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Configuration Management Expert Guidance for It
Service Managers and Practitioners 1st, Revised Edition
Shirley Lacy Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Shirley Lacy, David Norfolk
ISBN(s): 9781780172286, 1780172281
Edition: 1st, Revised
File Details: PDF, 7.45 MB
Year: 2014
Language: english

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CONFIGURATION
MANAGEMENT
Expert guidance for IT service
managers and practitioners
Revised edition
Shirley Lacy and David Norfolk

© 2014 BCS Learning and Development Ltd
All rights reserved.Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study,or criticismor review,
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All trade marks, registered names etc. acknowledged in this publication are the property of their respective
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number 292786 (BCS).
“ITIL® is a Registered Trademark of the AXELOS in the United Kingdom and other countries.”
© Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and Queen’s
Printer for Scotland.
Published by BCS Learning and Development Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of BCS, The Chartered Institute for
IT, First Floor, Block D, North Star House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FA, UK.
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ISBN: 978-1-78017-228-6
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ePUB ISBN: 978-1-78017-230-9
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British Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available at the British Library.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this book are of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of BCS or BCS
Learning and Development Ltd except where explicitly stated as such. Although every care has been taken by the
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iv

CONTENTS
Figures and tables viii
Authorsix
Abbreviationsx
Glossaryxii
Useful websites xix
Forewordxx
1. INTRODUCTION1
Introduction to the CMS 1
Knowledge capture during the interactive sessions 4
Acknowledgements 7
2. THE 21st-CENTURY CMDB/CMS 9
Objectives9
Summary9
The normative view of what a CMS is for 9
Contributors to the interactive session 12
Participating practitioner community feedback 12
Conclusion17
3. JUDGING THE VALUE OF CMDB/CMS 19
Objectives19
Summary19
The value of a CMS19
ITIL value statements 22
Conclusion30
4. OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS TO THE CMS 33
Objectives33
Summary33
Barriers and critical success factors 33
Conclusion41
5. CASE STUDY OF A CMS IMPLEMENTATION 42
Objectives42
Summary42
v

CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT
CMS at associated newspapers 42
Contributors to the interactive discussion 46
Conclusion50
6.
HOW TO IMPROVE AN EXISTING CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT
PROCESS52
Objectives52
Summary52
How to improve an existing CM process 52
Conclusion62
7. SERVICE MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR A CMDB/CMS 64
Objectives64
Summary64
Service management requirements for a CMDB/CMS64
Conclusion71
8. STRATEGY AND VISION 72
Objectives72
Summary72
Service asset and configuration management
visions and strategies 72
Conclusion81
9. SELECTING CMS TOOLS 83
Objective83
Summary83
A basic implementation process 83
Conclusion94
10. POPULATING A CMDB: PROCESS DESIGN 96
Objectives96
Summary96
How do you populate your CMDB?96
Conclusion 107
11. IMPLEMENTATION 109
Objective 109
Summary 109
Bringing the CMS to fruition 109
vi

CONTENTS
Conclusion 115
12. GOOD IDEAS… AND ONES TO AVOID 117
Objectives 117
Summary 117
What works and what does not 117
Book conclusion 126
APPENDIX: KEY CONCEPTS AND TERMS 129
Systems, policies, processes and ‘just doing it’ 129
A consistent model for the terminology around
change management 131
Notes132
Index133
vii

FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1.1 The architectural layers of the CMS 4
Figure 2.1 Four architectural layers of the CMS and SKMS 10
Figure 2.2 The role of the SKMS and CMS in decision-making 11
Figure 3.1
Observed benefits of configuration management in
ranked order 25
Figure 3.2
Number of people (full-time equivalents) dedicated to the
configuration management function 26
Figure 3.3
Organisations that have established a function/department
for configuration management 27
Figure 3.4
Reporting level for the configuration management role
in an IT service organisation 27
Figure 5.1
Configuration management and CMDB underpin key
processes to deliver improvements 44
Figure 5.2 CMDB/CMS architecture for the case study 45
Figure 8.1 Example of a configuration model 75
Figure 10.1 Sample CMDB structure 97
Figure 10.2 Identifying definitive data diagram 98
Figure 10.3 Gap analysis using red/amber/green identification 99
Figure 10.4 Weaknesses in your process or data/information? 105
Figure 11.1 Strategic approaches 112
Figure 12.1 Service environment 117
Figure 12.2 Key stakeholders 119
Figure A1.1 The monitor control loop 131
Table 3.1
Summary of business value areas for configuration
management 22
Table 3.2
Summary of ITIL business value areas for change
management 23
Table 3.3 Survey value statements for configuration management 24
Table 8.1 Example of future states with process automation 76
Table 9.1 Key selection issues 87
Table 10.1 Process and maturity evaluation 99
viii

