THE END OF THE TRAIL
Not in all the far-flung battleline was there a more pitiable sight than
the bright sun beheld as he poured his stifling rays down upon the
winding line of upturned earth which lay in fresh piles across the
country of southern Alsace.
Almost to the Swiss border it ran, but no one could get across the Swiss
border here without running into Prussian bayonets. To the east, where
the Rhine flowed and where the mountains were, some reckless soul might
manage it in a night's journeying, if he would brave the lonesome
fastnesses; though even there the meshes of forbidding wire, charged
with a death-giving voltage, stretched across the path. It was not an
inviting route.
[Illustration: "DON'T LOOK SURPRISED," TOM SAID IN AN UNDERTONE. Page
198]
You may believe it or not, as you please, but along this new road score
upon score of young women and mere girls toiled and slaved with pickaxe
and shovel. And some fell and were lifted up again, with threats and
imprecations, and toiled on. There were some who came from Belgium,
whose hands had been cut off, and these were harnessed and drew stones.
They lived, if you call it living, in tents and wooden barracks along
the line of work, and in these they spent their few hours of respite in
fearful, restless slumber.
Over them, like a black and threatening cloud, was the clenched,
blood-wet iron fist. Now and then one broke down in hysterics and was
"arrested" and taken before the commander who sprawled and drank wine in
a peasant cottage nearby. For the road must be made and German
militarism tolerates no nonsense....
Across the fields toward this road passed a young fellow in the uniform
of a petty officer. He carried in his hand a paper and a pair of
handcuffs. He was repeating to himself a phrase in the German language
in which he had just been carefully drilled. "Wo ist sie?"
It was all the German that he knew.
Approaching the road, he passed along among the workers, who glanced up
at him covertly and plied their implements a little harder for his
presence. Coming upon a soldier who was marching back and forth on
guard, the officer showed him the paper and said, "_Wo ist sie?_" The
guard pointed farther down the line at another soldier, whom the
officer approached and addressed with his one, newly-learned question.
The second soldier scanned the workers under his charge, then made as if
to take the paper and the handcuffs, but the officer held them from him
with true German arrogance, intimating that all he wished was to have
the worker identified and he would do the rest. He did not deign to
speak to the soldier.
When the subject of his quest had been pointed out to him he strode over
to her, with a motion of his hand bidding the soldier remain at his
post. The girls, who were working ankle-deep in the thick earth, fell
back as this grim embodiment of authority passed and stole fearful
glances at him as he laid his hand upon the shoulder of one of their
number who was throwing stones out of the roadway. She was a slender
girl, almost too delicate for housework, one would have said, and her
face bore an expression of utter listlessness--the listlessness that
comes from long fatigue and lost hope. Her eyes had the startled,
terror-stricken look of a frightened animal as she looked up into the
face of the young officer.
"Don't speak and don't look surprised," he said in an undertone, as he
snapped the handcuffs on her wrists. "I'm Tom Slade--don't you
remember? You have to come with me and we'll take you across the Swiss
border tonight. It's all planned. Don't talk and don't be scared. Answer
low--Is your mother here?"
A heavy stone that she was holding fell and he could feel her shoulder
trembling under his hand. She looked at him in doubtful recognition, for
the face was grim and cold and there was a look of hard steel in the
eyes. Then she glanced in terror at one of the soldiers who was marching
back and forth, rifle in hand.
"He won't interfere--he won't even dare to salute me. If he comes near
I'll knock him down. Is your mother here?"
"She iss wiz ze friends in Leteur. Her zey do not take."
Her voice was low and full of a terror which she seemed unable to
overcome and as she looked fearfully about Tom was reminded of the night
when they had talked together alone in the arbor.
"They didn't catch me yet and they won't," he said. "They're not scouts.
Come on."
She followed him out of the upturned earth and down the line, where he
strode like a lord of creation. Never so much as a glance did he deign
to give a soldier. A few of the young women who dared to look up
watched the two as they cut across a field and, whispering, some said
her lot would be worse than she suspected--that her arrest was only a
ruse.... They came nearer to the truth in that than they knew.
Others spoke enviously, saying that, whatever befell her, at least she
would have a little rest. The more bold among them continued to steal
covert glances as the two went across the field, and fell to work again
with a better submission, noticing the overbearing demeanor of the
brutal young officer who had arrested their companion.
