sed quickly. Glancing around, he saw that the others, with the
exception of Stubbs, who had one eye open, were still fast asleep.

"Guess I'll take a little trip by myself," the lad muttered.

He moved toward the exit.

"Wait a minute, there," Stubbs called, hopping out of his cot. "I'll go
with you."

"How's that, Mr. Stubbs?" said Chester, pausing. "Why do you arise so
early? Thought you always stayed until last."

"Don't you believe it," said the little man. "I like to sleep the same as
the next fellow, but when I have business on hand I attend to it first."

"Business?" repeated Chester. "And what business have you on hand
this morning?"

"Got to get busy and get some news," was the reply. "I'm going to have a
look about this camp, ask some questions, then do a little writing; after
which I'll hunt up the official censor and the rest of the gang and see
what arrangements I can make toward getting my stuff sent through."

"Then I'll go with you on your hunt," Chester decided. "Maybe I can get
a few pointers. I might want to get into the newspaper business myself
some day."

"Don't," said Stubbs. "Take my advice and do anything else. Look at me
now, I'm a fair example. Here I've been in this business for fifteen
years, and what has it got me, eh? I'll tell you. It's got me a chance to
get out and get shot so that people over in the good old U.S.A. can read,
with their morning cup of coffee, what is going on in this benighted
land. And what do I get for it? Nothing."

"And still, the excitement," said Chester.

"Excitement?" echoed Stubbs. "Now I ask you, what do I want with
excitement? I can get all the excitement I want right back in New York.
This is a long way to come looking for excitement."

"Well, perhaps so," Chester admitted, "but when you get back home you
will be able to tell people who want to know, more about this war than
they could read in the _Gazette_."

"So I can," Stubbs agreed, "but I wouldn't if these two by four censors
didn't stick to their jobs so closely."

The little man slapped on his hat and stalked from the tent, calling over
his shoulder:

"Come on."

Chester followed him.

Outside, Stubbs made a straight line for the first line troops.

"If you want to find out anything, you have got to get right where it
is," he declared. "I could stay back here and ask questions, but I want
to see things for myself."

Chester offered no objections.

Suddenly the camp seemed to