The Motor Boys in the Army; or, Ned, Bob and Jerry as Volunteers Read online

  Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  THEY PERFECTED THEMSELVES IN THE USE OF THE RIFLE ANDTHE BAYONET.]

  THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE ARMY

  OR

  Ned, Bob and Jerry as Volunteers

  BY

  CLARENCE YOUNG

  AUTHOR OF “THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES,” “THE JACK RANGER SERIES,” ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED

  NEW YORK CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  BOOKS BY CLARENCE YOUNG

  12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Colored Jacket.

  =THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES=

  THE MOTOR BOYS THE MOTOR BOYS OVERLAND THE MOTOR BOYS IN MEXICO THE MOTOR BOYS ACROSS THE PLAINS THE MOTOR BOYS AFLOAT THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE ATLANTIC THE MOTOR BOYS IN STRANGE WATERS THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE PACIFIC THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE CLOUDS THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE ROCKIES THE MOTOR BOYS OVER THE OCEAN THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE WING THE MOTOR BOYS AFTER A FORTUNE THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE BORDER THE MOTOR BOYS UNDER THE SEA THE MOTOR BOYS ON ROAD AND RIVER THE MOTOR BOYS AT BOXWOOD HALL THE MOTOR BOYS ON A RANCH THE MOTOR BOYS IN THE ARMY THE MOTOR BOYS ON THE FIRING LINE THE MOTOR BOYS BOUND FOR HOME

  =THE JACK RANGER SERIES=

  JACK RANGER’S SCHOOLDAYS JACK RANGER’S WESTERN TRIP JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL VICTORIES JACK RANGER’S OCEAN CRUISE JACK RANGER’S GUN CLUB JACK RANGER’S TREASURE BOX

  Copyright, 1918, by Cupples & Leon Company

  =The Motor Boys in the Army=

  Printed in U. S. A.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I THE FIRE ALARM 1 II THE RUNAWAY ENGINE 9 III “JUST AS EASY!” 16 IV CROOKED NOSE 24 V THE ODD MAN 33 VI FIRST CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS 42 VII CHUNKY’S TROUBLE 51 VIII A PRO-GERMAN MEETING 59 IX A FIGHT IN THE DARK 68 X THE PARTING 79 XI OFF TO CAMP DIXTON 85 XII PUG KENNEDY 91 XIII IN THE CAMP 100 XIV SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT 108 XV IN UNIFORM 117 XVI HOT WORDS 125 XVII A MIDNIGHT MEETING 132 XVIII A STAB IN THE BACK 141 XIX A CAVE-IN 152 XX A PRACTICE MARCH 159 XXI CROOKED NOSE AGAIN 166 XXII THE ACCUSATION 174 XXIII THE MINSTREL SHOW 183 XXIV A BLACK-FACE PURSUIT 190 XXV “A PRISONER” 197 XXVI A NIGHT ALARM 207 XXVII THE HAND GRENADE 213 XXVIII THE STORM 223 XXIX IN THE OLD BARN 229 XXX THE ROUND-UP 237

  NED, BOB AND JERRY IN THE ARMY

  CHAPTER I

  THE FIRE ALARM

  “You’re going, aren’t you, Ned?”

  “Surest thing you know!”

  “Will you be there, Bob?”

  “Of course, Jerry. It ought to be quite a meeting, I should say.”

  “You said something!” exclaimed Ned Slade, with an air of conviction.“Things will whoop up in great shape. Why, there hasn’t been so muchexcitement in Cresville since I can remember.”

  “Not since the old lumberyard burned,” added Jerry Hopkins, as hewalked down the street, one arm linked in that of Ned Slade on hisleft, and the other hooked up with Bob Baker’s on his right. “Itdoesn’t seem possible that we’ve been drawn into this, after all thePresident did to keep us out; but it’s true.”

  “Of course it’s true!” exclaimed Ned. “The President goes beforeCongress and asks for the whole strength of the nation to back him up,and defy Germany. And he gets it, too!”

  “That’s what he does,” added Jerry. “It’s one of the strongestdeclarations about the war I ever read; and we’ve had a chance to reada few in the last two years. America against Germany! I never expectedit, but, now it’s come, we’ll have to get in it good and strong.”

  “And we’ve got to hustle, too!” added Bob Baker.

  “That’ll be something new for you, Chunky!” observed Jerry Hopkins,with a chuckle. “You’re getting fatter than ever,” and he caught someof his friend’s superfluous flesh between thumb and finger and made Bobsquirm.

  “Quit it!” the latter begged. “What do you think I’m made of, anyhow?”

  “I was just trying to find out,” answered Jerry, innocently. “’Tisn’tas firm as it might be, but when we get back to Boxwood Hall, and youhave a little tennis or football to harden you up, I think you’ll feelbetter.”

  “I’d feel better right now if you’d quit pinching me!” exclaimed thetormented one. “Try it on Ned a bit.”

  “Oh, he doesn’t need waking up,” laughed Jerry. “But say, do we needtickets for this meeting to-night?”

  “I don’t believe so,” remarked Bob, whose nickname of Chunky fittedhim well. “But let’s go down the street and read one of the notices.There’s one in front of Porter’s drug store. And while we’re there wecan----”

  “Get chocolate sodas! I know you were going to say that!” broke inNed. “Say, I thought you were on a diet, Chunky. The idea of takingchocolate! Don’t you know it’s fattening?”

  “Who said anything about chocolate sodas?” demanded the fat one. “Ididn’t mention it!” and he glared at Ned. But Jerry was between the two.