"You are come again," she finally said timidly; "like ze good genii." It
was difficult for her to speak, but Tom was willing for her to cry and
seem agitated, for they were coming to houses now, where crippled
soldiers sat about and children scurried, frightened, out of their path
and called their mothers who came out to stare.
"My father--I may not yet talk----"
"Yes, you can talk now. I know all about it."
"Everything you know--you are wonderful. He told us how ze zheneral, he
say, '_Lafayette, we are here!_' And now you are here----"
"I told you you could sing the _Marseillaise_ again," he said simply.
"When we get over there, you can."
"You have come before zem, even," she said, her voice breaking with
emotion. "I cannot speak, you see, but some day ze Americans, zey will
be here, and you are here ze first----"
"Don't try to talk," he said huskily. "Over in America we have girl
scouts--kind of. They call 'em Camp Fire Girls. Some people make fun of
'em, but they can climb and they don't scream when they get in a boat,
and they ain't afraid of the woods, and they don't care if it rains, and
they ain't a-scared of noises, and all like that. You got to be one of
them tonight. You got to be just like a feller--kind of. Even if you're
tired you got to stick it out--just like France is doing."
"I am ze daughter of France," she said proudly, catching his meaning,
"and you have come like America. Before, in Leteur, I was afraid. No
more am I afraid. I will be ziss fiery camp girl--so!"
"Not fiery camp girl," said Tom dully; "Camp Fire Girl."
"So! I will be zat!"
"And tomorrow we'll be in Switzerland. And soon as we get across I'm
going to make you sing the _Marseillaise_, so's when I get to
Frenchy--Armand--I can tell him you sang it and nobody stopped you. You
remember the other feller that was with me. He says we're going to take
you to Armand as a souvenir. That's what he's always talking
about--souvenirs."
* * * * *
It did not occupy much space in the American newspapers for there were
more important things to relate. The English were circling around some
ridge or other; the French were straightening out a salient, and the
Germans had failed to surprise the Americans near Arracourt. The
American airmen got the credit for that.
So there was only a brief account. "Two American Ship's Boys Reach
France," heading said, and then followed this summary narrative as sent
out by the Associated Press:
"Two American boys are reported to have reached General Pershing's
forces in France, having escaped from a German prison camp and passed
the Swiss frontier at an unfrequented spot after picking their way
through the wilder section of the Black Forest in Baden. They subsisted
chiefly on roots and grapes. Both are said to have been in the U.S.
Transport Service. A despatch from Basel says that the Red Cross
authorities are caring for a French Alsatian girl whom the fugitives
rescued from German servitude by impersonating German military
authorities. The details of their exploit are not given in the
despatches.
"The American Y. M. C. A. at Nancy has no knowledge of such a girl being
brought across the border and doubts the truth of this story, saying
that such a rescue would be quite impossible. Another account says that
the two boys upon reaching the American troops, notified a brother of
the girl who was training with the expeditionary forces and that this
brother was given a furlough to visit Molin, just below the Swiss
frontier, where the girl was being cared for. This soldier's name is
given as Armand Leteur. He is reported to have found his sister in a
state of utter collapse from the treatment she had received while
toiling on the roads in Alsace. One report has it that her wrist had
been branded by a hot iron. The two youngsters are said to have chosen
an unfrequented spot where the frontier crosses the mountains and to
have manipulated the electrified barbed wire with a pair of rubber
gloves which they had found in the wreck of a fallen German airship. The
correspondent of the London _Times_ says that one of these gloves has
been sent to President Wilson by its proud possessor as a souvenir.
"Washington, Oct. 12.--Administration officials here have no knowledge
of any rubber glove being received by President Wilson but say that the
arrival of two boys, fugitives from Germany, has been officially
reported by the military authorities in France and that they brought
with them a letter taken from a dead German soldier which contained
references to the impending German assault near Arracourt, thus enabling
our men to anticipate and confound the Hun plans. Both of the boys,
whose names are given as Archibald Slade and Thomas Archer, are now in
training behind the American lines. A _Thomas_ Slade is reported to have
been in the steward's department of the Transport _Montauk_ which was
struck by a submarine last spring.
