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
Ned, Bob and Jerry gave a shout.
“It’s him, all right!” cried Jerry, enthusiastically if not
grammatically.
“I thought it sounded like him,” added Ned.
“Hello, Professor Snodgrass!” called Bob. “It’s all right. Keep quiet.
We’ll be with you in a minute!”
They raced up to the excited sentry, who stood holding a small,
bald-headed man, at the same time flashing in his face a pocket
electric lamp.
“Oh, it’s you, boys, is it?” asked the little man, who did not seem
at all disturbed by the situation in which he found himself. “Well,
I’m glad to see you. I just arrived, getting in rather late on account
of a delayed train. I walked over, intending to visit you. I had no
idea it was so late, but I am glad it is, for I have just seen some
specimens of moth that only fly about this hour. I wanted to catch some
but--er--this gentleman----”
Professor Snodgrass, for it was he, paused and looked at his captor.
“You’re right! I wouldn’t let you go chasin’ through the lines!”
exclaimed Kelly. “Do you know him?” he asked the motor boys.
“He is a friend of ours,” declared Jerry. “We know him well. He is
Professor Uriah Snodgrass, of Boxwood Hall, and what he says is
true--he does collect moths and other bugs.”
“Sufferin’ cats!” cried Kelly. “And I took him for a German spy! I
beg your pardon,” he went on. “My father was a professor in Dublin
University, and I’m sorry I disturbed you. I’ll help you collect bugs
when I’m off duty.”
“Thank you!” said Professor Snodgrass, as if it was the most natural
thing in the world to get offers of assistance in this way. “I shall
be glad of help. Ha! There is one of the late-flying moths now!” and
he reached over and made a grab for something on the shoulder of the
corporal of the guard, who had come running up.
“Here! None of that! What’s the idea! Disarm him!” cried the corporal,
who was hardly awake yet. “Has he bombs on him?” he asked of Kelly.
“I guess it’s all a mistake,” the sentry replied. “I was patrolling
my post, when I saw some one walking along, and seemingly picking
things up off the ground. Or maybe, I thought, he was planting infernal
machines. So I rushed over and grabbed him, and I yelled and----”
“I was only gathering bugs by the light of my little electric lamp,”
the professor explained. “I had no idea I was so near the army camp,
though I intended to visit it to see my friends,” and he motioned to
the motor boys. With his usual absent-mindedness he had forgotten all
about everything but what he saw immediately before him--the bugs and
the night moths.
“Do you know this gentleman?” asked the corporal of Jerry.
“Yes, he is a very good friend of ours.”
“Then you may release him,” went on the corporal to Kelly. “And we are
sorry for what happened.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account