AUTHORS
Shirley Lacy is Managing Director of ConnectSphere and specialises in the application
of service management best practices to deliver value from IT investments. She leads
ConnectSphere’s assessment and IT service management practice group.
Shirley is highly regarded within the industry and is an authority on service management
and configuration management practices. Shirley is a co-author of the OGC’s ITIL Service
Transition book with Ivor Macfarlane and is also project mentor for the 2011 ITIL update.
Shirley is the author of the British Standards Institute (BSI) publications on Achieving
ISO/IEC 20000 with Jenny Dugmore. She is also the BCS representative on the British
Standards committee for IT Service Management, IST/15/-8 BSI IT Service Management
group (ISO/IEC 20000). She is the UK Principal Expert on the ISO Working Group for
Process Assessment standards for software, systems and service management.
David Norfolk first got involved with enterprise systems computing professionally in
1978, and has worked in England and Australia in database administration; development
methods and standards; internal control; network management; operations research;
and even PC support.
Working conditions in banking in the city in the 1990s eventually drove him into a career
as an independent analyst and journalist. He has written for most of the news-stand PC
and computing magazines in the UK as well as some in the Middle East and America,
and is now an industry analyst (specialising in development and governance) with Bloor
Research International.
ITIL is a registered trademark of AXELOS Limited.
ix

ABBREVIATIONS
API Application Programming Interface
BRM Business Relationship Management/Manager
BSI The British Standards Institute
CCO Chief Compliance Officer
CCRM
Change, Configuration and Release Management Special Interest
CCRM SIG
Change, Configuration and Release Management Special Interest
Group (itSMF)
CFO Chief Financial Officer
CI Configuration Item
CIO Chief Information Officer
CKO Chief Knowledge Officer
CMDB Configuration Management Database
CMM Capability Maturity Model
CMMI® Capability Maturity Model Integration
CMS Configuration Management System
CMSG Configuration Management Specialist Group (BCS)
COBIT® Control Objectives for Information and related Technology
COTS Commercial Off-The-Shelf
CRO Corporate Risk Officer
CSF Critical Success Factors
CSI Continual Service Improvement
DML Definitive Media Library
DTAP Development, Testing, Acceptance and Production
GUI Graphical User Interface
IDE Integrated Development Environment
IP Internet Protocol
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
ISO International Organization for Standardization
IT Information Technology
ITSM IT Service Management
x

ABBREVIATIONS
itSMF IT Service Management Forum
KPI Key Performance Indicator
MoSCoW Must Should Could Won’t
MTRS Mean Time to Restore Service
OLA Operational Level Agreement
PIR Post-Implementation Review
PTM Physical Technology Model
QM Quality Manager
RFI Request For Information
ROI Return On Investment
RUP Rational Unified Process
SACM Service Asset and Configuration Management
SKMS Service Knowledge Management System
SLA Service Level Agreement
SLM Service Level Management/Manager
SMART Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time-specific
SMT Senior Management Team
SOX Sarbanes–Oxley
SVP Senior Vice President
VP Vice President
xi