"Reuter's Agency confirms the story of the rescue of the girl and of her
reunion with her brother."
THE END
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE TOM SLADE BOOKS
By PERCY KEESE FITZHUGH
Author of the ROY BLAKELEY BOOKS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap's list.
The Tom Slade books have the official endorsement and recommendation of
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. In vivid story form they tell of Boy Scout
ways, and how they help a fellow grow into a manhood of which America
may be proud.
TOM SLADE, BOY SCOUT
Tom Slade lived in Barrel Alley. The story of his thrilling Scout
experiences, how he was gradually changed from the street gangster into
a First Class Scout, is told in almost as moving and stirring a way as
the same narrative related in motion pictures.
TOM SLADE AT TEMPLE CAMP
The boys are at a summer camp in the Adirondack woods, and Tom enters
heart and soul into the work of making possible to other boys the
opportunities in woodcraft and adventure of which he himself has already
had a taste.
TOM SLADE ON THE RIVER
A carrier pigeon falls into the camp of the Bridgeboro Troop of Boy
Scouts. Attached to the bird's leg is a message which starts Tom and his
friends on a search that culminates in a rescue and a surprising
discovery. The boys have great sport on the river, cruising in the
"Honor Scout."
TOM SLADE WITH THE COLORS _A WAR-TIME BOY SCOUT STORY_
When Uncle Sam "pitches in" to help the Allies in the Great War, Tom's
Boy Scout training makes it possible for him to show his patriotism in a
way which is of real service to his country. Tom has many experiences
that any loyal American boy would enjoy going through--or reading about,
as the next best thing.
TOM SLADE ON A TRANSPORT
While working as a mess boy on one of Uncle Sam's big ships, Tom's
cleverness enables him to be of service in locating a disloyal member of
the crew. On his homeward voyage the ship is torpedoed and Tom is taken
aboard a submarine and thence to Germany. He finally escapes and
resolves to reach the American forces in France.
TOM SLADE WITH THE BOYS OVER THERE
We follow Tom and his friend, Archer, on their flight from Germany,
through many thrilling adventures, until they reach and join the
American Army in France.
TOM SLADE, MOTORCYCLE DISPATCH BEARER
Tom is now a dispatch rider behind the lines and has some thrilling
experiences in delivering important messages to troop commanders in
France.
TOM SLADE WITH THE FLYING CORPS
At last Tom realizes his dream to scout and fight for Uncle Sam in the
air, and has such experiences as only the world war could make possible.
TOM SLADE AT BLACK LAKE
Tom has returned home and visits Temple Camp before the season opens. He
builds three cabins and has many adventures.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ROY BLAKELEY BOOKS
By PERCY KEESE FITZHUGH
Author of the TOM SLADE BOOKS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list
ROY BLAKELEY
In one of the books which Roy Blakeley and his patrol collect from a
kindly old gentleman, in a book-drive for the soldiers, Pee-wee Harris
discovers what he believes to be a sinister looking memorandum, and he
becomes convinced that the old gentleman is a genuine spy. But the laugh
is on Pee-wee, as usual, for the donor of the book turns out to be an
author, and the suspicious memorandum is only a literary mark. The
author, however, is so pleased with the boys' patriotism and amused at
Pee-wee's zeal, that he loans them his houseboat, in which they make the
trip up the Hudson to their beloved Temple Camp, which every boy who has
read the TOM SLADE BOOKS will be glad to see once more.
ROY BLAKELEY'S ADVENTURES IN CAMP
Roy Blakeley and his patrol are found in this book once more happily
established in camp. A rivalry between the Silver Foxes and the other
patrols springs up in the quest for Spruce and Black Walnut for which
the government is in need. Roy and his friends incur the wrath of a land
owner, but the doughty Pee-wee saves the situation and the wealthy
landowner as well, when he guides him out of the deep forest where he
has lost himself. The boys wake up one morning to find Black Lake
flooded far over its banks, and the solving of this mystery furnishes
some exciting reading.
ROY BLAKELEY, PATHFINDER
Roy and his rusty comrades having come to Temple Camp by water, resolve
that they will make the journey home by foot. On the way they capture a
leopard escaped from a circus, which exciting adventure brings about an
amusing acquaintance with the strange people who belong to the traveling
show. The boys are instrumental in solving a deep mystery, and finding
among the show people one who has long been missing and for whom search
has been made the country over.
