Air Service Boys in the Big Bat

how's your

wore the uniform of a French aviator, glanced up in surprise from the cot on which he was recli

a smile. "Then I beg your pardon for asking, m

e term cabbage. It was one of the many little tricks picked up by association with their French flying comrades, of speaking to a friend

ike himself', but wearing an old blouse covered with oil and greas

. The swelling hasn't begun to subside in mine

bside? What i

rom the mouth of his churn by silently pointing to a small medal fastene

t!" excl

it? Now don't say it doesn't, for that's the way it affects me, and I'm sure you're not very different. And every time I read th

a bit at the secon

king around to see if it isn't some one behind us they're talking to. So I thought I'd practice it a bit on you. A

a momentary look at his medal to the face of his comrade-in-arms, or perha

. "If you'd like to go for a fly, and see i

is just as important as sending a member of the Hun Flying Circus down where he can't do any more of his grandstand stunts. But I'm hoping th

lot of us were to be sent up nearer the front shortly, and if they

d have a swelled head, did you, becau

way," admitted Jack. "Both of us being a

it, for there are lots of others in the escadrille tha

. Once they get a notion in their heads that you've done something for la belle Frame, they're yo

han these same French. They've done more and suffered more for their country than we dream of. And it's only natural that t

ll as giving us as fine a citation as ever was signed by a commanding general. However, it's all in the day's work, though when we flew over the German super cannons

n doing to get into such a mess? You look like a chauffeur of the old days t

to move at any hour, I decided that it was up to me to look MY machine over. It didn't make that nose dive just the way

y!" broke in Tom. "I don't call that fair o

the cold. I just came to tell you that you'd better stop looking like a moving picture

d ham sandwich

'm going to do the s

s you say, we're likel

ake any chances either.

thing wrong with my joy

the clouds to take an en

hat, if there's any

edged airman, and sent an orderly to summon his chief mechanician, for each aviator had sev

airman himself the trying and difficult task, sometimes, of flying upside down, while he is making obs

for hard and not very clean work, though the more laborious part would be done by mechanics at their orders. Still the lads themselves would leave nothing to chance. Indeed no airman does

again," remarked Jack. "A little rest is a

liberty bond!" lau

e, in reality a YMCA hut, or le Foyer du Soldat as it was called. It was where the

his chum looked toward the cheering s

Let's go over

and then they saw hats being thrown into the air

won a big batt

here! what is it?" he asked i

my life! It is you who ought to know firs

we aren't mind readers, you know, and there are so many things to guess at that there's no use in wasting the time. Te

Expeditionary Force, to serve under your brave General Pershing, has reached the shores of France safely, in spite of the U-boats, and are even now ma

ght as well make it three cheers and done with it. Not that it makes any great

et by the rush of enthusiastic Frenchmen to congratu

as any substantial part of Uncle S

erican soldiers were even then on French soil. Their coming had long been waited for, and the arrangements sailed in secret, and the news was known in American cities

friend?" asked the Frenchman wh

to his chum, said in a low voice, as the Frenchman hurried back to

e. "It means we've got to apply for

how are we g

t object to our wanting to fight among our own countrymen, now that enough of them are

g like. There's going to be hard fighting. I realize t

tinkering over our machines, l

d up to the sky. There was a little speck against the blue

oming bark," remarke

s more good news

gathered about the headquarters building to discuss the news of the arri

one of the "aces," and had more than a score of Boche machines to his c

ented Jack. "But I don't see Harry's machi

had known him on the other side-had, in fact, first met and become friendly with him at a flying school in Virginia. Leroy had suffered a slight accident which

mured Tom; "but I don't see him, and it's q

gasoline or somethi

n that," went on Tom. But his

out of his machine, helped by orderlies and

?" asked Tom,

othing, thank you

" Jack asked. "Did yo

"We were attacked by seven Boche machines. We each got one, and t

arry?" per

ll inside the enemy lines; and I had to come

the brave airman staggered and fell, as a st