Excerpt
CHAPTER I THE GRECIANS AND THE TROJANS
There were three boys in the same class in the polytechnic school in the mountainous Odenwald country, in Hesse Darmstadt, who were such great friends and inseparable companions that the other pupils named them "the three-leaved clover." They were near of an age—about eleven—and near of a size; and their names were Fritz, Paul and Franz.
Fritz was an active, energetic boy, had coal black hair and bright, black eyes which looked out upon the world with the alert glance of a squirrel in a cage.
Paul had brown hair, brown eyes and brown complexion, was of reflective manner, and willing to follow where Fritz led.
Franz was a robust boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, fair complexion, and cheeks like cherries which had ripened in the sun.
They had been firm friends ever since the day that Fritz had had a combat with a larger boy, and Franz and Paul ran to his assistance. But the big boy was victor, leaving Fritz on the field of battle with a bleeding nose, Franz with a bruise upon his forehead, and Paul with a fiery-red cheek, caused by slaps from the hand of the foe. From that hour the three united for life or death in an alliance for defense against an enemy and resolved to provide themselves with weapons, also a place to keep them when not in active service; said place to be called the armory.
It was a subject of much thought and discussion to secure a suitable place, but at length Franz brought the welcome news that his father had sold the calf that day, and the nice shed it had occupied was vacant. This was delightful news and when school was out they hurried there, drove nails in the board walls, and hung up their spears which were made of pine wood, and, like the shields hanging beside them, were glistening with gold and silver paper. On the opposite wall were the sombre bows and arrows, brightened, however, by the nearness of three brilliant helmets with waving plumes made of black yarn.
The array of weapons seemed so warlike that it called to memory the battle between the Grecians and the Trojans as recorded in Homer's Iliad, which their class was reading in school; and they then and there decided to take the names of their favorite Greek heroes.
"I will be Odysseus," said Fritz.
"I will be Achilles," responded Franz.
"And I," said Paul after due reflection, "will be Patroclus."
"And let us call that fellow that fought us a Trojan," suggested Franz.
"Agreed," cried Fritz. "Let us call all of our enemies Trojans."
This proposition was received with warmth and they solemnly shook hands to clinch the compact.
It was a shadow to their enjoyment that while there was an outside bolt to their armory, there was no lock and key, and there were plenty of Trojans in school who would wish no better amusement than to break in and carry off the weapons. To prevent such a catastrophe, it was decided that the moment school was out, one of them must run to the armory and remain on guard until all the boys had gone to their homes....