in their own brutal way is for the free men
of all good nations to fight? Do you fully understand that we
cannot fight such a beastly enemy in any other way than by killing
him? Do you so thoroughly object to fighting that you would see
a free world ground under the heel of the despotic Kaiser sooner
than help kill his soldiers and thus prevent such a world-wide
tragedy? Are you men, or are you dish-rags? Are your consciences
so important that you would put the world in cruel bondage rather
than violate your own little personal ideas of what is moral?
Are you men so sure you're right that you'd dodge a slight wrong---if
wrong it be---and allow the greatest wrong ever attempted to triumph?
Do your moral principles tell you that it is better to let Shame
rule the world instead of Justice?"

Ellis and Rindle were plainly non-plussed by Dick's passionate
appeal to their broader sense of right and truth.

"I'm afraid you two have been patting yourselves on the back in
the idea that you stood out for a great moral principle," Captain
Prescott resumed. "Don't you begin to see that the fact is that,
instead, you're really moral slackers who'd let the world go into
the devil's keeping provided you didn't have to be made to do
something that you don't want to do? I won't say you're physical
cowards, for honestly I hardly think you are, but aren't you at
least moral slackers?"

Private Ellis swallowed hard before he replied:

"No, sir; I'm not a moral slacker, for I've changed my mind.
I'm going to fight if I'm told to. I'm going to do whatever Uncle
Sam wants me to do. You've put the matter in a different light
to me, Captain Prescott."

"And you, Rindle?"

"I'm going to do myself the honor of asking permission to remain
in your company, sir," replied the second man, his mouth twitching.
"I'm a bit of a fool, sir. But I don't believe that I'm a fool
all the way through. I believe that I can see at least part of
a truth when it's put to me fairly, and now I believe that it's
right to fight for truth and justice as against black tyranny---and
I'm ready to do it."

"Good enough!" cried Dick, his face lighting up, as he held out
his hand. "If you have any further doubts, later, come to me.
I don't know everything, but we can get together and perhaps
between us we can get close to the truth."

Shaking hands with the soldiers who had found themselves, and
dismissing them, Dick added:

"Sergeant Kelly, find out