AT THE TRENCHES
The following week was such a busy one for Dave that Lieutenant Gebauer
and Nat Poole were practically forgotten. The engineers were moved
somewhat to the north of the position they had occupied, and were there
set to work at their usual task of building roads and bridges.
“One thing is certain,” said Dave, one day when he and the others had
knocked off for dinner. “Whatever ground our soldiers have taken they
have managed to keep.”
“Oh, we don’t know how to retreat,” returned Phil, with a grin.
“I understand some new troops are coming to the front here,” said
Roger, who had just returned from the other end of the roadway they
were constructing. “I met a corporal I know slightly, and he was
telling me about them.” And he mentioned the number of the regiment.
“Why, Roger, that’s the command to which Nat Poole belongs!” cried Dave.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes; I took particular notice. And Gebauer belongs, too. In fact, he
is a lieutenant of Nat’s company.”
“Well, I’m mighty sorry to hear that they are coming anywhere near us,”
was Phil’s comment, and he looked thoughtfully at our hero as he spoke.
“I am sorry, too, in one way,” answered Dave promptly. “As soon as Nat
Poole shows himself there is bound to be some sort of trouble.”
“And what about that Lieutenant Gebauer?” questioned Roger. “I know
well enough you’ve got it in for him, Dave.”
“If Dave has, it’s because Gebauer deserves it,” remarked Phil.
“Oh, if he doesn’t bother me I won’t bother him,” answered our hero.
“Just the same, if I get a chance I’m going to let him know I am aware
of how he acted in Crumville, and that I don’t give him any credit for
causing Jessie trouble.”
The weather now was all that could be desired, and the work of building
roads and bridges progressed rapidly. On some of the bridge work
there was considerable planning to be done, and Dave had to spend a
good many hours over some blueprints. But he had the satisfaction of
accomplishing what he had set out to do, and received some warm praise
from Captain Obray.
“I knew it was in you, Porter,” said the captain heartily. “You are
certainly a natural-born civil engineer. I predict after this war is
over that you’ll make quite a hit with the Mentor Construction Company
or some other big concern.”
During those days Dave sent several letters home and received one
communication, this time from Caspar Potts. The old professor wrote in
a very trembling hand, and the communication consisted of less than a
dozen lines. But brief as it was, it went straight to our hero’s heart.
“Dear old man!” he murmured, after he had read the letter several
times. “If ever there was a good old soul in this world, that soul is
Caspar Potts.” And he closed his eyes for a moment as a vision passed
through his mind of the white-haired and trembling professor sitting
in the Wadsworth library, adjusting his gold-rimmed spectacles to pore
over one of his precious volumes.
The new troops to come to that vicinity arrived three days later while
the engineers were hard at work. The company to which Nat Poole and
Lieutenant Gebauer belonged were located in one of the second-line
trenches, and immediately proceeded to make themselves as much at
home as possible. Most of the soldiers took all the inconveniences
good-naturedly, but the son of the money lender of Crumville did his
usual share of grumbling.
“It’s a rotten place to stay in,” was Nat’s comment. “I don’t see why
they can’t have the engineers fix up some really good quarters for us
fellows.”
He was speaking to Gebauer at the time. Although Gebauer was a
commissioned officer and Nat was only a private, the two, for some
unknown reason, were very friendly. They had many tastes in common, and
always acted chummy when no one else was present.
“Well, don’t blame me, Nat,” replied the lieutenant, bringing out his
cigarette-case and supplying himself. “Have a cigarette. Maybe that
will help you forget your troubles,” and he gave a sickly grin.
“I wonder how much longer this war is going to last.”
“That remains to be found out. Personally, I think the Germans are
going to give us the fight of our lives,” continued Gebauer, in a
somewhat lower voice.
“Don’t you think we can lick ’em?” demanded Nat.
Lieutenant Gebauer shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not doing any thinking
along those lines. I’m simply obeying orders. I guess we both know what
we think of this war, anyhow,” and closing one eye he looked at Nat
suggestively.
“We sure do! It was a howling shame to drag us over here, three
thousand miles from home, to fight,” grumbled the money lender’s son.
“Sh-sh! Don’t talk so loud, Nat,” murmured the lieutenant warningly.
“If anybody heard you, you’d get into hot water.”
“I don’t care! It’s true, isn’t it?”
“Every word. I’d rather be back home right now than here. I think I
could make a barrel of money out of our business in spite of the war.
And what am I getting out of this? A measly lieutenant’s pay!”
“Humph! you get a pile more than I do as a common soldier.” Nat looked
at his companion slyly. “I guess you’d like it first rate to be back in
Crumville again with Jessie Wadsworth, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know. That would depend on how she treated me.”
