But as the sunshine had followed the storm, so a cloud came two days later to mar our hero’s happiness. He received a letter from Jessie which had been over two weeks on the way. In that the girl mentioned the fact that some folks in Crumville were treating her rather queerly, and that one girl in particular, on whom Max Gebauer had been in the habit of calling, had made a rather odd remark. The girl’s name was Benson, and of her Jessie wrote:
“I met Mary Benson yesterday in one of the stores. She spoke about Lieutenant Gebauer and then suddenly looked at me and shrugged her shoulders and said: ‘I don’t suppose you hear from Dave Porter any more. You threw him aside rather suddenly, didn’t you?’ I demanded to know what she meant, but she only shrugged her shoulders and walked off. I felt as if I could have shaken her good and hard. I never did like her when we went to school together, and now I like her less than ever.”
Then the girl went on to admit that evidently some folks had got the wrong impression concerning her and her intimacy with Gebauer. She added that she and Laura were going to do what they could to straighten matters out. By reading between the lines Dave was made well aware of the fact that the girl he regarded so highly was having anything but a pleasant time of it because of what the young jewelry manufacturer from Philadelphia had done and said. And it was evident that Nat Poole had backed up Gebauer as far as was in his power.
“It’s an outrage! That’s just what it is—an outrage!” declared Dave, when he talked the matter over with Roger. “I just wish I could be back in Crumville for a few days. I’d show those folks a thing or two.” The idea of having his Jessie suffer was maddening.
“I don’t think you ought to lay it to the folks in Crumville,” returned the senator’s son. “I think you ought to lay it to that Gebauer and Nat.”
Now that Dave had been made a lieutenant of the engineers he resolved to do everything in his power to make a creditable showing as a commissioned officer. He studied his engineering textbooks and his volumes on French and German at every opportunity. Nor did he hesitate to go to Captain Obray and some of the other upper officers for advice and instruction. This pleased the older men greatly, and they did all they could to encourage our hero.
Some days later, when all was quiet in that sector, Dave obtained permission to go to a French town about fifteen miles behind the lines. He wanted to make a few necessary purchases, and as Roger and Phil also wanted to buy some things they secured permission to go with him.
The three caught a ride a short part of the distance, and then walked the rest of the way. They were just on the outskirts of the town when they saw an American soldier ahead of them with a small French lad by his side. The French lad, who was gaunt in appearance, as though half starved, was lugging a large round bundle wrapped in old newspapers.
“Please, Monsieur! Please, I cannot carry the package any farther,” wailed the boy in French, and he made a move as if to let the package drop.
“Here, you! None of that!” cried the soldier, catching the boy by the shoulder. “Go on with that, or I’ll give you something you won’t forget very soon!” and he shook his fist in the French boy’s face and then shoved him along.