E-text prepared by Emmy, Darleen Dove, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 33990-h.htm or 33990-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/33990/pg33990-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/33990/33990-h.zip) THE RED CROSS GIRLS WITH PERSHING TO VICTORY [Illustration: NONA] The Red Cross Girls With Pershing to Victory By MARGARET VANDERCOOK Author of "The Ranch Girls Series," "Stories about Camp Fire Girls Series," etc. Illustrated The John C. Winston Company Philadelphia Copyright, 1919, by THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE 7 II. A LATE RECRUIT 24 III. TOWARD GERMANY 33 IV. LUXEMBURG 55 V. SHOALS 66 VI. THE RIDE 77 VII. AN UNEXPECTED SITUATION 85 VIII. THE COUNTESS'S STORY 98 IX. "LIFE'S LITTLE IRONIES" 110 X. THE TALK WITH SONYA 123 XI. THE JOURNEY TO COBLENZ 132 XII. NEW YEAR'S EVE IN COBLENZ 142 XIII. A WALK ALONG THE RIVER BANK 158 XIV. MAJOR JAMES HERSEY 169 XV. A RE-ENTRANCE 183 XVI. A GROWING FRIENDSHIP 195 XVII. FAITH AND UNFAITH 212 XVIII. RECONCILIATION 228 XIX. A WARNING 237 XX. NORA JAMISON EXPLAINS 245 XXI. THE RAINBOW BRIDGE 256 THE RED CROSS GIRLS WITH PERSHING TO VICTORY CHAPTER I _With The American Army in France_ IT was a bright winter day near the middle of November, the ground hard with frost and light flurries of snow in the air. Over the sloping French countryside thousands of brown tents arose like innumerable, giant anthills, while curling above certain portions of the camp were long columns of smoke. American soldiers were walking about in a leisurely fashion, or standing in groups talking. Some of them were engaged in cleaning their guns or other military accoutrements, a number were investigating their kits. Near one of the camp fires a private was singing to the accompaniment of a guitar and a banjo played by two other soldiers, with a fairly large crowd surrounding them. "Johnny get your gun, we've the Hun on the run."