GLOSSARY
This glossary was originally based, in part, on the online ITIL glossaries, available at
http://www.itil-officialsite.com/InternationalActivities/ITILGlossaries_2.aspx. The
most up-to-date ITIL glossaries are those available online; this glossary is modified in
the context of the present work and will differ from current ITIL glossaries and, indeed,
may not be ITIL-specific (for instance, we mostly talk about services generally, not IT
services specifically).
Asset Management is the process in service transition which tracks and reports
financial assets (such as software and hardware), usually held and maintained in an
asset register, through the life of the asset in the system. It is a key part of the overall
service asset and configuration management process.
AXELOS now manages the ITIL best management practice brand (copyright and
trademark), which used to be managed by OGC and then by the UK Government Cabinet
Office. It is a joint-venture business involving the UK Government (49%) and Capita plc
(51%); the person who was responsible for the portfolio within the Cabinet Office, and
the crown commercial lead in the Cabinet Office, are now directors of this new joint-
venture company.
Baseline is the term used for a reference benchmark employed in the management of
service delivery and demonstration of continual service improvement. Typically:
y
y An IT service management baseline is a key part of measuring the impact of an
improvement plan developed for an IT service.
y
y A performance baseline is used to show performance changes, as a service is
augmented and enhanced over its life; and, indeed, to highlight performance
degradations, if (for instance) the environment of the service changes and it is
not appropriately maintained in response.
y
y A configuration management baseline is a known working configuration that
can be restored if a change or release fails.
Build refers to the assembling of required configuration items during a service
transition, in order to deliver all or part of a service; it is also used to identify a release
candidate authorised for distribution (such as a desktop computer build; or a server
build).
Capability Maturity Model (CMM) refers to a formal model describing the functions
(‘capabilities’) needed to deliver some service and the degree of formality and
management optimisation (‘maturity’) of the corresponding processes (from ad hoc
practices, to defined processes followed at departmental and then organisational level,
to metrics-based management and proactive process optimisation). A CMM model is
used as a basis for managing continual service improvement. CMMs were originally
popularised by the Capability Maturity Model for Software (also known as the CMM and
SW-CMM), which was developed at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of Carnegie
Mellon University. The original SW-CMM is now obsolete and has been replaced by the
xii

GLOSSARY
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) for Development – see glossary entry
for Capability Maturity Model Integration. However, the maturity model concept has
become popular with many vendors of process-based software tools used for, for
example, testing and supporting service-oriented architectures, and new maturity
models are always appearing (some with only a cosmetic relationship to anything to do
with the original CMM concept).
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) is a process improvement approach
originally developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of Carnegie Mellon
University. It provides organisations with the essential elements of effective processes
that can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire
organisation (although the full benefits from maturity are unlikely to be realised by an
organisation unless all of its departments are at a similar maturity level; low maturity
sales and marketing processes, for example, can compromise the business results
expected from high maturity software delivery). The CMMI® helps organisations to
integrate traditionally separate organisational functions, to set process improvement
goals and priorities, to provide guidance for quality processes, and provides them with
a point of reference for appraising current processes (the CMMI SCAMPI – Standard
CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement – appraisal process is a useful
CMMI® value-add, quite apart from its actual process improvement best practices).
The CMMI is no longer specified merely in terms of software delivery (which is now
called CMMI for Development); versions are now available for Services and Acquisition,
amongst other areas. CMMI has now been transferred from the SEI (which still does
research in the area) to the CMMI Institute, a 100%-controlled subsidiary of Carnegie
Innovations, Carnegie Mellon University’s technology commercialisation enterprise – see
http://cmmiinstitute.com/ for more information.
Change Management is the process in service transition which controls the change
lifecycle; its main aim is to facilitate the introduction of beneficial changes, whilst
minimising any consequent disruption to service delivery.
CI see Configuration Item.
CMS see Configuration Management System.
COBIT® (Control Objectives for Information and relatedTechnology) provides guidance
and best practice for the management of IT processes and is published by the IT
Governance Institute. It would be relevant during continual service improvement, for
example. See http://www.isaca.org/ for more information.
ConfigurationBaseline is the term used in service transition to describe a configuration
that has been formally agreed and is managed by a change management process; it is
the basis for future builds, releases and changes and provides a point of recovery if a
change fails and has to be rolled back.
Configuration Control is the activity in service transition which adds, modifies or
removes a CI, using an appropriately formal process (such as the submission and
authorisation of a RFC (Request for Change) or a service request).
xiii

