The Motor Boys in the Army; or, Ned, Bob and Jerry as VolunteersYoung, Clarence
General
The Motor Boys in the Army; or, Ned, Bob and Jerry as Volunteers
Young, Clarence
Adventure stories; United States. Army -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
Some one managed to light a solitary gas jet in a corner of the hall,
and by the gleam the swaying, struggling mass could be observed.
Fortunately the women and girls had gotten out, or they might have been
hurt. As it was, they stood outside and screamed, probably because of
fear for their men relatives inside. Then some one switched on all the
lights, and with that the fight stopped.
There were a few bloody noses, and some eyes that, in the process of
time, would turn black, blue and other hues, there were torn collars
and garments, while a number of chairs were overturned.
But when Ned, Bob and Jerry looked toward the stage it was deserted.
The chairs that had been filled with honorary vice-chairmen, were
empty. Mr. Pfeiffer was absent. So was Mr. Schaeffer. In fact, of all
the German-Americans who had undertaken to conduct the meeting not one
was in sight. They had sneaked off in the confusion and the darkness.
The meeting was most effectively broken up.
“Well, things came off as we expected,” remarked Jerry, tying his
handkerchief around his injured hand.
“But not in just the way we had counted on,” said Ned.
This was true, for the boys had planned that one of them should call
for three cheers for the flag, and demand that the band play the
national anthem.
It was expected that this would be objected to by those in charge of
the meeting, and then there would be a good chance to denounce those
responsible, and an opportunity for breaking up the gathering. This
had been Colonel Wentworth’s plan, but events had shaped themselves
differently. The putting out of the lights had not been planned by the
motor boys.
With the withdrawal of the leading pro-Germans, their sympathizers in
the audience soon went out, leaving the place well filled with loyal
citizens. Colonel Wentworth, seeing a chance to make a speech, at once
took charge of matters, and organized a patriotic meeting then and
there. This was turning the tables on the pro-Germans with a vengeance.
Ned, Bob and Jerry remained for a while, and then, as Jerry’s hand was
getting painful, the motor boys left and went to a near-by drug store.
As might be expected, the breaking up of the pro-German meeting created
a stir in the town. On all sides, save among those who might, because
of their nationality, be expected to differ, there were heard words of
commendation. And when Ned, Bob and Jerry called on Lieutenant Riker,
to get some final instructions about their enlistment, the soldier
grinned broadly as he asked:
“Any more meetings of the ‘Friends of Liberty’ scheduled for your town?”
“Not just at present,” laughed Jerry.
There was some talk, on the part of those who had called the meeting,
of proceeding against those who had broken it up. Mr. Pfeiffer, the
lawyer, was loudest in this talk.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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