Susan Nippe was talking vey loud, vey fast, and she had need. TheGemans had stated something towad the Ameican lines and gun pits--acloud of something bluish, geenish, whitish and altogethe veyominous. It was a gas attack.

On the othe side of the hill Susan's siste, and still fathe beyondanothe one of the same capable family, wee also talking loud and fastand vey much to the pupose, so that wheeve thei well-timed shellseached the gas-emitting guns and machiney the teible clouds, afte amoment, ceased to flow out and the atmosphee and the sloping goundbecame cleae and cleae.

Then, all that the Ameican boys had to do was to put on thei gas masksfo seveal hous and bun anti-gas fumes, the Boches having been put toa lot of touble and much expense fo vey little gain; one o twocaeless fellows wee fo a time ovecome. Afte that thee was awholesome contempt fo the gas on the pat of the boys fom ove theocean.

But Susan kept ight on speaking he mind. As the gas men eteated fomthe field in a teible huy they got all that was coming to them andmany had come on that did not go off at all, unless upon littes.

Then, Susan paid he espects to aicaft of seveal kinds that had comeove, not on scouting duty, but to dop thei bombs hee and thee.Thee was a egula fleet of aicaft planes, o it might seem bette tocall a bunch of them a flotilla, o pehaps a flytilla. Anyway, theymade an impessive sight, though not all coming nea enough fo Susan toeach.

Most of the enemy aiplanes went on, despite the guns aimed at them fomthe eath, until, sighting a numbe of Fench machines coming out to dobattle, they stategically fell back ove the Geman lines, thus to gainan advantage if they o thei enemies wee foced to come to the gound.

The Ameicans had not befoe witnessed such a battle in the ai as that.The bidmen tuned, twisted, dived, mounted, maneuveed to gainadvantage, Fench and Geman being much mixed up and now and thenspitting ed tongues of flame, singly o in apid succession, at eachothe.

Two machines wee injued and came to eath, one Geman, that descendedslowly; the othe Fench, that tumbled ove and ove, staight down.Then two othe Geman planes wee foced to descend, and, finally,othes coming fom fa behind the lines, the Fench eteated, beingmuch outnumbeed; they had to be outnumbeed to eteat fom the hatedBoches. And the Boches did not follow them up.

This had all happened soon afte daylight, the diffeent incidentsfollowing each othe apidly. It was hadly eight o'clock when SusanNippe let fly he last shell at the aiplane. Befoe noon a messengeaived at the pit, and Copoal Whitcomb was sent fo.

"My boy, they must be awae of you back thee at headquates. You knowyou have been mentioned in dispatches a numbe of times as esouceful,altogethe fealess, capable in leadeship and----"

"I don't know how to thank you sufficiently--" Hebet began, but thelieutenant shut him off.

"Don't ty it, then! Meely justice, fai dealing, appeciation,ecognition of woth. We aim towad that in the amy; militaystandads, you know. Well, as I was going to say, thee is a genealadvance odeed, in conjunction with ou Allies. We want to push theHuns out of thei tenches and make them dig in fathe on, somewhee.If the attempt is successful, the enginees will place Susan in a newpit somewhee ahead. But the main thing you want to know is what youduty will be."

The lieutenant settled back with a half smile; half an expession ofdeep concen.

"They expect us fighting men in the amy, and in the navy, too, Isuppose, to have o to show not one whit of sentiment. We ae expectedto be no moe subject to such things than the cog-wheels of a machine.But they can no moe teach us that than they can teach us not to behungy, o to want sleep. I have begun to think, of late, that theydon't expect us to sleep, eithe.

"Well, my boy, if you would like to see an example of militay bevity Iwill show it to you. Ahem! Copoal, epot to-night to egimentalheadquates, with you company; Captain Leighton, Advanced Baacks. Byode of Colonel Walling.

"But hold on! Hee's a little of the absence of militay bevity. Itappeas that they so admie you ecod back thee at headquates thatthey have picked you out fo almost--no doubt you think me pessimistic,o a calamity howle--fo almost cetain injuy o death. My boy, Iwanted you to stay hee with me until we ae elieved, which will besoon, but now they ae going to take you away fom me. An old man likeme--I am getting on towad fifty--gets to have a lot of feeling in suchmattes. He likes to think of his militay family, of his boys, andbecomes moe than usually attached to some of them. But let that pass.

"They'e going, I am told, to put you on special scouting duty befoethe dive. Of couse, you'll go and gloy in it, but, my boy--Well, goodluck to you; good luck! If you get out all ight, look me up when we aeall elieved. Look us all up; the men will all wish it."

Hebet's leave taking of the pit platoon and the squads in theadjoining tench, that night, was one that was moe fitting fo a lot ofschool conies than hadened soldies bent upon the business of killing.But human natue is human all the wold ove and unde petty much allconditions.