ROY BLAKELEY'S CAMP ON WHEELS
This is the story of the wild and roaming career of a ramshackle old
railroad car which has been given ROY and his companions for a troop
meeting place. The boys who have spent a hard day cleaning and repairing
the car, fall asleep in it. In the darkness of the night, and by a
singular error of the railroad people, the car is "taken up" by a
freight train and instead of being left at a designated point several
miles below, is carried westward, so that when the boys awake in the
morning they find themselves in a country altogether strange and new.
The story tells of the many and exciting adventures in this car as it
journeys from place to place.
ROY BLAKELEY'S SILVER FOX PATROL
In the car which Roy Blakeley and his friends have for a meeting place
is discovered an old faded letter, dating from the Klondike gold days,
and it appears to intimate the location of certain bags of gold, buried
by a train robber who had held up a train bringing passengers home from
the Canadian Northwest. The quest for this treasure is made in an
automobile and the strange adventures on this trip constitute the story.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW SERIES
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list
BIRDS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Neltje Blanchan. Illustrated
EARTH AND SKY EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Julia Ellen Rogers. Illustrated
ESSAYS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
FAIRY TALES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
FAMOUS STORIES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
FOLK TALES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
HEROES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
HEROINES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Coedited by Hamilton W. Mabie and Kate
Stephens
HYMNS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Dolores Bacon
LEGENDS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
MYTHS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Hamilton W. Mabie
OPERAS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Dolores Bacon. Illustrated
PICTURES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Dolores Bacon. Illustrated
POEMS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Mary E. Burt
PROSE EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Mary E. Burt
SONGS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW Edited by Dolores Bacon
TREES EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Julia Ellen Rogers. Illustrated
WATER WONDERS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Jean M. Thompson. Illustrated
WILD ANIMALS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Julia Ellen Rogers. Illustrated
WILD FLOWERS EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW By Frederic William Stack.
Illustrated
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EVERY BOY'S LIBRARY
BOY SCOUT EDITION
SIMILAR TO THIS VOLUME
The Boy Scouts of America in making up this Library, selected only such
books as had been proven by a nation-wide canvass to be most universally
in demand among the boys themselves. Originally published in more
expensive editions only, they are now, under the direction of the
Scout's National Council, re-issued at a lower price so that all boys
may have the advantage of reading and owning them. It is the only series
of books published under the control of this great organization, whose
sole object is the welfare and happiness of the boy himself. For the
first time in history a _guaranteed_ library is available, and at a
price so low as to be within the reach of all.
ALONG THE MOHAWK TRAIL Percy K. Fitzhugh
ANIMAL HEROES ERNEST Thompson Seton
BABY ELTON, QUARTER-BACK Leslie W. Quirk
BARTLEY, FRESHMAN PITCHER William Heyliger
BE PREPARED, THE BOY SCOUTS IN FLORIDA A. W. Dimock
BEN-HUR Lew Wallace
BOAT-BUILDING AND BOATING Dan. Beard
THE BOY SCOUTS OF BLACK EAGLE PATROL Leslie W. Quirk
THE BOY SCOUTS OF BOB'S HILL Charles Pierce Burton
THE BOYS' BOOK OF NEW INVENTIONS Harry E. Maule
BUCCANEERS AND PIRATES OF OUR COASTS Frank R. Stockton
THE CALL OF THE WILD Jack London
CATTLE RANCH TO COLLEGE Russell Doubleday
COLLEGE YEARS Ralph D. Paine
CROOKED TRAILS Frederic Remington
THE CRUISE OF THE CACHALOT Frank T. Bullen
