“You are a disgrace to the uniform you are wearing,” added Phil.
“Oh, sure! There is no use of my talking, with all of you against me!” grumbled Nat. “Just the same, I’ll get square some day, you mark my words!” And having thus delivered himself, Nat Poole slunk away and was soon lost to sight in the brushwood.
“How I would like to have a fellow like that for a brother,” remarked Shadow sarcastically.
“His father must be proud of him,” was Buster’s comment.
“He and his father are two of a kind,” explained Ben. “At the start of the war they were both slackers. The only member of the family that is worth while is Mrs. Poole. She has done a lot for the Red Cross and other war organizations, and I am mighty sorry that she has to put up with such folks as Nat and Mr. Poole.”
“You’ll have to keep your eyes open, Dave,” observed Phil. “Nat will do his best to square accounts, and he’ll probably get Gebauer to aid him.”
“It’s a pity Nat doesn’t try to make something of himself while he is in the army,” observed Dave. “He has just as good a chance as any of us.”
“It isn’t in him,” said Buster. “You can’t build a marble palace out of mud.”
“Oh, say! Speaking of mud, puts me in mind of a story I heard yesterday,” cried Shadow. “Three Americans were in the end of a trench, and they were completely surrounded by Germans. They were out of ammunition and didn’t know what to do. The trench was full of mud and water, and as the Germans came down to make them prisoners the three Americans grabbed up some buckets which were handy, filled them with mud and water, and let the Germans have the dose full in the face. Then they leaped out and ran for their lives. One of them was killed, but the other two got away.”
“They certainly took chances,” answered Dave; “but that’s the American style.”