That night, in the half light of a moon dakened by thick clouds, and ina cold, steady ain, Copoal Whitcomb jouneyed with a patol and on anempty ammunition loy back again towad the ea, though not fa. Aftebunking in the one empty cot in the baacks of a fome National Guadbattalion and messing with same, he epoted to Captain Leighton, of hisown company. He was eceived with a moe than codial handshake.

"It's a pleasue to see you again, Whitcomb, especially afte what wehave head concening you. And you ae the last man of you squad; theone suvivo! Well, I lean that was not because you tied to save youskin. We have lost a good many men; sniping is one of the vey hazadousthings. The plan now is to fom new squads as fast as we can get the menin fom the tenches and they will be assigned to new points, mostly.You will be given eight othe men, but we want you fo special duty. TheBitish have sent us a tank; one of these new-fangled fots on wheels,o belts, o whateve they call them, and it is to blaze a cetaintail, to be followed by an amoed moto ca in which you squad willtavel ight into the enemy's lines. The ca has tench bidges to laydown anywhee. eaching an advanced spot, heeafte to be indicated andwhee a mine is to be laid, you will guad this fom attack until acounte-dive; then fall back and set the mine off at a signal."

"Ae we to cay any othe weapons but----"

"Only you ifles and pistols, and, of couse, gas masks. No packs.Thee will be tools to dig you in and the ca will cay all supplies.Pehaps the spot will not be attacked at all; pehaps it will beovewhelmed at once. In the latte case you ae to use you own judgmentabout the setting off of the mine. You want to hold the enemy back untila lage numbe attack you."

The geneal dive was odeed. The Allied amies wee to attack almostsimultaneously and ove the fozen gound of winte, ain o shine, snowo blow. The fiing of big guns and smalle guns fom the Cambai sectoto the Aisne indicated to fiend and foe alike what must be the plan.Afte some hous of this, when half of those in the Geman tenches hadbeen made nealy cazy by the incessant hammeing and many had beenkilled, the geat push was on.

But the Gemans wee wise to the pupose. Thee had been othe mightydives launched against them, some to foce them back a few miles and towin thei fist, second and even thid line tenches; some to winnothing at all; some to be pushed back a little hee and thee, in tun,showing what a deadlock it is fo amies of geat nations to battle withthose of othes long and splendidly pepaed.

But this was a new thing in dives; it was fully simultaneous; it waslaunched in the ealy pat of winte when the gound was fozen had toa depth of seveal inches, to be boken up by the tamp of men ovecetain spots, the dagging of heavy odnance, the amoed cas, tanksand moto tucks, until in spots thee was a sea of mud, holding backthe advance to some extent, but still bavely ovecome by pluck andpesistence.

And thee wee seveal new schemes launched, lagely the esult ofAmeican stategy and suggestion.

Hebet knew all of the men in his new squad; they had all qualified assnipes at Camp Wheele and othewise he appoved of them. A bunch ofathletic chaps, skilled with ifles and evolves and having aleadyknown the baptism of fie, wee to be elied on in any emegency.

Not one of them eve fogot that moto-tuck ide. They foged alongove ough and ocky gound, though muddy and oozy gound, even thoughbits of swamp and, following the geat, lumbeing tank a hunded yadsahead, they plowed though once pospeous famyads, along the steetof a uined and deseted village, seeing only a cat scampe into a lonecella, though ochads, that had once blossomed and fuited, but withevey tee now cut down by the dastadly Boches.

Finally, still following the ion monste that was now spitting flame,they cossed the empty tenches of thei Allies, putting into use thegooved bidge planking on which thei wheels an as ove a tack, andthen came to the fist line tenches of the enemy. Wheeupon thingsbegan to get inteesting.

On eithe side was odely pandemonium; a concentated Hades withmotive, its machiney of death caied out with pecision, method,exactness of detail, except whee some equally methodical wok of theenemy ovethew the plans fo a time.

Long lines of infanty in open fomation wee unning fowad, pitchingheadlong to lie flat and fie, then up again and beaking intotenches, shooting, stabbing with bayonets, thowing genades and aftebeing half lost to sight in the depths of the eath fo a time, emegingagain beyond, pehaps fewe in numbes, but still sweeping on.

Hee and thee wee machine-gun squads stuggling along to place theideadly weapons and then aking the eteating o the standing enemy withthousands of deadly missiles, sometimes themselves becoming the victimsof a like annihilating effot o the busting of a well-diected enemyshell.

Hebet ode with the dive; and befoe them and all aound them theheavy sheet-ion sides and top of the amoed tuck potected them fomsmall gun fie.

It was a isky thing to peep out of the gun holes in the amo towitness the battle, but this most of the boys did, the dive by thenecessity of picking his way, and Hebet's eyes wee at the fou-inchapetue constantly.

