The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling; Or, Training for the Big Fight in France — John Shaqi
The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling; Or, Training for the Big Fight in FranceChase, Josephine
General
The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling; Or, Training for the Big Fight in France
Chase, Josephine
World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
Once fairly outside camp limits, the load of rollicking soldier boys
were soon raising their voices in a lusty rendering of "Where Do We Go
From Here?" With the prospect of an afternoon and evening of freedom
before them, they were all in high spirits. Traveling a somewhat rough
road, the frequent jolting they met with whenever the car went over a
bump merely added to their hilarity. An unoffending motorist ahead of
them, driving along in a somewhat rickety runabout, presently became an
object of marked concern. A running fire of military commands gleefully
shouted out at the swaying machine as it lurched along soon caused its
luckless driver to speed up and scuttle out of sound of the derisive
calls which greeted him from the rear. Uncle Sam's boys were out for
fun and intended to have it.
An hour's ride brought the revelers into Tremont. Arrived in the heart
of the city, which boasted a population of about one hundred thousand,
Jimmy, Bob and Roger took friendly leave of their noisy fellow
travelers.
"Now where do _we_ go from here?" asked Roger, as the trio halted
together on a corner of Center Street, Tremont's main thoroughfare, and
looked eagerly about them.
"To a restaurant for grub," was Bob's fervent response. "I know a place
where the eats are O. K. I told you fellows that the first newspaper job
I ever tackled was on a morning paper in this town. I lived here about
three months. Just long enough to make good on the paper. Then I beat it
back to the big town and landed with the _Chronicle_. I know every
historic cobblestone in this lovely burg."
As none of the three had stopped for the noon meal at Camp Sterling,
they lost no time in patronizing the restaurant of Bob's choice.
After weeks of uncomplainingly accepting in their mess kits the
wholesome though monotonous rations of the Army, a real bill of fare to
choose from was a rare treat. In consequence they lingered long at table
and, according to Jimmy, "filled up for a week," before starting out to
"see the sights." This last consisted of a stroll through the principal
streets, with stops along the way at various shops, there to purchase a
few trifles, such as had caught their fancy while pausing to stare into
attractive show windows. Then followed a visit to a motion-picture
theater, where a feature photoplay was going on. From there they drifted
into another "movie palace," and so amused themselves until supper time.
The evening was devoted to witnessing a "real show" at Tremont's largest
theater. It was a lively farce comedy and the boys enjoyed it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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