Smugglers of the Rio Grande. In this volume, the Broncho Rider Boys get mixed up in the Mexican troubles, and become acquainted with General Villa. In their efforts to prevent smuggling across the border, they naturally make many enemies, but finally succeed in their mission. Transcriber’s Note Apparent typographical errors were corrected without note; non-standard spellings and dialect were left unchanged. A Table of Contents was added. *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY SCOUTS AFOOT IN FRANCE; OR, WITH THE RED CROSS CORPS AT THE MARNE *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. 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