CHAPTER III
THE GATHERING STORM
Events moved on swiftly for the next few days. History was being madeat a more rapid rate than ever before. War was in the air andeverybody felt it.
"Something's got to break mighty soon, Bart," remarked Frank, as he methis friend one morning.
"Can't come too soon for me," said Bart. "Ever since we broke offdiplomatic relations I've known there could be but one end to it.That's never been done yet without a country finally going to war."
"And it won't this time either," agreed Frank. "The fact is, I'd bealmost sorry if it did. I'm getting so sore at the way the Germans aretrying to ride rough shod over the world that I'm anxious to get awhack at them."
"I, too," declared Bart. "The cool way in which they offered part ofthe United States to Mexico has got me so riled that I can't think ofanything else but getting even. And you notice how, in spite of allwarning, they keep on sinking American ships! They figure that we'rejust bluffing. Their newspapers keep telling them that we're only anation of shopkeepers who think of nothing but the almighty dollar andthat we're making so much money out of the war in selling munitions tothe Allies we'll take good care not to get into it ourselves."
"They're just about due to wake up out of their dream," said Frank,grimly. "They make a big mistake when they think our patience iscowardice, or greed for money. As a matter of fact, there isn't anation in the world so unselfish as America. Look at the way we wentinto the Spanish war--just pure humanity, to save Cuba from the horrorsshe was undergoing at the hands of that butcher, Weyler. And see howquickly we gave Cuba her independence as soon as the war was over andshe was ready for it. There isn't another nation in the world thatwould have let such a rich prize slip through her fingers when once shehad laid her hands on it."
"Oh, well, the Germans are fed up on lies, anyway," responded Bart."That's the only way the government can keep up the spirits of thepeople. The newspapers say just what the Kaiser tells them to say.Some day the papers will tell them that the Americans have horns andhoofs, and they'll swallow it without winking."
"They'll see for themselves what we are," said Frank, "when our boys goover the top and meet them face to face."
"I just got a letter from Billy Waldon," went on Bart. "He's been downon the Mexican border chasing Villa and his gang. Says he's in fineshape and feeling like a two-year-old. His regiment's been orderedback, and he'll be with us soon. Says he's honing to get a crack atthe Germans."
"Billy's a fine fellow," said Frank heartily, "and the experience he'sbeen getting in Mexico ought to help him a lot when he gets in theFrench trenches, if he ever does."
"He'll get there all right," asserted Bart. "I hear that the firstthing the Government will do will be to put the national guardregiments in the regular army. You know the old Thirty-seventh thatBilly belongs to is mostly made up of Camport boys. I've half a mindto join myself as soon as they get back."
"That might not be a half bad idea," said Frank. "Although my ownthought was that as soon as the President called for troops I'd jointhe regular army at once. But it's as broad as it is long, for, as yousay, the first thing the Government is likely to do is to make regularsof the national guard. And it won't be a bad thing either, for they'vehad lots of drilling and will be a heap better at the start than rawrecruits who don't know the first thing about a gun."
"This experience the boys have had on the border hasn't done them anyharm either," replied Bart. "Of course most of them haven't had anyfighting to do, but they've had to be prepared to fight and the outdoorlife has made them tough and strong. Billy says you'll hardly know theboys for the same fellows when they get back."
"Oh they're a lot of heroes--I don't think," sneered Nick Rabig, whowas working near by and had heard part of the conversation.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Frank indignantly.
"Just what I say," retorted Rabig. "They went down to Mexico to catchVilla, didn't they? Well, why didn't they do it?"
"They would if they had stayed long enough," replied Bart. "TheGovernment called them back."
"Sure the Government called them back," said Rabig with a sardonicgrin. "It got cold feet. It saw that Mexico wasn't going to backdown, and so it backed down itself. Now if Germany had started out tocatch Villa, it would have caught him."
"Now cut that out, Rabig," said Frank sharply. "If the Presidentcalled the soldiers back, he had good reason for doing it. He knows agood deal more about what is going on than the rest of us do. Heprobably knew that Germany would like nothing better than to see us getmixed up in a row with Mexico and have to keep our troops on this sideof the water instead of sending them over to Europe. He wasn't goingto play Germany's game, and that's the reason he let up on Villa, whodoesn't amount to anything anyway."
"That sounds good," returned Rabig, "but it doesn't go with me. TheAmericans got scared when they saw that the Mexicans meant business.Swell chance the United States would have with Germany when it can'teven lick Mexico. These national guard fellows aren't fighters.They're only tin soldiers anyway."
"Tell that to Billy Waldon when he gets back and he'll make you eatyour words," said Bart hotly.
"He will, eh?" retorted Rabig. "Just let him try it on, that's all."
"What are you anyway, Rabig, a German or an American?" demanded Frank.
"I was born here and I suppose I'm an American," responded Rabig. "ButI couldn't help that and I'm not proud of it."
"And you can bet that America isn't proud of having you born here,"said Frank scornfully. "I tell you straight, Rabig, that it won't behealthy for you to keep up that line of talk much longer."
"I don't see any one here that's going to make me stop it," sneered thebully. "Perhaps you'd like to try it."
Frank's eyes flashed and his fist clenched until the knuckles werewhite. Another instant and that fist would have wiped the sneer fromRabig's face. But the image of his mother rose before him, and by amighty effort he controlled himself.
"You'll make that bluff once too often some day, Rabig," he said in aneven tone.
"Well, if it's a bluff why don't you call it?" sneered Rabigtruculently.
Just at this moment Reddy ran up to them, considerably excited.
"Mr. Sheldon!" he exclaimed, addressing himself to Frank, "Oliver Twisthas climbed up the water pipe at the end of the building and now thepipe's broke and he can't get down."
