Grace Harlowe with the American Army on the Rhine — John Shaqi
Grace Harlowe with the American Army on the RhineChase, Josephine
General
Grace Harlowe with the American Army on the Rhine
Chase, Josephine
Rhine River -- Juvenile fiction; War stories; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
This Grace did. Along toward noon she was awakened by Elfreda, who was
shaking her.
“Grace Harlowe, do you know where we are?” demanded Miss Briggs.
“Of course I do,” muttered Grace.
“Where?”
“In a camion on our way to the Rhine. Did you only now discover that?”
“Yes.”
“What a sleepy-head! I knew that hours ago, but what was the use in
raising a row? We could not be better off.”
“Yes, but our mess,” protested Elfreda.
“We have sufficient in our kits for our needs. Let’s be sensible and
take it easy while we may. Think what a lovely time we are missing. We
might have had to walk.”
“First this brave soldier would have deserted. The last walk was
exercise enough to last me for the rest of my life. Is it your
intention to stay in this wagon all day?”
Grace said she hoped to be allowed to remain there undisturbed,
declaring that it was the most comfortable berth she had found since
coming to France, and suggested that they eat their breakfast. It was
not wholly a satisfying meal, but it was helped by a bottle of cold tea
which did very well to wash down the hardtack and tinned beef. Enough
of the tea was saved for their luncheon, for if the rain continued to
fall it was Grace’s intention not to get out at all. After breakfast
they lay down for another delicious nap, which was not long coming,
lulled as they were by the gusts of rain spattering over the top of
the camion. It was not until late in the afternoon that they finally
awakened.
Peering out, Grace observed that the line back of them was pulling
out of formation, which told her that the army was approaching its
objective for the day. The rain had stopped, but a strong wind was
whipping the clouds, and altogether the outlook was not a cheerful one.
“Here is a village,” she cried. “I hope we have arrived. See, we too
are pulling out of formation.”
Elfreda complained that, as Grace was using the only peep hole in the
house, she could see nothing.
The camion soon stopped, then backed up, bumped against something as
it started backing again, and finally came to permanent rest. Grace
decided that it was time to bestir themselves and was about to call
through the opening she had made, for assistance, when some one began
unhooking the curtains.
“Look out for a surprise,” whispered “Captain” Grace.
The surprise came, but it was not theirs. The driver of the camion,
having unhooked the curtain, raised it up to secure it to the top,
probably to permit him to take out some supplies, and suddenly
discovered them.
“Here you, get out of that before I yank you out!” he ordered roughly.
“You wouldn’t do a thing like that, now would you, Buddy?” teased
Grace.
“What! Who are you?”
Grace told him briefly how they came to be in the car, who they were
and what their business was.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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