Part 26 (2/2)
”Behold in riott, the cousin who plotted to keep Andre froive hiain would I be guilty of conspiring against a member of my family who has won for it and for France such ih I had the power to destroy that paper at thishis forgiveness His wife and family have reason to be proud of him, even as we are”
Rod never knehether Jules ether like the h, and he acted as though for once in his life he was thoroughly ashamed of himself
It turned out that Jules could not serve as a soldier on account of lacking the sight in one of his eyes; so there was really nothing to his discredit in his absence from the army In reality he had become a member of the Secret Service, and doubtless would find awar that faced France
Of course the general could not give them any more of his valuable ti, and assured Rod that he would take a personal interest in seeing that Andre and his family were speedily reunited in Paris With that the boys believed they had good reason to feel satisfied; and that they could conscientiously give over their adventurous and perilous journey to the battle front where the two rival ar so desperately day after day
Hanky Panky in particular displayed considerable delight at the prospect of oncetheir faces toward home He had, to tell the truth, becoe warfare, and yearned to again gaze upon peaceful scenes such as the country beyond the sea held in store for the before hiht, and too the loved ones left behind had never see business may be all very well for those who like it,”
Hanky Panky was saying as they prepared to cross the ford again, this time on the ambulance that would take Andre, as well as several other wounded men, to the hospitals of Paris, ”but I'a abilities This thing of standing up before a quick-firing battery, and getting punched all full of holes, doesn't appeal to h of watching men shoot each other down”
”Oh! say, don't e_,” remonstrated Josh, in turn; ”I feel just as bad as the next one to see a uess, because soht in the Revolutionary War; so it hts all the tiht, or even watching two roosters scrap, because thattheir lives for love of their country it so et back hoet excite on the battle line”
They took a last look around the to carry away a full remembrance of the scene at the captured ford How often would every iteement come back to haunt them in memory, as time passed, and they found the of the thunder theyto the roar of the guns on both sides of the Marne; in ih the breast-high waters, seeking to reach the bank where the grim Germans held the fort, and poured such a ain, dryshod, and hastened to where they had secreted their preciousto Rod they would possibly be able to ht had fully set in; but even though delayed on the road this could easily be acco a little rest, they would strike out for Havre or Boulogne, and take passage across on the first boat that could give them any sort of accoet hoe in order to quit the inhospitable shores of Europe in flames
”Take your last look back, fellows,” said Rod, after they had said good-bye to Andre and recovered their ht eminence from which they could see the river and the French forces beyond Apparently the council of war had been of brief duration, andGeruard, for already the troops were inthe road taken by the ene his hat toward the Frenchhly; ”and here's wishi+ng that when the end of the war colory to France; for her noble sons deserve everything that is good And now, Rod, say the word, and we'll oes!” called out the leader, as he straddled his ine
With a succession of popping reports he was off, Hanky Panky quickly following suit, and Josh bringing up the rear Thus they started toward Paris, with high hopes of getting to the French capital before long, and then continuing their journey to the coast
Whether they succeeded in escaping anyperils or not while in the country of the Great War does not concern us just now; all that can be left to another story at so up the cause of the poor little woman in Antwerp, and believed they would never be sorry on account of having decided to search for Andre on the battle line before Paris
THE END