Oliver Twist was the office cat, who had gained his name because, likethe hero in Dickens' famous story, he was continually "asking formore." He was a favorite with all except Rabig, who kicked at himwhenever he got in his way. So that the news of his plight arousedinstant interest and sympathy, and all flocked to the window that Reddyindicated.
There was Oliver, sure enough, a thoroughly frightened cat, and withgood reason.
The building was five stories high and a leader pipe ran at one end ofit from the top nearly to the ground. There was a sparrow's nest upnear the eaves, and Oliver had evidently been tempted to make it avisit. But a section of the pipe about two-thirds of the way up hadrotted and under the cat's weight had broken off. Oliver with a cat'squickness had saved himself by clutching at a metal ring that encircledthe pipe just above the broken part and had swung himself up out ofimmediate danger.
But although safe for the moment, he had no way of escape. He was morethan three stories from the ground and if he let go would be killed ormaimed. If he climbed farther up he would be no better off, for theprojecting roof of the building made it impossible to leap to it.
Oliver was in a bad fix, and his piteous mews as he clung to the pipeshowed that he realized it. All his nine lives were in imminentdanger. It would not have been so bad if he had had a ledge orprojection to rest on until he could be rescued. But this was lacking,with the exception of the narrow ring less than an inch wide thatencircled the pipe, and though his claws dug desperately against thisit was certain that his strength would not e
nable him to maintainhimself long in this position.
There was a chorus of exclamations and suggestions from the young menwho crowded the window.
"Let's get a rope and a basket and let it down from the roof,"suggested Tom Bradford.
"That wouldn't do," objected Hal. "He'd be too frightened to get intoit. He wouldn't let go his grip on the pipe."
"Somebody get a ladder," cried Reddy.
"We haven't one that would be long enough to reach him," said Bart.
Frank's keen eyes and alert mind had been judging the situation. Nowhe spoke.
"We can get him from that window, fellows," he said pointing to awindow about six feet above the cat and a little to one side.
"I don't know," said Bart, dubiously, as he eyed the window. "Seems tome like a forlorn hope. A fellow would have to have the arms of agorilla to reach the cat from there."
"Never mind about that," responded Frank. "Let's get up there quickand I'll show you what I have in mind."
The crowd raced pell-mell up the stairs and then through an oldstoreroom on the upper floor until they reached the window.
It had not been opened all winter, and had been so warped by sleet andsnow that it yielded to the pressure of their arms groaningly andreluctantly. But at last, just when they were about ready to give up,they accomplished the feat and looked out.
Oliver saw them and hailed them evidently as his last hope, for hebroke into a storm of wails.
"There," said Bart, regretfully. "I told you we'd be too far off to dohim any good."
He leaned out as far as he could without danger of falling, and the catwas still three feet at least from the tips of his outstretched fingers.
"Nothing doing," he ejaculated as he withdrew from his vain effort.
"There's just one chance," said Frank. "One of us fellows will have tohang out there head downward, his full length, while the rest grab himby the legs and hold on for dear life."
"That sounds easy if you say it quick," cut in Reddy. "But who's goingto be the goat?"
"I am," said Frank, as he threw off his coat.
"Oh come now, Frank!" expostulated Tom. "That's taking too big a risk.I hate to see the poor brute go down, but his life isn't worth yours."
"Besides," put in Bart, "even if you got hold of Oliver he'd probablybe so frightened that he'd claw your head off."
"Cut out the talk, fellows," said Frank. "Bart, you and Tom hold on toone leg while Reddy and Hal grab the other."
Two others of the group, Will Baxter and Dick Ormsby, joined thequartette of helpers, although with considerable inward quaking, forthey felt that if anything happened to their comrade they would be inpart responsible for not having forcibly detained him from such a riskyundertaking.
A moment more and Frank had lowered himself outside of the sill andhung at full length, while three strong pairs of arms clutched at eachleg. He found himself on a level with the cat but too far to one sideto reach him with his extended hand.
"Start swinging, fellows!" he called out, "until I'm able to reach him."
They swayed him gently to and fro, each time bringing him a few inchesnearer to the cat, whose strength was rapidly giving way and who seemedto be slipping.
Frank made one grab and missed. His next attempt, however, was morefortunate. He gripped the cat by the neck and shoulders, gave a wrenchand pulled him away from the pipe.
The frightened brute, seeing only open space below him, writhed andtwisted about frantically, but Frank held him tight despite hisclawings, and in another moment the six above had pulled him up to andover the sill, where he dropped on the floor, panting and breathless.
Oliver, released, flew round and round the room, until his excitementsubsided and he curled up in a corner, his sides heaving, and his eyesstill big and wild from the fright of his late experience.
"And the cat came back!" chanted Reddy.
"The main thing is that Frank came back," said Bart. "I tell you what,old boy, that was a nervy thing to do."
"There isn't another fellow in the place who would have done it," saidHal. "My heart was in my mouth while he was swinging there head down.Once I was so scared I almost let go."
"It's lucky for everybody but the undertaker that you didn't," saidFrank with a grin, as he dusted his clothes and arranged his collar andtie. "I don't mind admitting myself that the ground looked awful faraway while I was swinging there."
"You're in luck to come out of it with a good pair of eyes," said Bart."If Oliver's claws had once got to them there would have been somethingdoing."
"Well now let's get back downstairs," said Frank, leading the way,while Reddy brought up the rear with the recovered and somewhatchastened Oliver perched upon his shoulder.
It would be safe to say that for some time to come sparrows' nests,especially if located near leader pipes, would have no furtherattractions. For once Oliver Twist would not ask for more!