lad of ten, won the Cross of War; the story of Little Mathilde who
saved the French garrison from the Uhlan raiders; Marie the
Courageous, who remained at home when the Germans captured the town in
which she lived, and kept the French informed, knowing that if caught
she would surely be shot as a spy; how the Hero of the Guns saved the
day by working the machine guns when nearly all their crews were dead
or wounded; the story of the Little Soldier of Mercy who, though a
timid lad, forgot his fears, and working under fire saved the life of
many a wounded man; how Little Gené locked the Bavarian Dragoons in
the cellar of her home and captured the lot of them, are a few of the
thrilling tales of the patriotism and heroism of the Children of
France that form one of the most fascinating chapters in the history
of the great world war. They will make the heart of every boy and girl
beat faster, they will grip the heartstrings of all who read and bring
them to a better realization of their duty to their Flag and to their
Country.




CHAPTER I

THEIR FIRST HERO


Before the "Squire's" son went away to war, the neighborhood children
knew him only by sight and by hearing their parents speak of him as
the son of "the richest man in Titusville," who never had done a day's
work in his life.