The Children of France

arers of France," said Captain Favor. "I shall now tell you of l

of these brave men is in the open where the enemy can see them. Some go on foot, others on fast motorcycles. Ordinarily they travel in pa

ding out, had covered considerable ground. They were making themselves a nuisance, as they usually did, and a French force was sent in to drive

ndoubted courage, familiar with all this surrounding countr

swered one of his lieutenants. 'All the me

do it,' suggeste

that his presence with the army was not only permitted, but welcomed. While he was but thirteen years of age, he w

' demanded the colonel, after

isoner by them and my sisters have fled to other provinces,' he answered

el nodded

y dangerous one on which I must send a man

s, s

ians. In that event what would you do with

em, sir,' wa

hile you are a mere child, I have full confidence t

do my be

tell you.' The colonel gave Henri careful instructions, after

of territory in that section of the country, and that finally merged with a dense forest. The lad reasoned that the Germans would be found in this forest, as well as in the m

aw a Prussian soldier just outside the forest line. The boy plunged deeper into

es. By the sound he judged there must be a great

to the edge of a clearing, a vast open space where the timber had, he judged, been cut off some time since, and the brush growth that followed the cutting of the trees had

And in this instance his observation told him that the Prussians were preparing for battle; he knew, too, that the orders he was carrying had to do with the very preparations he was witnessing. After

Ha

ht napping, but drew a breath of relief when he saw that the

er to the challenge. 'I have

Pa

commander's headquarters and deli

further?' questi

have other ord

,' warned the commander. 'The country through which you

hout a care in the world. He was a most innocent appearing boy and it would be keen eyes i

an uniforms on all sides. Th

Prussians a few moments, he finally drew the remaining letter from his blouse; he read it carefully several times, read it until he had memoriz

the letter now their eyes are sharp indeed. Henri carries his knowledge in his stomach. A qu

is cover. Germans sprang up on all sides of him. He saw that he

ied the boy when he was roughly dragged before a

along and hide yourself as a spy

ers and I was afr

way!' ordere

othing. I am but a poor peasant boy w

py and you should be shot. Sear

peared real to the onlookers. His clothing was very thoroughly searched, the soldiers even tearing out the lining of his bl

e whimpered, now addressing the offi

cer laugh

we shall yet find him to be such.

tion. Henri's eyes were red, but they were red from rubbing rather than from the tears they had shed, and were keenly on the alert; they missed nothing of what was going on about t

y interested in it-he was becoming more interested in the activity than he was in his

l, along which they walked, the soldier still watching t

ong leap, plunged head first into the canal. He dove deep a

vering his wits, he began to shoot at the bobbing hea

pposite bank of the canal, taking little heed o

Bullets were singing all about him now, showing that several soldiers had joined in the shooting, b

carries his orders.' He then ran swiftly over the remaining few miles that lay between him and his destin

ou, sir,' he said, sa

od. Where

stomac

ecessary the destruction of the letter, and at his dictation the commander wrote down the orders, which the lad

ou,' said the commander approv

ht before starting, for the Boches this time cannot be so easily fooled. Remember, I still have the orders in my stomach.

being captured. Late on the following morning the plucky boy reached his regiment and mad