Army Boys in France; or, From Training Camp to Trenches Read online

  Produced by Al Haines

  [Frontispiece: "'Tis the bist uv exercise, throwin' thim things is."Page 133]

  Army Boys in France

  OR

  From Training Camp to Trenches

  BY

  HOMER RANDALL

  _Author of "Army Boys in the French Trenches" and "Army Boys on theFiring Line"_

  THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.

  CLEVELAND, O. ------ NEW YORK, N. Y.

  Made in U. S. A.

  COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY

  GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY

  PRESS OF

  THE COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING CO.

  CLEVELAND

  Made in U. S. A.

  ARMY BOYS IN FRANCE

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER

  I--The Bugle Calls II--A Remorseless Enemy III--The Gathering Storm IV--War V--A Vandal Punished VI--The Die Is Cast VII--For Love of Country VIII--Off to Camp IX--A New Life X--Instruments of Death XI--Nick Rabig Turns Up XII--For France XIII--The Lurking Peril XIV--The War-Swept Land XV--Within the Sound of Guns XVI--The Airship Raid XVII--The Baptism of Fire XVIII--A Grim Reality XIX--Nick Rabig Under Arrest XX--A Rattling Bout XXI--Paying a Debt XXII--A Promise of Help XXIII--Facing the Hun XXIV--In No Man's Land XXV--A Gallant Exploit

  ARMY BOYS IN FRANCE

  CHAPTER I

  THE BUGLE CALLS

  "Looks like war, fellows!" exclaimed Frank Sheldon, as, on a cold Marchmorning he came briskly into the business house where he was employed,and slipped off his overcoat.

  "Oh, I don't know," responded Bart Raymond, Frank's special chum."It's looked like war ever since the _Lusitania_ was sunk, but wehaven't got our fighting clothes on yet. The American eagle keeps oncooing like a dove."

  "He's waking up now though," asserted Frank confidently, "and prettysoon he'll begin to scream. And when he does there'll be trouble forthe Kaiser."

  "He isn't worrying much about us," put in Tom Bradford. "He figuresthat his U-boats will do the trick long before we get ready to fight.Sometimes I think he's pretty nearly right too. They're sinking shipsright and left. They got three of them yesterday, and one was a linerof more than ten thousand tons."

  "That's bad," agreed Frank. "But the worst thing about it is that oneof the three was an American ship. As long as they sank only Frenchand English vessels, it might be said that it was none of our business,although it has always seemed to me a cruel and cowardly way offighting. But when they get after Uncle Sam's boats it's time for usto get busy."

  "Johnny get your gun! get your gun!" chanted "Reddy," the irrepressibleoffice boy.

  "What's the use of talking," said Bart disgustedly. "They'll cook upsome excuse about not knowing that it was an American ship, and we'llswallow the excuse and pretend to believe it. One lie more or less isnothing to a nation that calls a treaty a scrap of paper."

  "It wasn't that way in the old days," remarked old Peterson, the headbookkeeper, who had been at the "Bloody Angle" when Pickett led thecharge at Gettysburg. "Men were men then and ready to fight at thedrop of a hat. Americans didn't need a swift kick then to get theminto action."

  He shook his gray head mournfully at the thought of the evil days onwhich his country had fallen.

  "Don't you worry, Mr. Peterson," replied Frank confidently. "Americais just as sound at heart as ever she was. Just let the bugle call anda million men will answer. We'll raise an army in less than no time."

  "Well, perhaps so," admitted Peterson half grudgingly. "But even if wedid they'd be raw troops and stand no chance against trained soldiers.They'd only be food for cannon. It takes at least a year to make asoldier. And before we could get on the firing line the Germans mighthave France and England licked to a frazzle."

  "Not much chance of that," put in Tom. "It's more likely to be theother way. What's Hindenburg doing now but retreating?"

  "But it's a long, long way before he'll get back to the Rhine," repliedPeterson. "And in the meantime it looks as if Russia was getting readyto quit. I tell you, boys, if we get into it, the work of winning thewar will be on our shoulders. And it won't be a cinch any way you lookat it."

  "Not a cinch perhaps," agreed Frank thoughtfully, "but I wouldn't haveany doubt about how it would come out in the long run. I'd backAmerica to whip the world."

  "So would I," came back Peterson promptly, "if it were just a questionof man against man. But this is a war of machinery. The day's gone bywhen a man could grab a musket and run out to meet the other fellowwho, as a rule, wasn't any better prepared than he was. Now it's amatter of cannon, and machine guns, and liquid fire, and poison gases,and all the rest of it. The Germans have those things and know how touse them. We haven't got them and wouldn't know how to use them if wehad. Why, a single German army corps has more machine guns than wehave in the whole United States!"