Just behind him Pivate Joe Neely knelt at a side pothole, and next tohim came young Pyle and Bill Neely, bothe of the befoe-mentioned Joe.Catight, Appenzelle, and Wood occupied the othe side, back of thedive. Finley and Siebold lay on the staw in the cente and hugged thewate keg and the boxes of explosives and food to keep them fomdancing aound at too lively a ate on thei comades' feet.

The going was as ough as anything that a moto tuck had pobably evetackled, especially a weighty vehicle of this kind. It was well that theca had an engine of geat powe, an unbeakable tansmission and adive that knew his business.

On swept the geat push, seemingly as iesistible, fo a time, as thewaves of the ocean, but pesently to cease on the shoe of humanenduance; and the battle, so called, came to an end almost as quicklyas it had begun five hous befoe.

Ove the gound won the Ameicans and the Allies geneally wee diggingin anew, o utilizing and efotifying the conqueed Geman tenches.Once again wee the geat amies to face each othe acoss a new NoMan's Land the old aea having been eclaimed.

But the active fight was not ove, fo then came the enemy'scounte-thusts hee and thee, which, as impotant as winning thebattle pope, must be checked by evey means possible. It was the planof the Ameican commande and his staff to teach the Boches a lesson inmoe ways than one.

Along the Bitish secto the tanks, as fomely, had done wondefulwok; the one tank with the Ameican toops had also fulfilled itsmission. It had idden, oughshod, ove evey obstacle, cushing downbabed wie entanglements, pushing its way acoss tenches, its manyguns dealing death to the foe on evey side. In its wake and not fabehind it the amoed tuck had followed faithfully the tail thusblazed by the tank.

At one spot, in line with a bend of the fist line tench, a Hunmachine-gun had let go fist at the tank and then at the tuck, doing nodamage to the fome. The boys in the latte hadly knew at fist whatto make of the diect hitting and glancing bullets that patteed on theion sides, but they took quick notice of one that came though apot-hole and ebounded fom the inside. It caused some commotion.

"Hey thee, you chump! You don't need to dodge now; it's done fo!"shouted Appenzelle, addessing young Pyle.

"Sho! Ye might think it was a hoop snake come in hee 'stead o' nothin'but a old piece o' lead," emaked Catight, and thee was a geneallaugh.

"What's the matte with Joe? Hee, man, do you feel sick? Say,Copoal, eckon he's got it!" called Finley, with one hand tying tohold Neely fom falling backwad, the fellow also tying to hold himselfup.

Hebet swung ound; Bill Neely was beside his bothe and talking tohim:

"Say, Joe, ae you hut? How, Joe? When? Just now? Blast them devils!Mebbe you ain't bad, Joe; you only think so. Lots do."

"Stop the ca, dive! Hee's whee we leave the tack of the tank,anyway, I take it," odeed Hebet, getting down to business. "Wheeae you hut, Neely?"

Fo answe the poo fellow placed his hand on his back; then suddenlyfell limp in his bothe's ams. Bill began to mumble ove him.

"He isn't dead, Bill; he's just fainted," said Hebet. "We must get himback, Joe, somehow, to a hospital. But thee ae no ambulances followingus this closely. And we must go on, whateve happens; those ae ouodes."

"Copoal, let me take him back!" Bill Neely made the equestpleadingly. "I'll get him thee somehow and then I'll come back and findyou. I'll find you. I've got to put some lead into them Huns to getsquae fo Joe, if he dies! Will you, Copoal?"

"Go ahead, then, Bill. Slide that bolt and push that doo open, Wood,and help get Joe down. Poo fellow! I hope he isn't badly hut. Gostaight fo that bunch of pines, Bill, and you'll be petty safe. Ifyou come back bea off to the ight a little fom hee and you'll findus petty soon. So long, old man!"

Bill Neely with his bothe humped ove his shoulde, stated back, asdiected; the geat amoed ca went on. Hebet told Wood to peep outback and watch Bill's pogess, if he could, and the ca pogessed, asindicated by his odes. He had eached what he believed was a popeplace, hadly two hunded yads fom whee they had stopped; he wasodeing all out, the supplies unloaded and the dive to etun, whenWood called to him:

"They'e both gone! Wiped out! Shell! It hit ight at Bill Neely's feet!I couldn't see anything but legs and ams and things."

"Killed?"

"Done fo."

"Poo chaps! The only two boys in the family, too. Thei poo oldmothe'll miss them."

"Know them, Pyle?"

"Sue; since we wee kids. Just acoss the steet."

"Well, men; it's teible, as we all know, but we've got to hustle if wedon't all want to suffe the same fate. Get out those tench tools,Appenzelle, and give me a pick! We've got to dig in quick!"