Comrades in Service (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos or missing text. Not indexed. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1915. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... A MAN WITH A MESSAGE The village of East Northfield, Massachusetts, was not a very large place in the middle of the last century, and life there used sometimes to seem a trifle slow to one of its youthful inhabitants. But there were ways to vary the monotony. One was to lead his willing schoolmates to the cattle sheds of "Squire" Alexander, where a number of young steers were kept. A quiet climb to the empty rafters suddenly followed by a chorus of wild Indian war-whoops and vigorous jumping on the loose planks furnished almost unlimited excitement for wildly fleeing steers, irate squire, and gleeful small boys. The appropriation of the squire's old pung to coast down the steep hill below his house was another adventure sufficiently reckless to be full of zest. Once a neat notice appeared on the schoolhouse door, stating that an out-of-town speaker would deliver a lecture on temperance there on a certain evening. When the evening came the schoolhouse was warmed and lighted for the occasion, and a number of people gathered to listen to the words of wisdom of the lecturer. But no lecturer appeared, and the audience finally dispersed, full of indignation at the practical joker whose identity no one knew, except a certain small boy who was loud in his condemnation of such a foolish joke. At another time this small boy was to give Mark Antony's oration over Julius Caesar at the "closing exercises" of the district school. Just before his oration he introduced a touch of realism by placing on the desk a long narrow box to represent the coffin of the deceased Caesar. In the height of his eloquence an impassioned gesture knocked off the box cover, and out sprang a terrified tom-cat, who dashed wild-eyed into the midst of a startled and almost equally terrified audi...