Jerry and Bob got out of the automobile to go up to read the notice for themselves. As Ned had informed them, a meeting was called, on whose behalf was not stated, to protest against the reported action of the military authorities in sending recruits to do battle on foreign soil.
“We will defend our own country to the last ditch,” was one of the statements made, “but we will not send our youth of the land abroad to fight for foreign kings!”
“Bah, that makes me sick!” declared Jerry. “What do they want to do? Wait until the foreign Kaiser comes over here to kill our women and children before they’re willing to fight?”
“Looks so,” admitted Ned.
“Well, it won’t look so long!” announced Jerry. “I agree with you, Bob, that this meeting ought not to be held. It’s encouraging sedition. The military authorities ought to know about it.”
“Let’s tell Colonel Wentworth!” suggested Ned.
[69]
“Yes, we’ll tell him and also let the recruiting officer in Richfield know about it,” agreed Jerry. “The military authorities may want to have a representative present to listen to the talk. If some of these pro-Germans get too rambunctious they may get sat on.”
“And I’d like to do some of the sitting!” added Ned.
“I’ll help,” offered Chunky.
“And that will be some aid,” laughed Jerry, as he looked at his stout friend.
“Yes, that’s what we’ll do—tell the colonel and the recruiting officer,” went on Jerry. “I’ve read about some of these meetings being held in other places. They are started, financed and encouraged by German agents here, the same agents that sent out the warning against sailing on the Lusitania! The wretches! Boys, this meeting ought not to be held!” And there were peculiar looks that passed back and forth among the three chums.
“Do you remember,” asked Ned, reminiscently, as they motored onward, “that the seniors were going to hold a meeting at Boxwood Hall, once, and that we broke it up?”
“I should say I do remember!” exclaimed Jerry.
“Well—” Ned spoke suggestively.
“Oh,” said Jerry.
Bob’s eyes showed interest.
“Something doing?” he queried.
[70]
“Better hang around a bit and watch,” advised his tall chum.
“You get my meaning, I see,” said Ned, with a laugh.
The recruiting officer at Richfield was both interested and delighted at the call of the boys. He was delighted at getting such fine-appearing recruits, for the motor boys were above the average in physique, though it could not be denied that Bob was a bit fat.
“But a few setting up exercises will take that off you in jig time,” said the recruiting officer.
His interest, too, was keen on getting the information the boys had to give about the pro-German meeting.
“So they are starting already, are they?” demanded Lieutenant Riker. “Well, we’ll have to expect that. However, they must not go too far—these pacifists and these lovers of the Kaiser. Uncle Sam is pretty easy; too easy, I say, but he has a long arm. I’m much obliged to you boys for the information. I’ll have one or two regular men there, just to listen and to report to the Department of Justice. And as for you——”
“Oh, we’ll be there!” exclaimed Jerry. “We wouldn’t miss it. We are going to tell Colonel Wentworth about it, and he may have something to suggest.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did,” commented[71] Lieutenant Riker with a smile. “Well, I’ll leave that part to you. Now about this enlistment. It’s fine of you to be among the first to come in. There’ll be plenty more too, when they find out a draft is coming.
“Not that it is to the discredit of any one to be in the selective service, as it is going to be called,” he went on. “No higher honor can come to a man. But the advantage of enlisting is that you can pick your own branch of service, and that will be of value. Have you boys any idea where you’d like to be?”
“I’d like aeroplane work,” said Jerry. “We’ve had experience in that.”
“I was thinking of submarines,” put in Ned.
“Why not the artillery?” asked Bob. “You know we had a little to do with explosives when we went out west to our mine.”
“I see you boys know a little something about all three branches of the service,” commented the lieutenant. “Well, perhaps it will be best for you to volunteer for the infantry at first, and, later, make application to be transferred. You can do this as long as you have volunteered.”
“That’s what we’ll do,” said Jerry. So, having formally enlisted, with the consent of their parents, the boys were told that word would be sent to them in a few days where to report for preliminary examinations and training.
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“And now we’ll get back and see about that meeting!” exclaimed Jerry.
“I shall be interested in the outcome,” said the recruiting officer.
“I hope you won’t be disappointed,” remarked Jerry, with a smile.
Colonel Wentworth was at once interested and indignant.
“The idea!” he exclaimed. “What! allowing a pro-German meeting in Cresville? And especially when some of her sons are going to be in the new army! It’s infamous!”
“What had we better do?” asked Ned.
“We’d better do something to teach these scoundrels a lesson!” declared the colonel, who was a good deal of a “fire-eater,” though no finer patriotic gentleman lived. “I’ll speak to some of my friends, and we’ll be at the meeting.”
“We expect to do the same,” said Bob. “We have some friends, too. We’ll all be there.”
“Of course,” went on the colonel, “every man is entitled to his own opinion, to a certain extent. But I don’t believe that when we are at war a set of men who, for their own advancement came over here to make money, can, when war is declared against the country they used to live in, side with that country and against the land that has given them everything they have, and has made them everything they are. There should[73] be no more German-Americans! We should all be Americans. And any meeting or gathering that tends to foster this divided spirit, any gathering of misguided individuals which has for an object the weakening of our righteous war-like spirit, should be broken up.”
“And we’ll attend to the breaking-up!” exclaimed Jerry. “Come on, boys! We’ve got lots to do!”
And for the rest of that day Ned............