A VANDAL PUNISHED
A crowd rose magically from nowhere. People came running, shouting,
jostling, demanding an explanation from their neighbors, who, in turn,
demanded it of them.
"It's Frank Sheldon!" shouted someone, above the uproar.
"He's making hash of a Hun!" yelled another. "Come on and see the
show, fellows--admission free!"
Through all this confusion, Bart, who had been on his way back to the
office when attracted by the hubbub, pushed and elbowed his way through
to the first line of observers.
"What's the row, Frank?" he yelled. "Stop kneeling on that fellow's
neck and tell us about it. Look out!" as the fellow made a quick move
as though to wrench himself free from Frank's grasp. "Don't let him
put one over on you."
"Don't worry!" Frank's face was grim as he rose to his feet dragging
the now thoroughly cowed German after him. "There's not a Hun in this
country or the old that'll be able to get away from me once I get my
hands on him--not after this day's work. Do you know what he did?" He
gave his captive a ferocious shake and glared about at the
still-increasing mob. "Do you know what this yellow dog did, right
here in the country that's made him?"
"No, give it to us," shouted someone in the crowd, and the rest took it
up impatiently.
"Yes, give it to us, Sheldon," they cried. "Get to the point!"
"Look at those flags," Frank cried in answer, pointing with quivering
finger to the sullied emblems that lay in the dust where the German had
left them. "Those are the flags of liberty, justice and right, and
this dog," his fingers tightened in the man's collar till the craven
cried out with the pain of it, "dragged them down, threw them in the
dust, stamped upon them--stamped upon them, fellows! And our flag, Old
Glory, is among them! Do you hear that? Old Glory is among them!"
An ominous growl went up from the crowd which had been listening
breathlessly and with growing indignation to Frank's words, and now it
surged threateningly forward.
"What are we going to do with him?" cried Frank, his eyes afire. "What
would you do with a cur like this?"
"Tar and feather him!" cried someone, and a score of voices took it up.
"Tar and feather him! tar and feather him!"
"Ride him out of town on a rail!"
"Aw, that's too easy," yelled another, making a megaphone of his hands
so that his voice soared above even that deafening babel. "I've got a
good tough rope, fellows, tough enough even for this hog here. What do
you say?"
"Lynch him! lynch him!" the cry arose deafeningly and the crowd surged
forward once more closing in upon Frank and his quivering, terrified
captive.
"Out of the way, Sheldon!"
"Let's get at him!"
"Oh, mein Gott!" wailed the German, sinking on his knees and gazing up
at Frank with terror-stricken face. "You will not let dem murder
me--like dis--in gold blood--you will not--"
"There's not much cold blood about this," said Frank, with a glint in
his eye and another tightening of his fingers. "However, we'll let you
live a little while yet. You're not fit to die."
"Lynch him! lynch him!" the cry still rose menacingly. The crowd was
becoming impatient.
"Wait a minute;" shouted Frank, straightening himself to his full
height and holding up his hand compellingly. "We're not going to lynch
this man. We're going to punish him worse than that."
The German's face, which had grown hopeful at the beginning of Frank's
speech, resumed its terrified expression and he sank back despairingly.
The shouts and cries of the crowd had settled down now to a muttering,
murmuring, undertone so that Frank's voice rose clear and determined
above it.
"First of all," he said, while the crowd surged forward in mingled
disappointment and eagerness, "he's going to pick up the flags he has
dared insult, dust them off carefully and restore them to their former
position."
The crowd shouted its delight at the suggestion, while the German's
face grew sullen and he looked stolidly at the ground.
"I vill not do it," he muttered.
"What's that?" queried Frank politely, while his knuckles dug deep into
his captive's neck. "I'm afraid I didn't quite understand you. If you
will repeat--"
"I said I vould not do it," cried the German, with a sudden flare up of
his old rage and hatred. "Und vat I say I mean."
"But I'm sure you will change your mind," Frank answered still gently,
while the crowd watched eagerly. "Within the next minute I am almost
sure you are going to pick up the flags, dust them off neatly and put
them back where you found them. If a little pressure is needed, why, I
am always willing to oblige."
A sharp twist of the collar he held brought a guttural cry of pain from
the Prussian and a crow of delight from the crowd.
"More yet?" queried Frank with another twist that brought the man to
his knees whimpering. "Or will you do what I suggested?"
"I will do it," growled the German, hatred and pain in the glance he
flung his captor. "Led me go und I vill do it."
"Good," said Frank. "I'll let you do it but I won't let you go. I
love you too much. Right this way."
The crowd gave way before the advance of captor and captive, and before
them all the German was forced to pick up the flags, dust them to the
entire satisfaction of his gleeful audience, and, with Frank's knuckles
still urging him on, replace them to the best of his clumsy ability as
he had found them.
With the flags of the triple alliance floating once more proudly in the
breeze, the throng sent up a mighty shout. Hats were thrown in the air
and cries were heard.
"That's Old Glory for you! The more they try to down her the higher up
she flies!"
"That's what the whole German nation's going to do when we get our boys
over there!"
"We'll make 'em tremble in their boots!"
"And now," cried Frank, "our German friend will stand at salute and
sing the Star Spangled Banner with all the expression I know his love
for our country will prompt."
The German balked again but under the same gentle pressure as before
sang in husky tones and guttural accents the stirring measures of our
national hymn.
"And last of all," shouted Frank, while the throng, wild with delight,
surged forward once more, "our dear enemy will, with all the reverence
due the greatest flag in the world, kneel here in the dust and kiss the
Stars and Stripes. Now then, kneel."
"I vill not," cried the German, trying to wrench himself free. "You
cannot force me--"
"We'll see about that," said Frank, while the crowd grew threatening
once more. "Will you do it--or shall I make you?"
"I will not do it," the Prussian reiterated stubbornly. "I have done
all the rest but dat I vill not."
"Kiss the flag," cried Frank, now thoroughly aroused, his knuckles
showing white as they gripped his captive's collar. "Come on--we're
waiting."
Slowly and relentlessly he forced the German to his knees, and driven
by pain and fear of the mob his captive finally touched his lips to the
flag.
"And now," cried Frank, flinging the Prussian from him and dusting off
his hands as though they were polluted, "make yourself scarce. But
remember after this to respect the American flag. Americans are behind
it!"
The crowd pushed and jostled the disheveled vandal as he slunk away and
then, after cheering Frank, gradually dispersed.
"Boy, it was neat work!" cried Bart, as the two friends crossed the
street together. "Coming on to the office?"
"No, I've got to see mother first and straighten my tie," grinned
Frank. "I'll probably catch up to you though. So long."
Frank found his mother awaiting him with outstretched arms.
"Oh, my boy," she cried, "you were splendid! If you will wait just a
little while till our affairs are more settled I will not say a word to
your joining the army. If all Germans are like that--"
"They are, Mother," replied Frank, grimly. "Germany is a nation of men
like him. What he did to our flags the whole Prussian empire is trying
to do to the world."
"Then you must go!" cried his mother, holding him from her and
regarding him with flaming eyes. "Because I love my son, I will give
him--for my dear France and for America!"