n 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 Gene 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