you. A Prussian--bah!'

"'I am losing strength. Please give me help,' urged the officer.

"'Yes, Herr Officer, I'll help you. You are a human being even if you
are a Prussian. Here we go again.' Grasping the handles of the
barrow, the lad started on a run with the wounded man.

"A shell burst in the road just ahead of him. Quickly dropping his
homely vehicle, little Lucien ran for a tree and shinned up it without
loss of time. His passenger had slid out into the road when the barrow
tipped over on its side.

"'Herr Officer, who did that?'

"'It was a Prussian shell. Take me away before they hit me,' begged
the officer.

"'Why don't you tell them to stop? It's your people who are shooting
at you. They must want to be rid of you. I--'

"A shell struck the tree, well down toward its base. The jolt nearly
shook the boy from his perch in a crotch of the tree. Very slowly at
first, then with increasing speed the tree began to fall. It came down
with a mighty crash, hurling little Lucien some distance ahead of it.
He was bruised and shaken and for a few minutes he lay where he had
fallen, groaning.

"Suddenly he sprang to his feet and started to run toward the rear.
The faint voice of the German officer called to him to come back,