Produced by Ralph Zimmerman Charles Franksand the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamArmy Boys on German SoilIllustration One move and Ill blow your brains out hesnappedARMY BOYS ON GERMAN SOILOur Doughboys Quelling the MobsBYHOMER RANDALLAUTHOR OF ARMY BOYS IN FRANCE ARMY BOYS ON THE FIRING LINEARMY BOYS MARCHING INTO GERMANY ETCARMY BOYS ON GERMAN SOILCONTENTSCHAPTERI THE FLASH FROM THE GUNSII WRAPPED IN MYSTERYIII CAUGHT IN A STORMIV THE RUINED CASTLEV CONSPIRATORSVI THE BAFFLED PLOTTERSVII A CLOSE CALLVIII JUST IN TIMEIX THE COLONELS WARNINGX FROM THE SKYXI MARSHAL FOCH AND GENERAL PERSHINGXII TORN FROM MOORINGSXIII GERMAN RIOTINGXIV ON THE TRAILXV A BARE CHANCEXVI RAISING THE TRAP DOORXVII A PERILOUS SITUATIONXVIII THE CRITICAL MOMENTXIX TURNING THE TABLESXX THE CLAWS OF THE HUNSXXI SQUARING ACCOUNTSXXII WILL THE GERMANS SIGNXXIII ON THE VERGE OF DISCOVERYXXIV THE DEADLY PHIALXXV THE TREATY SIGNEDARMY BOYS ON GERMAN SOILCHAPTER ITHE FLASH FROM THE GUNSI tell you Bart I dont like the looks of things remarkedFrank Sheldon to his chum Bart Raymond as the two stood on acorner in the German city of Coblenz on the RhineWhats on your mind inquired Bart as he drew the collar of hisraincoat more snugly around his neck and turned his back to thesleetladen wind that was fairly blowing a gale I dont seeanything to get stirred up about except this abominable weatherIts all I can do to keep my feetIt is a pretty tough night to be out on patrol duty agreedFrank But it wasnt that I was thinking about Its the waythese Huns have been acting latelyAre you thinking of that sergeant of ours that was found stabbedto death the other night asked Bart with quickened interestNot so much that replied Frank although thats one of thethings that shows the way the wind is blowing But its the surlyway the whole population is acting Havent you noticed itThere certainly is a difference admitted Bart Everything waspeaches and cream when we first came The people fairly fell overthemselves in trying to tell us how glad they were to have theAmericans here instead of the French and English Now theyregetting chesty again A couple of fellows passed me a little whileago who looked at me as if theyd like to slip a knife into me ifthey daredThey hate us all right declared Frank It makes them sore asthe mischief to have Americans keeping the watch on the RhineTheyre mad enough to bite nails every time theyre reminded ofitAnd thats pretty often laughed Bart for they cant go outinto the street without seeing an American uniform somewhereWeve got this old town pretty well policed and if any troublestarts well put it down in a jiffyWell troubles coming all right prophesied Frank There arelots of new faces in the city fellows who seem to have come fromthe outside You know Germanys being ripped up the backeverywhere by mobs and the red flag is flying in Berlin I have ahunch that these outsiders have come to start the same thinghereIf they do theyll get more than they bargained for said Bartgrimly Theyll find theyre monkeying with a buzz saw What ourfellows would do to them would be a sin and a shame But here comeTom and Billy if Im any sort of a guesserRight you are replied Frank as he descried two uniformedfigures approaching their heads bent away from the icy gale whichwas increasing in fury as the night wore onHello fellows was the greeting that came from one of thenewcomers as they came into the flickering light of the streetlamp near which Frank Sheldon and Bart Raymond were standingThis is a dandy night to be out patrollingI dont thinkA good night for ducks Tom replied Frank with a laughFor polar bears if you ask me put in Billy Waldon Tomscompanion as he shook the drops from his raincoat How would itbe to be back in the barracks just now lapping up a smoking hotcup of coffee Oh boyIt wouldnt be bad Bart was beginning when suddenly a riflecracked and a bullet whizzed by so close that it nearly grazed TomBradfords earShelter fellows shouted Frank as he leaped for an adjacenthallwayHis companions followed him quickly and crouching in the hallthey peered out into the darkness to see if they could detect thewhereabouts of the wouldbe assassinBut everything was quiet except for the roaring of the gale andthe street seemed to be emptyMight as well look for a needle in a haystack muttered TomBradford We dont even know the direction from which the shotcame You can bet that skunk made tracks as soon as he firedIt was a mighty close call for you Tom remarked Billy A halfinch closer and you would have been a gonerIt would have been hard luck to have been laid out now afterhaving come through that Argonne fighting alive grumbled TomId just like to have my hands right now on the cowardly Heiniewho tried to snuff me outDont you see Bart that I was right when I told you thattrouble was brewing remarked FrankI guess you were old manIts because weve been too confoundedly easy with thesefellows snorted Billy wrathfully Weve gone on the theory thatif we treated em white and gave em a square deal theydappreciate it and behave themselves We might have known betterThe French and English know these ginks better than we do andtheyve put the boots into them from the start growled TomTheres been no nambypamby dealing with the Huns in the bridgeheads where theyve held control Theyve made the Boches walkSpanish If they didnt uncover when the flag went by theyknocked their hats off for them They know that the only argumentthat a Hun understands is force and theyve gone on that theoryright along And as a consequence the Heinies dont dare to peepin the districts where the French and English run things We oughtto take a leaf from their books and do the sameThats our goodnatured American way of doing things said BartBut were due to stiffen up a bit now Were not going to standfor attempts to