THE CRUISE OF THE DAZZLER Jack London
DANNY FISTS Walter Camp
FOR THE HONOR OF THE SCHOOL Ralph Henry Barbour
A GUNNER ABOARD THE "YANKEE" From the Diary of Number Five of the After
Port Gun
THE HALF-BACK Ralph Henry Barbour
HANDBOOK FOR BOYS, Revised Edition Boy Scouts of America
HANDICRAFT FOR OUTDOOR BOYS Dan. Beard
THE HORSEMEN OF THE PLAINS Joseph A. Altsheler
JEB HUTTON; THE STORY OF A GEORGIA BOY James B. Connolly
THE JESTER OF ST. TIMOTHY'S Arthur Stanwood Pier
JIM DAVIS John Masefield
KIDNAPPED Robert Louis Stevenson
LAST OF THE CHIEFS Joseph A. Altsheler
LAST OF THE PLAINSMEN Zane Grey
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS James Fenimore Cooper
A MIDSHIPMAN IN THE PACIFIC Cyrus Townsend Brady
PITCHING IN A PINCH Christy Mathewson
RANCHE ON THE OXHIDE Henry Inman
REDNEY MCGAW; A CIRCUS STORY FOR BOYS Arthur E. McFarlane
THE SCHOOL DAYS OF ELLIOTT GRAY, Jr. Colton Maynard
SCOUTING WITH DANIEL BOONE Everett T. Tomlinson
THREE YEARS BEHIND THE GUNS Lieu Tisdale
TOMMY REMINGTON'S BATTLE Burton E. Stevenson
TECUMSEH'S YOUNG BRAVES Everett T. Tomlinson
TOM STRONG, WASHINGTON'S SCOUT Alfred Bishop Mason
TO THE LAND OF THE CARIBOU Paul Greene Tomlinson
TREASURE ISLAND Robert Louis Stevenson
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA Jules Verne
UNGAVA BOB; A TALE OF THE FUR TRAPPERS Dillon Wallace
WELLS BROTHERS; THE YOUNG CATTLE KINGS Andy Adams
WILLIAMS OF WEST POINT Hugh S. Johnson
THE WIRELESS MAN; HIS WORK AND ADVENTURES Francis A. Collins
THE WOLF HUNTERS George Bird Grinnell
THE WRECKING MASTER Ralph D. Paine
YANKEE SHIPS AND YANKEE SAILORS James Barnes
GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CHILDREN'S CRIMSON SERIES
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap's list
The Editors; and What the Children's Crimson Series Offers Your Child
In the first place, "The Children's Crimson Series" is designed to
please and interest every child, by reason of the sheer fascination of
the stories and poems contained therein.
To accomplish such an end, a vast amount of patient labor, a rare
judgment, a life-long study of children, and a genuine love for all that
is best in literature, are essential factors of success.
Kate Douglas Wiggin (Mrs. Riggs) and Nora Archibald Smith possess these
qualities and this experience. Their efforts, as pioneers of
kindergarten work, the love and admiration in which their works are held
by all young people, prove them to be in full sympathy with this unique
piece of work.
Let all parents, who wish their little ones to have their minds and
tastes developed along the right paths, remember that once a child is
interested and amused, the rest is comparatively easy. Stories and poems
so admirably selected, cannot then but sow the seeds of a real literary
culture, which must be encouraged in childhood if it is ever to exercise
a real influence in life.
Edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith
THE FAIRY RING: Fairy Tales for Children 4 to 8
MAGIC CASEMENTS: Fairy Tales for Children 6 to 12
TALES OF LAUGHTER: Fairy Tales for Growing Boys and Girls
TALES OF WONDER: Fairy Tales that Make One Wonder
PINAFORE PALACE: Rhymes and Jingles for Tiny Tots
THE POSY RING: Verses and Poems that Children Love and Learn
GOLDEN NUMBERS: Verses and Poems for Children and Grown-ups
THE TALKING BEASTS: Birds and Beasts in Fable Edited by Asa Don
Dickinson
CHRISTMAS STORIES: "Read Us a Story About Christmas" Edited by Mary E.
Burt and W. T. Chapin
STORIES AND POEMS FROM KIPLING: "How the Camel Got His Hump," and other
Stories.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE TOM SWIFT SERIES By VICTOR APPLETON
UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. INDIVIDUAL COLORED WRAPPERS.
These spirited tales, convey in a realistic way, the wonderful advances
in land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are impressed upon the
memory and their reading is productive only of good.
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT
TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber's Notes
1. Punctuation has been normalized to contemporary standards.
2. Rolling r's are indicated by repeating the letter, for example from
page 140 in the line: "We're herre because we're herre," he said,
in a perfect riot of rolling R's.