“You two didn’t get along very well during the last few days of your
stay, did you?”
“Oh, we got along well enough. But I’ve got to be going now. There is a
whole lot I’ve got to do,” continued the lieutenant hastily, and then
walked away.
“I’ll bet you got the cold shoulder somehow,” murmured Nat, gazing
after the retreating officer. “Just the same, I’m sorry you didn’t get
in with Jessie, and put a spoke in Dave Porter’s wheel.”
Two days later one of the working units of the fighting engineers was
sent back to do some work on one of the trenches, part of which had
caved in, blocking up the entrance to a dugout. Dave was in command of
the men, and, as it happened, the dugout which had suffered was the one
in which Gebauer and a number of other officers were quartered. Gebauer
was in very ill humor, for his cot and some of his extra clothing had
been covered with a shower of dirt and stones.
“That was a fine way to build a dugout,” he grumbled in Dave’s hearing.
“If I couldn’t do better than that as an engineer, I’d resign,” and he
looked directly at our hero.
“These trenches and dugouts were not made by our unit,” returned Dave.
“Just the same, I consider they were built as well as circumstances
permitted. These are only temporary quarters, as you know. And such
an accident as this is liable to happen any time. We’ll cut down some
saplings and limbs and shore this up, and fix some of the stonework,
and then it will be as good as ever, or better.”
“Humph! maybe it will be,” grumbled Gebauer, and turned his back on the
engineers.
This was the beginning of new trouble with not only Gebauer, but Nat
Poole also. Both of these unworthies showed plainly that they did not
like Dave or his chums at all, and they did everything they possibly
could to annoy our hero. Of course, as a private, Nat was somewhat at
a disadvantage, but Gebauer invariably tried to show his authority,
especially when the higher officers were absent. He attempted to
dictate to Dave, and this brought on a very animated discussion.
“See here, Lieutenant Gebauer,” said the young engineer finally, “you
tend to your business and I’ll tend to mine. I know what my duty here
is, and you have no authority to interfere with it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to ride a high horse, Porter,” growled Gebauer.
“I am not riding a high horse. If I were doing that, I would probably
tell you a few things that you would hate to hear.”
“What about?” demanded the other hotly. They had walked down one of the
trenches and were out of hearing of the others.
“Well, if you must know, about the way you made a fool of yourself in
Crumville. I have had the particulars of how you acted, and I must say
you played the part of anything but a gentleman.”
“Do you mean to insult me?”
“I am not going to try to do that, Gebauer. It would probably be too
much of a job.”
“Say, I guess you don’t know who you are talking to!”
“I do know. And if you think you can intimidate me, you are mistaken.”
“My, but you are getting on your high horse!” sneered Gebauer. “I must
say you are showing your poorhouse training.”
“What’s that?” and now a sudden flash of fire came into Dave’s eyes and
he caught the other lieutenant by the arm.
“You let go of me, Porter!” and Gebauer shrank back in sudden alarm.
“I won’t let any one talk to me like that,” said Dave, firmly.
At that moment came an unexpected interruption. There was a call from
above the trench, and several officers appeared, including the major
of the command to which Gebauer belonged. Those below at once saluted,
and there the sudden quarrel came to just as rapid a termination. But
Gebauer glared bitterly at our hero as the latter took his departure.
This meeting upset Dave for the rest of the day--so much so that he
could hardly attend to his duties. Phil and Roger, as well as Ben,
noticed this, and during their time off in the evening he told his
chums of what had occurred.
“Gee, Dave, it’s a wonder you didn’t smash him in the face when he
talked to you like that!” cried Ben.
“I felt like doing it, Ben; and it was all I could do to control
myself,” returned our hero. “But you know what the regulations are
about fighting, especially here at the front.”
“Just the same, this Gebauer ought to be taught a lesson,” was Phil’s
comment.
“I don’t see why they made such a fellow as that a lieutenant,” came
from Roger. “It’s a shame, with so many good men around!”
“I don’t think Gebauer will get much higher in the army,” said Dave.
“If he treats the men under him as he has treated us, sooner or later
they will all hate him.”
“Do you know, he looks to me as if he might be sort of pro-German,”
remarked Ben thoughtfully.
“Well, one thing is sure--” began Dave, when a sudden alarm broke out
which ended the talk right then and there.
The alarm was followed by a sudden burst of artillery, which soon
increased in intensity, while the night was lit up by the flare of
rockets and “flaming onions,” as they were called.
“I wonder what that means!” cried Shadow, as he came running up to the
others.
“I think it means some sort of a fight,” answered Dave. “But whether we
are going to attack or the Germans, remains to be seen.”