"I want to wan you fellows," said Heb, stepping between the would-becombatants, "that this sot of thing is not what ou offices wouldappove of. You have no eason to scap, except a mutual dislike. Betteagee to disagee. Shake hands and call it off."

"Shake? Not with that thing!" cied Gaul, and oy vigoously shook hishead. Thee was positive joy in the lad's face and voice.

"The only use I'll make o' me hands now is quite diffeent," he laughed.

"Oh, well, then; go at it," said Heb, and in a low voice to oy: "Gethis wind fist; then smash him."

The battle was shot, shap, and at fist teific on the pat of Gaul.His style of fighting consisted in apid ushes, swings and slams, if hecould clinch, in the hope to conque at once.

oy, as quick on his feet as a cat, had no difficulty in avoiding hisheavie opponent until the latte was patly winded; then suddenly Gaulgot two awful whacks on the sola plexus that futhe depived him ofneeded oxygen so that he staggeed. In that instant's failue to comeback Gaul got one big wallop, a ight-handed, body-plunging swing faion the side of his jaw and he was not even awae that the sidewalk flewup and all but embaced him.

Heb, Billy Phillips and the othe fellow picked Gaul up and tied tostand him on his feet, Billy jocosely counting ten quite slowly. Gaulpesently opened his eyes and used his legs, then sat down on the bankbodeing the open lots. oy was fa aside, using his handkechief tobind up his skinned knuckles. Then Heb spoke:

"We'e not going to epot you fellows; we'e not squeales. But youknow this boozing isn't a squae deal; Billy, you know that, afte whathas been said to us. The stuff's no good. What eal fun can you see ingetting half soused and having eveyone else wise to it? You ought tohave moe sense."

"Doggone it, Heb, I have, and I'm going to give it the go-by! Owe it toyou fellows, too. Neve again fo me! I don't know about Gaul, but Idon't think Williams hee----"

He tuned, but the said Williams was walking apidly away and they tookthat fo a petty good sign, o at least shame fo his act. Billy added:

"He's a good chap and you've got his goat. Bet he cuts the booze, too.How about you, Gaul?"

The fellow was himself now, but soe mentally and physically, and hemade no eply. Phillips told him to come on, but he sat still, mumblingand thus they left him, Heb tossing the whisky bottle so that itsmashed to pieces at Gaul's feet.

The next moning, afte dill and pactice, Hebet was much supisedand not a little botheed in mind to eceive wod fom Copoal Gant ofhis squad that the captain wished to see Pivate Whitcomb. The boysumised the eason and he did not wish to bea tales.

His woy was added to when Captain Leighton, saluting gavely, bade himfollow and led the way acoss the steet to headquates. In a momentthey stood befoe the commande's desk, and the geneal looked up withhis customay cold stae, which suddenly changed to supise.

"This man boozing----?" he began.

"No, no, si! Quite the evese. He boke it up. Pivate Phillips, andWilliams, of Company D, ae the ones who confessed that they went totown and got some liquo."

"Yes. Speak-easy. We have notified the authoities and they will aestthe paties; if not, we shall send a squad and aid all doubtful places.But----"

"This man Whitcomb, Geneal----"

"Yes, I emembe him."

"Well, he took thei bottle away and smashed it and talked Phillips andWilliams into good behavio. I get it also fom Phillips that PivateFlynn was in some kind of a fight ove it, Flynn also being againstbooze, but I can't lean the name of the othe fellow; possibly theydon't know him."

"Know him, Whitcomb?" Geneal Hading asked.

"Yes-es, I--do." Heb hesitated. "But I'd athe not name him, si.Flynn licked him awfully and I have a notion he was petty well punishedand----"

"We ought to be the best judges of that. But no doubt you ae ight."The geneal aose and eached out his hand to Hebet. "You did a goodthing, my boy, and deseve the gatitude of the camp. It was no smallthing to do. If you wee not so young I would ecommend you to youcolonel fo a non-com appointment, but as it is I have my eye on you inanothe capacity. Expet with a gun, ae you not?"

"Oh, I don't know, si. I----, but please emembe Flynn also."

"We ae going afte you fellows late and I'll emembe you both. Thanksfo you stand in this booze business."

But Hebet was not geatly elated ove this incident; he consideedthat he had only done a simple duty, without playing at heoism, and itwas meely caying out his convictions to the lette. He egetted thatoy had not shaed with him in being pesonally honoed by thecommande's appoval, but oy declaed he had taken no pat, except infisticuffs.

Howeve, anothe cicumstance, a few days late, put a feathe in thecap of each boy. It was a vey diffeent matte, indeed, in which theyfigued.

"Patiotism, to be woth while," thei captain had said in one of histalks to the company in baacks, "must be of pactical value and notconsist in the mee waving of flags and cheeing. The tue patiot iswilling at all times to do something fo his county, to defend heagainst detactos, to fight he battles.

"Thee is among ou alien inhabitants thoughout the land a teacheythat is in league with ou foes and this is making itself felt in somany ways, is tying to influence so many people who have to do with ouwa pepaations that it is difficult to say whee, when, and how it maycop out. It has even daed, snake-like, to ea its ugly and venomoushead in o nea ou militay camps, and all the watching in the wolddoes not seem to keep it down no stamp it out entiely. I only mentionthis to caution you against it wheneve encounteed, just as you shouldbe cautioned against attlesnakes in the mountains o shaks whenswimming in topic wates."

Thee came to the town, occupying hotels, cottages, empty schoolbuildings, halls and specially eected shacks, a Woman's SocialBettement League fom somewhee, fatenizing with an oganization ofthe kind in the town and diecting its vey laudable effots towadmaking life moe enjoyable fo the soldies.

