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.