The Children of France

The Children of France, by Ruth
Royce

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Children of France, by Ruth
Royce This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Children of France A Book of Stories of the Heroism and
Self-sacrifice of Youthful Patriots of France During the Great War
Author: Ruth Royce
Release Date: August 4, 2005 [EBook #16437]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
CHILDREN OF FRANCE ***

Produced by Michelle Croyle, Sankar Viswanathan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: "I OUGHT TO DUMP YOU OUT."]

THE CHILDREN OF FRANCE
A Book of Stories of the Heroism and Self-sacrifice of Youthful
Patriots of France During the Great War

By
RUTH ROYCE

PHILADELPHIA HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
1918

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
THEIR FIRST HERO
II. REMI THE BRAVE
III. THE HEROINE OF FORT MONTERE
IV. FRANCOIS OUTWITS THE PRUSSIANS
V. THE SACRIFICE OF LITTLE PIERRE
VI. A LITTLE SOLDIER OF FRANCE
VII. SAVED BY A CHILD'S WIT
VIII. THE CHILD DESPATCH BEARER

IX. GENÉ AND THE BAVARIAN DRAGOONS
X. A LITTLE SOLDIER OF MERCY
XI. A BRAVE LITTLE COWARD
XII. THE HERO OF THE GUNS
XIII. MARIE THE COURAGEOUS
XIV. CONCLUSION

AUTHOR'S NOTE
While the Author cannot personally vouch for the stories related in this
volume, she has full confidence in the sources of her information--men
who have seen and heard on the battlefields of France, and who have
related to her these and many other like incidents illustrating the
heroism of the Children of France. Some of the stories the relators have
learned through personal observation, while others have come to them
indirectly. The author, therefore, believes each story set down here to
be authentic, and so offers them to the liberty-loving boys and girls of
America.
THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION
The story of the heroism of the Children of France never will be fully
told. Many of these little patriots have suffered the supreme penalty for
their devotion to their country, leaving neither track nor trace of
themselves. That they have disappeared is all that is known of them,
and thus the stories of their deeds of valor have died with them.
In no other period of the world's history have there been so many
instances of self-sacrificing patriotism on the part of children as have

come from France during the great war. Through all such stories as
have come to light, there runs a spirit of heroism that is sublime. Such
stories should and will prove an inspiration to every boy and girl of
America and surely will lead them up to a more perfect manhood and
womanhood.

INTRODUCTION
In this little volume are set down the stories of many devoted little
French boys and girls, some of whom have offered their lives for their
country, others of whom have passed through perils that would try the
strongest and bravest of men, and yet lived to be honored by a grateful
government for their deeds of heroism. How Remi the Brave, a 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.
Perhaps the parents were not quite right in this,