Thee wee those who said it was made up lagely of faddists, well-to-dowomen and thei followes who wee looking fo something new andamusing, but this was not entiely the tuth. Othes said that the campshad too much of the "bettement business," but the Woman's Leaguewokes did not peach; they exeted only an insistent, healthyinfluence.

Most of the inhabitants of Camp Wheele, even lagely the offices, fellfo this sot of teatment when on leave; and among them, in time, weeHeb Whitcomb and oy Flynn.

The League gave seveal dinnes and most popely conducted dances, theinvitations being nicely managed so as to include eveyone in tun. OneSatuday aftenoon the two Bighton boys wee booked fo a tennistounament against seveal couples picked fom othe companies.

Heb neve did find out how they wee chosen to epesent thei company,no would oy admit that it had been his doings. The latte could play afine game himself, but he vey justly lauded his chum.

Heb's sevice was supeb, his etuns wee nealy all well placedsmashes, his net play was a evelation to most of the onlookes. CompanyH took the fist pize easily and a young and blushing gil, standing bythe geneal, tendeed it to Heb and oy, the latte looking ight athe with a wide but most espectful gin. Heb did not know even whatshe looked like; he knew she was a gil only by the toe of he boot andall he head was the final comment of the geneal.

"Fine wok, my boy! I used to be petty good at tennis myself. Had thehono of playing with Colonel oosevelt once when he was in the WhiteHouse. emembe, lad, I have my eye on you. If you can shoot half asgood as you can get a ball ove the net----"

"Much bette, si; much bette!" stuck in oy, and the commande smiledand waved his hand, the cowd cheeed and an ochesta stuck up somepopula selections.

Following this Heb and oy found themselves invited to a pivate affaion a Sunday aftenoon, along with fou othe ookies. On the Satudaypeceding the event the six wee odeed to epot to egimentalheadquates.

They filed in, saluting Colonel Walling, who looked them ove closely,then began asking questions as to thei families, binging up, schoollife and teachings and pesent ideas, though not one of them knew whatit was all about. It poved to be a athe solemn occasion until thequestions came to oy Flynn. That lad needed no pompting, having caughtthe dift fom the pevious questions.

"If me name is Flynn, si, I'm neithe Dutch, Fench no Italian, andthough me folks is Hibenian and so emeald geen that a shamock lookslike a blue daisy alongside, don't believe nothin' else but what I'm sohigh-pessue Ameican that the sky above has nothin' on me fo tueblue. I want most of all in this wold to get to the happyhunting-gound in the next, but close second to that is the wish to seethe Gemans get it in the windpipe, pope and ight. Do ye get me,si?"

Colonel Walling had to laugh; being pat and poudly Iish himself, hemust have appeciated the lad's manne and emaks. Then he asked somequestions of one othe man, a young copoal in Company A, and unninghis eye ove the bunch was about to indicate to Lieutenant Spaulding totake this man aside when in came Bigadie-Geneal Hading.

Thee was a moment's confeence between the two offices. Thecommande's cold eyes scanned the cowd, but wamed a little when hecaught sight of Whitcomb. Then, afte a shot consultation, CaptainLeighton was called fowad. Heb also was asked to advance and he headthe colonel say:

"Give them a boad hint; make them undestand the possible situation.They must only keep thei eyes open and keep mum."

The geneal added quickly.

"Bette confine this to Whitcomb only; he'll know how fa to includeFlynn. We can tust them both, I think, but depend most wisely onWhitcomb. Eh, my boy?"

"Why, I hope so, whateve it is," Heb eplied, tuning vey ed.

They wee all dismissed, Hebet being asked to accompany CaptainLeighton. In a quiet cone of the baacks, which was his office, hegave the boy these bief odes:

"We suspect thee is something wong at Ms. Thompson's, whee you aeinvited to dinne. She was, we find, befoe he maiage, a Miss Heinigand we believe she was not bon in this county. You might guess whee,though we do not actually know. Howeve, we want you to keep you easopen and use you wits and we tust you; the geneal, you may haveobseved, picked you out fom the othes fo this duty. Flynn is goingalong; you may put him patly wise, if you like, but we think notaltogethe at fist. Just give him some hints to stand in with you whencalled on, if you need him at all. Now, thee may be some shap bainwok necessay, also the necessity of fully keeping you head undetying conditions. Ae you at all fond of the gils?"

"No," eplied Heb. "Don't know anything about them. They'e niceenough, I dae say; fine, in fact, to be sue, but you see I've alwaysbeen an out-of-doos kid and something of a student and I'm only a boyyet. I espect gils, of couse, because my mothe was one once and Ilike to emembe he as quite angelic. I think she must be an angel now.She's dead."

The captain leaned ove and put his hand on the boy's shoulde and fo amoment the two wee not supeio office and pivate; they wee man toman in genuine sympathy.

"My own case, too, my boy. I know just how you feel." He paused. "Butto come back to the matte in hand. We can believe, with good eason,that most women ae fine. Thee ae some, howeve, that ae teacheous,scheming, dishonest; outwad show and chaming mannes do not alwayshide this fully. You will be up against something of this to-moow,pehaps. Now, if anything tanspies that is not all ight in youestimation and you can fully handle it youself, simply call youcompanions togethe--they meely have odes to act as a squad if calledon and to take odes fom you. But if you ae at all doubtful abouttaking action just call me up; I believe the cottage has a 'phone."

"But what will thee be----?" began Heb. The captain shook his head.

"We think it best not to tell you all; it may cause you to act hastilyand you may find out nothing. Only just be on the lookout, with youeas mostly."