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The Boy Allies At Verdun
Saving France from the Enemy
By CLAIR W. HAYES
AUTHOR OF "The Boy Allies At Liège" "The Boy Allies On the Firing Line"
"The Boy Allies With the Cossacks" "The Boy Allies In the Trenches"
"The Boy Allies On the Somme"
1917
On the twenty-second of February, 1916, an automobile sped northwardalong the French battle line that for almost two years had held back thearmies of the German emperor, strive as they would to win their wayfarther into the heart of France. For months the opposing forces hadbattled to a draw from the North Sea to the boundary of Switzerland,until now, as the day waned—it was almost six o'clock—the hands of timedrew closer and closer to the hour that was to mark the opening of themost bitter and destructive battle of the war, up to this time.
It was the eve of the battle of Verdun.
The occupants of the automobile as it sped northward numbered three. Inthe front seat, alone at the driver's wheel, a young man bent low. He wasgarbed in the uniform of a British lieutenant of cavalry. Closeinspection would have revealed the fact that the young man was a youth ofsome eighteen years, fair and good to look upon. As the machine spedalong he kept his eyes glued to the road ahead and did not once turn tojoin in the conversation of the two occupants on the rear seat. Whetherhe knew that there was a conversation in progress it is impossible tosay, but the rush of wind would have made the conversationunintelligible, to say the least.
This youth on the front seat was Hal Paine, an American.
The two figures in the rear seat were apparently having a hard timeto maintain their places, as they bounced from side to side as thecar swerved first one way and then the other, or as it took a flyingleap over some object in the road, which even the keen eye of thedriver had failed to detect. But in spite of this, even as theybounced, they talked.
One of the two figures was tall and slender and there was about him anair of youthfulness. He was in fact a second American boy. His namewas Chester Crawford, friend and bosom companion of Hal Paine. Likethe latter he, too, was attired in the uniform of a British lieutenantof cavalry.
The second figure in the rear seat was built along different lines. Hewas short and chunky; also, he was stout. Had he been standing it wouldhave been evident that he was almost as wide as he was long. He had apleasant face and smiled occasionally, though upon each occasion thissmile died away in a sickly grin as the car leaped high in the air afterstriking a particularly large obstruction in the road, or veering crazilyto one side as it turned sharply. In each case the grin was succeeded bya gasp for breath.
The figure was that of Mr. Anthony Stubbs, war correspondent of the NewYork Gazette, on the firing line in Europe to gather facts for hisnewspaper. He was attired in a riding suit of khaki.
Said Mr. Stubbs:
"Well, we may get there and we may not."
"Oh, we'll get there all right, Mr. Stubbs!" Chester raised his voice tomake himself heard.
"We're li