  “I know you didn’t, little one!” returned Ned sweetly. “But you weregoing to, and I made it easy for you. However, I don’t believe onechocolate will hurt you; and since you are going to buy----”

  “Who said I was?” demanded Bob.

  “Why, didn’t you?” asked Ned, with an assumption of innocence. “I’msure I heard Chunky invite us to have sodas. Didn’t you, Jerry?”

  “Sure!” was the ready answer. “Don’t try to back out, Bob. It’s toolate.”

  “Well, it’s of no use trying to buck up against a conspiracy likethis,” sighed the stout youth. “I guess I’ve got the price,” and herattled some change in his pocket.

  The trio of lads, nodding now and then to acquaintances they passed,kept on down the street until they reached Porter’s drug store. In thewindow was a placard announcing a patriotic meeting to be held in theauditorium that evening, for the purpose, as it stated, of:

  “_Upholding President Wilson, and proving to him that Cresville approves of his course in declaring a state of war with Germany exists._”

  “No tickets needed,” read Jerry. “It’s a case of first come firstserved, I guess.”

  They entered the drug store, and soon were being served, talking, thewhile, of the coming patriotic meeting.

  “Colonel Wentworth is going to preside,” announced Ned.

  “Yes, and there’ll be enough rhetorical fireworks to stock abattleship,” observed Jerry.

  “Well, the old soldier means all right,” added Bob, who seemed to be ofa kind and mellow disposition, now that he was having something to eat.Eating, as may have been guessed, was one of Chunky’s strong points.“There isn’t a more patriotic citizen than Colonel Wentworth,” went onthe stout youth, stirring his chocolate ice-cream soda to mix it wellbefore drinking. “He did his share in the Spanish war, and now he’sanxious to volunteer again, I hear.”

  “He’s a little too old, isn’t he?
” asked Ned.

  “Yes, but he’s in fine shape. Well, we’ll go to the meeting, anyhow,and help whoop things up.”

  “That’s right!” chimed in Jerry Hopkins. “These are the days to showyour colors.”

  It will be evident to the reader that the period of the opening of thisstory was in the spring, following the announcement of war between theUnited States and Germany.

  Of the events leading up to that announcement nothing need be saidhere, for they are too well known. But even though every one who hadclosely followed the trend of thought and happenings, knew there wasnothing for an honor-loving and conscientious nation to do except takethe step advocated by President Wilson, still the actual declarationthat a state of war existed, when it was made, came as a shock.

  Then followed the reaction. A reaction which resulted in the holdingof many meetings, in the organization of many societies and in newactivities in many that were already organized.

  The New England town of Cresville, the home of Ned, Bob and Jerry, wasno exception to this rule. It was a progressive town, or small cityif you will, and numbered among its members citizens of worth andpatriotism. So it is not strange that a meeting should be called to“back up” the President.

  The meeting had its inception with Colonel Wentworth, a Son of theRevolution, an officer in the Spanish-American war, where he hadfought with the regulars both in Cuba and in the Philippines, andan all-around true-hearted and red-blooded American. He felt thatCresville should make her position known, and in order to stir herblood, as well as add fuel to his own, he proposed the holding of apatriotic mass meeting, at which a number of speakers should be heard.A United States Senator had promised to come and tell something of theevents leading up to the formal declaration of war.

  Ned, Bob and Jerry, home from their college, Boxwood Hall, for theEaster vacation, had read the notices of the meeting, and, havingfollowed with interest the course of events in America preceding theentrance of the United States into the war and also having closelyobserved the course of England, France, Russia and Italy against acommon enemy, had decided to attend the meeting.

  They had planned to take a motor trip to a distant city, to attend aconcert by the Boxwood Hall Glee Club and a dance afterward, at whichthe boys expected to meet some young ladies in whom they were morethan ordinarily interested. But when Jerry had seen the notices postedfor the patriotic rally he had said to his chums:

  “Fellows, the dance racket is off! We’ve got to show ourselves at theauditorium.”

  “That’s right,” Ned had answered. “Dad’s a great friend of thecolonel’s, and he’s going with mother. He told me I ought to showmyself there, and I guess we’ll have to.”

  So it was decided, and, a few hours after having been the guests ofChunky at the soda fountain, Ned and Jerry, with their stout companion,found themselves part of a throng at the door of the town auditorium, anewly constructed meeting place.

  “Some push!” exclaimed Ned, as he felt himself being carried forward inthe crush, for the doors had just been opened.

  “It’s going to be a success all right,” added Jerry. “They’ll never get’em all in!”

  The hall was, indeed, filled, and standing room was at the proverbialpremium when Colonel Wentworth, visibly proud of the success of hisundertaking, advanced to welcome the gathering and to introduce thefirst speaker.

  There was the speaking usual at such a meeting, only this time it wastinged with a deeper note of seriousness. America had not yet awakenedto the realization of what war really meant, and was going to mean.And some of the speakers tried to bring this home to the people ofCresville.

  The meeting was rather long, and even though they were as full of fire,zeal, energy and patriotism as any person there, Ned, Bob and Jerry,after two hours of speech-making, began to wish themselves out of theplace. They felt they had done their duty, and were longing for alittle change, when it came, most unexpectedly.

  They were sitting in the rear of the hall, close to the main entrancedoors, when Ned heard a sound that made him suddenly sit up.

  “Hear that?” he asked, in a whisper, of Jerry.

  “What?”

  “Fire alarm! It’s from the box down near dad’s store! I’m going to seewhat it is!”

  He rose softly, so as not to disturb the speaker. The sound of thealarm could be plainly heard. Bob and Jerry also arose and made theirway out, as did several others. An undercurrent of excitement seemed topervade the meeting. As the boys reached the door, there came from thestreet a cry of fear.