next day and the next day old Sib's Marines charged the machine-guns they had surrounded, and stuck bayonets in them, and threw grenades at them. And at night the Boches would sneak more machine-guns in. And the last day every officer in one of his brave companies was wounded, and old Sib and his adjutant took the poor old company themselves and started a charge. And when the Marines saw what he was doing, they forgot all about their officers and chums who had been killed and wounded, and all about the cold nights out in those witch woods without blankets, and all about how tired and hungry and thirsty they were. They just gripped their guns, and when old Sib yelled, "Charge!" they just went up the hill in those evil woods; and the Boches threw bombs at them and fired their machineguns until they were so hot you could have cooked eggs on them. But the brave Marines kept going, and they got right up to the machine-guns and just settled every Fritz. But they were so tired they could hardly stand. So that night they got a good sleep and forgot all their troubles, and before it got light they all crept back to the edge of the woods. And then 200 cannons just fired every shell they had into the evil woods for an hour. And the Boches crept into their little trenches and into caves and behind rocks and trees. And the shells got nearly all of them, and when the last cannon went "Bang!" away went Deado Hughes' fine battalion of Marines, 1000 of them, over the top and into the woods; and they killed all the rest, except a lot on top of a cliff where they had a dozen machine-guns. And Deado sent a Marine back to Daddy with a message for the general, and it said, "The artillery has blown the Bois de Belleau into mincemeat." And it had, because it had cut down big trees and split rocks and knocked machine-guns higher than the birds' nests. And then Deado called a captain, and the captain took his company, and away he went up the cliff and captured all the machine-guns. And when Daddy went out there, it was a queer sight, because the woods looked just as though they were

naked, where the shells had ripped them. And there were lots of dead Fritzes all curled up, and their old tin hats full of holes. And what do you think the Marines looked like? Lots of them had torn pants and coats, but they all had had a shave and were grinning and just taking life easy, and were not paying much attention to the German shells that would every once in a while come rushing over with a big long swish, just like cloth when it tears, and then go "Bang!" and you 'd hear the pieces rattle down through the trees. But, of course, when it got real bad, they 'd lie flat in their little holes that were just long enough to lie in, and over the top they 'd lay big branches and rocks.

And every day the Boches would try to get back the little village, and Tommy Holcomb's Marines would say, "No you don't, old Fritz!" And they did n't. And they found a nice cow out there; and every time the cow came around, they'd grab her and milk her; and some chickens laid eggs for them; and every night the little old Ford car that Daddy got for the 6th and that Mother sold to the general for a dollar would go bumping and rattling out over the road to them with hot food and bullets. And they had a fine time. And at night the old Fritzes would fire hundreds of cannons at the woods and charge into them, and the Marines would lick the life out of them every time. And they took so many prisoners that you could n't count them. And one day they saw a Boche machine-gun sticking up in the air and they charged at it; and a big Marine got there first, and there was only one Fritz left. He was going to stick his bayonet right through him, but Fritz threw up his hands and yelled: "Say, don't get so rough, old top! Cut it out! All I want is to get back to Chicago. Can't you see the way my gun's pointing up in the air?" So they made him a prisoner.

Old Deado got gassed, and they sent him to the hospital, and now he's all right. And don't you remember the first time you went swimming at Quantico, and you had to go swimming in his bathing-suit? He's

of it or rice pudding, they 'd do it, and all the cops in New York and Brooklyn could n't stop them.

This is an awful long letter for a little boy, but pretty Mother will help spell it out, if you 're a good boy and climb in her lap and once in a while wrinkle up your funny little nose and laugh and say; "Muvver, is n't Daddy a funny man?" And if you get scared about the woods, or feel just terrible about the brave Marines that got killed, just cuddle up close and remember that now the woods are nice and quiet again, and the farmers are cutting the wheat, and the pretty red poppies are all over the places where brave Marines

are.

And the Frenchers have even changed the name, and now it 's called "The American Marines Woods." You know, it was funny, but the big lieutenant who captured the little village did n't like the French name, so he called it "Double O,"

But the kaiser was awful mad about losing those woods and the little village, and he 'd send his best soldiers to take them and shoot big cannon at it and send aëroplanes over; and they 'd fire machineguns down into the woods. And after a while he found it was the Marines who had licked him and saved Paris, and then he told his generals, "Well, there's no use being mad, because it 's the Marines, and we never could lick those old leathernecks." But when the other American soldiers heard the Marines had saved beautiful Paris and licked the kaiser's old goosesteppers, they said to their colonels, "Well, if the Marines can do it, we can too, Colonel." And that 's the reason they 're all licking them now. So you can see it was a great battle. So good night, Sonny, and be a fine brave little Marine, and Mother will be very proud of you and love you a great big lot, and so will your old

DADDY PAT.

A SONG OF VICTORY BY HELEN L. RUMMONS (AGE 12) (Gold Badge. Silver Badge won October, 1917) THE gray hosts of winter encamped on the world, And shouted their challenge aloud. There was no one who dared that grim foe to defy, For the world it was trembling and cowed.

"Oh, we 've prisoned the brook with a wall hard as steel,

And driven the birdlings away!

Come answer, who dares, our challenge so bold; Oh, say! Who will fight us to-day?"

With their spear, the north wind, they had killed flower and tree;

And the world it was silent and still; But a radiant maiden with tresses of gold Came tripping so soft o'er the hill.

