The Boy Scouts to the Rescue

l, so a great mound of dirt had been cast up on the side next the enemy. One of the bodies in the close group lay in the stiff, distorted atti

o give the impression of sleep or death, but with every faculty and nerve like live wires. His

ily. He was chilled to the bone. As it grew darker, he rolled slowly over on his back, and for a while studied the edge of the crater as its rough edges showed dark against the sky. All seemed well. Not a head, not a

him. He felt over it carefully. The face, drained of blood, was ghastly cold in the steady,

rwise the Lieutenant would die. The wet ground gave with him, but he persisted and with a mighty effort raised his face over the edge. Then with

aming sides of the shelter, if shelter it could be called. The trench was very close to the enemy. An almost constant success

ughed fields everywhere, with yaw

al popping, with once in a while a bellowing roar as some iron giant launched its terrible missile. All day the Huns had hammered at the stubborn line; all day the French, with their American allies, had hammered in return. It had commenced, this big battle, at daybreak; all day had it raged without lull or pause, now from the trenches, now frightful conflicts in the open. Now, as though both sides acknowledged exhaustion though not defe

home, we're

ng home t

hey would gladly waste a dozen shells on the chance of stilling that sweet singer. The voice went on, growing gradually weaker, but lifting true, swee

hastly light, like some gigantic and unending nightmare. Something that could not be pos

t was bla

utlet of the trench. Lying so close to the border of No-Man's-Land, across which it was possible for an occasional spy to invade their trench, the greatest care was taken in every possible way to discover and c

ound to the rest house, a scooped-out chamber of clay where there was actual safety unless-unless the tunnel caved! Looking in on the group of wounded and exhausted men who occupied the space, he spoke a name. No one answered. The men paid no attention. They were wholly wrapped up

n a fearful and almost impossible errand; an errand that might cost him his life. And life wa

ight died out once more. This happened every two minutes or so. It took endless patience to work his way forward. He was impelled to hurry, to take the chance of continuing his course even under the bright light of the flares. But he knew that it would be d

hours, the hours like days. Finally he came to a huge shell crater. He approached its edge and looked over as a flare, brighter than usual, lit the desolation of No-Man's-Land. And as he looked, a face, mud cove

steep incline of the side of the pit. He looked at

would never come!" h

he boy below him by the collar and scarcely

a scr

his is no place for us; and you have som

eutenant with us," said

nant?" deman

General sent me after hi

" demanded the

f I know how badly. He is unconscious bu

ozy pit. He followed to the side of the unconscious man, and as the next flare ill

, I should say

d the other; "we have got to

t!" said

e sleeve of one boy, but did not touch the skin beneath. They felt no fear. The man whom they were carrying was thin and rather small, but his limp body weighed cruelly on their young muscles. With set teeth and streaming faces they kept on in their flight. At last when their breath cut them like knives and their knees almost refused to support them, they reached the safety of their own line and, laying their burden down on the edge of the trench, they slipped

in, the boys dropped wearily down on the wet ground

ough that mask a marvelous resemblance could be seen. Feature for feature, line for line, they were alike. Even their gestures we

ge cleared his throat and spoke, still in the guardedly low

ce little old jolt this time for fair! How in the name of time did you get out there in that shell

ky. "I don't see but what I have about as many as you have. I wa

laying for you at headquarters. The General is mad; just plain honest-to-goodness mad at you. I don't see why you had to pull off this and get us in all wrong." He leaned forward and whispered. "There is something d

y. "Possessed me! Why, all I

u half an hour. Instead you stay all day and I have to come dig you out of a sh

yhow. I am doing the best I can. I wish you could have seen me chasing that loon all over the place. I'm all in! I tell you, Beany, I have had some time! It makes me sore, too. I might have brought in a prisoner all by myself if I hadn't had to fool with the L

he first aid room. A glance showed him the condition of the

" he said with the unconcern of those who ar

is brother, rising stiffly a

, uneven ground, they walked for perhaps a mile until they turned into what had been a magnificent private estate. Nothing but cracked and crumbling posts were left of the splendid gateway. They passed onward through the ruins of a wonderful

. They were not delayed again. Through what had once been a magnificent entrance hall they went, turned down one passage after another, sometimes finding

of a man stooping against the panels slipped aside and seemed to disappear into space. There was no turn, no further

nvoluntarily and t

" said Porky. "Or

!" said Beany qu

n the passage at the end but no outlet, no doorway. The

he doing?"

should say," s

It was queer. Behind that door was the council room and private office of General Pershing. No one without proper credentials was ever allow

rky at last. "I have

ing, and I want to look into this a little. It looks m

I don't get on something dry and have a chance for a litt

panel. The door was instantly opened by a soldier and Po