  "Of course we're not prepared," broke in Hal Chase. "But we've gotplenty of company in that. Who in the world was prepared exceptGermany? She caught all Europe asleep. If three years ago anyone hadsaid this war was coming we'd have thought him crazy."

  "Yes," agreed Tom. "That's true enough and you can't blame the rest ofthe world too much. But there's no excuse for us being caught thisway. We've watched this thing developing for the last two years andcoming closer and closer to us all the time. It was a dead sure thingthat sooner or later we would get in it. And yet we've been like a manwho sees the house next door burning and doesn't take any steps toprotect his own."

  "Well," said Frank, "what's past is past and there's no use crying overspilled milk. There's no use either in asking who has been to blame.That can be settled after the war. What we Americans have got to do isto buck up, stand shoulder to shoulder, and fight as Americans alwayshave fought when they've got into a scrap."

  "Sure thing," agreed Bart. "But just now it would be like a manfighting with his bare fists against another fellow that's got a gun.He might be brave enough, but the other fellow's bullet would get tohim before his fist could land."

  "It isn't the first time we've been in this fix," said Tom. "Butsomehow or other we've always managed to come through on top. See howit was in 1812. We didn't have any navy and England had the greatestfleet in the world. But we built the ships and made the guns, andknocked spots out of the other fellows."

  "Yes," said Hal, "and Perry won the battle of Lake Erie with ships madefrom trees that a hundred days before had had birds' nests in them.And what we did once we can do again."

  "You've said it!" broke in Reddy, who, although too young to be asoldier, was chock full of patriotism.

  "Oh, well," said old Peterson. "We're not in the war yet and perhapswe never shall be. But there will be war sure enough if the boss comesin and finds you fellows chinning when you ought to be working. So getbusy."

  "How about Peterson himself?" said Bart to Frank in a lowered tone asthey scattered for their tasks. "I notice the old chap himself isn'tslow when it comes to a talk fest."

  The firm of Moore and Thomas, by which the young men were employed, dida thriving hardware business in the prosperous town of Camport, aninland city of about twenty-five thousand people. The work waswholesale and extended all over the country. They carried on alsoquite an export trade, and just now because of the war feeling that wasin the air they were busier than usual. So that for the rest of themorning the boys kept close to their work, and conversation was limitedstrictly to business.

  But the thought that was in all their minds could not be longsuppressed, and the discussion broke out afresh when twelve o'clockstr
uck and they knocked off work preparatory to going to lunch.

  "I don't think we'll wear these duds much longer," remarked Bart as heput on his coat. "I'll bet most of this bunch will be in khaki beforethree months are over."

  "I know one that will anyway," replied Frank. "Just let the Presidentcall for troops and I'll come running."

  "Oh, you fellows make me tired!" broke in a rough voice behind them."All the running you'll do will be to run away when you get sight of aGerman uniform."

  They wheeled around and saw that the speaker was Nick Rabig, theforeman of the shipping department.

  He was a big burly fellow with a mottled face, thick neck and smalleyes that seldom had in them anything but a surly expression. He wasthe bully of the place, and was universally disliked.

  "Who asked you to butt in?" demanded Bart, nettled at the interruption.

  "This is a free country, ain't it?" replied Rabig, truculently.

  "Sure it is," said Bart. "That's the reason your father came here fromGermany, wasn't it?"

  The shot went home, for Rabig, though born in this country, was ofGerman descent and for the last two years had been vehement in hisdenunciation of the Allies and fervent in his praise of the Teutons.

  "Germany's all right," he retorted, "and don't you forget it!"

  "If Germany's all right, it's surprising how many Germans try to getaway from it," remarked Frank dryly. "You don't notice many Americansgoing over to Germany."

  "That's just because Germany is crowded," defended Rabig. "But justthe same it's a better country than America ever dared to be. And whenshe gets through this war she'll be twice as big as she was before andthere'll be plenty of room for all her people."

  "Going to gobble up all Europe, is she?" asked Frank, sarcastically.

  "Then I suppose she'll come over and take in America, too, so as tomake a good job of it," said Bart, with a grin of derision.

  "Why not?" responded Rabig, promptly. "Somebody has got to rule theworld, and why not Germany?"

  Quite a group had gathered about them by this time, and there was aroar of laughter at this frank expression of the German spirit and theGerman purpose.

  Rabig grew red with fury. His little eyes glowered as he glared abouthim.

  "We'll hang the Kaiser on a sour apple tree!" chanted Reddy.

  Rabig aimed a blow at him which Reddy adroitly ducked, and Frankstepped between them.

  "Leave the boy alone, Rabig," he demanded, and Rabig's fury turned onFrank.

  "What have you got to say about it?" he snarled. "Do you want tofight?"