As he undressed he thought over the events of the day. Never had he
experienced such excitement. War had been declared, and many of the young
men, not much older than he, had enlisted. He, too, wanted to go in the
worst way, but he knew that his father and brother were right when they
said he would not be accepted.

"Why not?" muttered Bob to himself. "I'm big enough and strong enough
too; I could stand it as well as most of those fellows, even if they are
older. Besides I weigh a hundred and fifty-three and I'm five feet nine
inches tall. Perhaps they won't take me because I've got light hair and
blue eyes," he murmured bitterly. "They think I look like a German."

Stripped to the skin he stood in front of the mirror and looked at
himself. Certainly he was big and strong. He had always lived a clean,
outdoor life, he had been active in athletics and right now was captain
of the high school baseball team. The muscles played and rippled under
his white skin, as he moved his lithe young body to and fro.

A few breathing exercises before he jumped into bed, and then he was
under the covers. And all night long he dreamed of chasing big fat
Germans up and down the streets, over fences, and across fields, and even
up the steep sides of houses. Usually just as he had caught up with them
he awoke. Most of all he dreamed he was pursuing Karl Wernberg, who was a
middle-aged German and not hard to overtake. But Bob did not catch him
because he always woke up too soon.




CHAPTER II