She breathed on the trees which were thought to be dead;

And behold! now they trembled and sighed; And soon they were gay with fresh, green leaves

TAKING A CHANCE

BY CHARLES GARDNER BENNETT (AGE 12)
(Silver Badge)

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. These two words ring through French history-the name of a great French general who so nearly conquered the world; a man of great ambition. When Louis Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon I, proclaimed himself Emperor of France, it was easy to be seen that he, too, had ambitions of his own. At last he was defeated at Sedan by King William of Prussia, who was at this time, on French soil, crowned Emperor of the German Empire. When Napoleon III came before Emperor William to present his sword, the emperor refused it, with a rude sentence.

With Napoleon at that time was a young French lieutenant, who was broken-hearted at the defeat of France. He worked and studied hard in French military schools, and during many years of service in the French army was promoted many times until he became a general.

In the summer of 1914, Emperor William II waged war against France, England, and other countries of Europe. He thought he would be another Napoleon and conquer the world. When it looked as if Emperor William would win, the French army officer was made the commanderin-chief of all of the allied armies, including the forces of the United States army then in the field. He was General Ferdinand Foch, soon to

become a marshal of France, and he defeated the big German army. Every one will agree that Emperor William II of Germany was "taking a chance" to try to get the best of such a noble Frenchman as Foch.

A SONG OF VICTORY

BY CHARLOTTE I. ROOT (AGE 13) OUT through the still air of departing night, There came to us the soft strains of a song; A song of peace, a song of victory,

That victory for which we strove so long.

A song of victory! The cloud had passed
That hovered o'er us viciously before,
nd we rejoiced to hear that message sweet
That brightened every home from shore to shore.
With outstretched hand we welcome back our lads
Who nobly fought that justice might prevail,
And we thank God, whose strong, protecting love
Brought forth this glorious victory we hail.

BY MARJORIE R. EDWARDS (AGE 16)
(Silver Badge)

ON the shore of one of the bays in Nova Scotia live a fisherman and his wife. In the winter time the bay freezes over strong enough to hold a horse and wagon, but in the spring, when the ice is breaking up, it is very dangerous.

One evening, toward the end of March, the fisherman and his wife wanted to go to one of the islands about a mile from shore to a hooking party. The weather was beginning to get warmer, but the ice seemed strong, so they went.

They got there all right, but when it was time to go home, the ice had all broken up into cakes. What should they do? They had to get home

to their children; it was impossible to take a boat, as it would be crushed to pieces. They must

cross.

Luckily, it was full moon. Otherwise, they I could never have reached the other shore.

Each of them got a long stick to pull the icecakes together. Then they started to jump from cake to cake; and if one was too far away to jump to, they pulled it nearer with the stick. If you did not jump onto the middle of the cake, it was certain death.

Finally, after what seemed to them ages, they came to the shore and felt their feet on firm ground once more. The next morning, when they looked out of the window, all the ice had gone. It had been blown out to sea by an east wind.

TAKING A CHANCE

BY JANET NEWKIRK (AGE 14)

(Gold Badge. Silver Badge won December, 1917) "ARE you sure it 's real coral?" Mrs. Blank asked the deferential little shopkeeper.

"What would you, Madame? See," and he rubbed one of the beads with his thumb, so that the pink showed through, for the whole necklace was blackened with age.

"How much is it?" asked Mrs. Blank, hesitatingly, for the glimpse of pink showing through the black was a strange shade, not at all like any coral she had ever seen. Still, she did not know much about such things, and the little man kept insisting that it was genuine.

"Only three francs, Madame," he answered. "Well, if that's all, I might as well take a chance on it, for I will have no more time to shop, and I did want one," she said to herself. So she bought it, followed to the door by the smiling and bowing little man, who still assured her that it was real, and that "you could n't get a better one anywhere, Madame."

When she arrived in New York, Mrs. Blank brought the trinket to a leading jewelry firm to be cleaned, and forgot all about it until she went to call for it. She asked if it was done and the clerk very politely and graciously asked her to go with him to the office of one of the heads of the company, who wished to see her. Much sur

prised, she followed the clerk into an office, where a gentleman rose from his desk to meet her. He begged her to be seated and dismissed the clerk.

"Two days ago, Madam, you brought here a necklace to be cleaned. We would like to buy it, if you are willing. Will you accept two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for it?" Seeing Mrs. Blank gasp, he picked up something from his desk and handed it to her. It was a necklace of perfect pink pearls, and on the gold clasp was engraved, "FROM RALEIGH TO HIS QUEEN."

VICTORY

BY RUTH NICOUD (AGE 17)
(Silver Badge)

WHEN the world was wrapped in the shadow
Of war, desolation, and fright;

And when peace seemed vague and distant,
And the future looked black as night;
When the armies of wrong were advancing,
And pressing on every side,

America answered the call for help,
And rushed to stem the tide.

At Château-Thierry, the Yankees
Met and defeated the foe;
And, day by day advancing,

Forward we watched them go-
Till one glad day, the gladdest
The world has ever known,
The clouds of darkness vanished,
And the sun of victory shone.

But now that the war is over,

Our thoughts turn back to the slain;
Those thousands of valiant soldiers
Who have not died in vain.
They made the greatest sacrifice,
And fought the battle well;
In the hour of joy and victory,
We remember the lads who fell.