Configuration Item (CI) is the term used in service transition for a component that
must be managed in order to deliver a service reliably. CIs are categorised with a
type (e.g. hardware, document, user etc), which defines the required attributes and
relationships for its configuration record, used to stores information about the CI in
the CMS. The lifecycle of a CI, from creation through maintenance to destruction, is
managed by configuration management, under the control of change management. CIs
can include IT services, hardware, software, buildings, people and formal documentation
such as process documentation and SLAs.
Configuration Management is the process in service transition that maintains the
information and relationships for configuration items needed to deliver a service,
through the entire CI lifecycle. Configuration management should be thought of as part
of an overall service asset and configuration management process.
Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is simply a specialised database used
in service transition, which holds some or all of its configuration records during their
lifetime. The focus should be on the configuration management system that maintains
federated CMDBs, and the attributes and relationships of their associated CIs, not on a
single CMDB as an end in itself.
Configuration Management System (CMS) is a set of tools and databases used, in
service transition, to manage configuration data for a service provider. It also manages
information about incidents, problems, known errors, changes and releases, all
essential for reliable service delivery; and may contain data about employees, suppliers,
locations, business units, customers and users. CMS tools are used to collect, store,
manage, update and present data about all configuration items and their relationships
to users of the CMS. Configuration management processes maintain the CMS, which is
used by all service management processes. See Configuration Management Database
(CMDB); and Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS).
CriticalSuccessFactor(CSF) is the term used to describe something that must happen
if a process, project, plan or service is to succeed. Key performance indicators (KPIs)
are used to measure the achievement of each CSF. For example a CSF of ‘maintain or
improve existing IT service levels when making changes’ could be measured by KPIs
such as ‘percentage reduction of failed changes’, ‘percentage reduction in incidents
resulting from changes' etc.
Definitive Media Library (DML) is the term used for the secured repository or
repositories (treated as a single logical storage area) in which the definitive and
authorised versions of all software configuration items are stored. It may contain the
original licensed CDs for software packages, the definitive source-code for in-house
software, even associated CIs such as licences and the master copies of current
software documentation, and so on. The contents of the DML are under the control
of change and release management, as part of service transition, and are recorded in
the configuration management system; the relationship with SCM repositories (which
store all versions of software not just the authorised production version) and the CMDB
(which stores metadata concerning, for example, the relationship between something
in the DML and the platform on which it is deployed) can be a source of confusion. Only
software from the DML is acceptable for use in a release.
xiv

GLOSSARY
EIA-649-B is an ANSI/EIA standard often referred to as the National Consensus
Standard for Configuration Management and is available from http://webstore.ansi.
org/RecordDetail.aspx?sku=EIA-649-B. It is a well known configuration management
standard in US Defence Department and commercial organisations – many US courses
are built on it – and it supports all the standard CM concepts defined in terms of five
functions and their supporting principles. It attempts to use a neutral Configuration
Management and lifecycle terminology; but it relates this to existing terms that have
been used historically or by particular product vendors (there is no intent to express
preference for any particular terminology).
Gap Analysis is the comparison of actual performance (ideally, based on metrics data)
with potential or expected performance. It is a continual service improvement activity
which might be used to compare a set of requirements with what is actually delivered;
and provides a way of making sure that resources are effectively devoted to areas where
improvement is needed. See also the entry on baselines; a baseline or benchmark can
be the basis for a gap analysis between the baseline and the current status quo.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the world’s largest developer
of voluntary standards. It is a non-governmental organisation which coordinates the
efforts of the national standards institutes in 156 countries.
Further information is available on the web at http://www.iso.org/
International Standards Organisation See International Organization for
Standardization (ISO).
ISO/IEC 20000 is the ISO specification and code of practice for IT service management
and is formally aligned with ITIL best practice.
IT Service Management (ITSM) is the implementation and management of quality IT
services that meet business needs. It is carried out by IT service providers through
an appropriate mix of people, process and technology. It is also a subset of service
management generally; from a business point of view, IT service management is not
different in kind to any other kind of service management, although it may have some
special features.
IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) is an independent organisation dedicated to
promoting a professional approach to IT service management. The itSMF is a not-for-
profit membership organisation with representation (itSMF chapters) in many countries
around the world. The itSMF and its membership contribute to the development of ITIL
and associated IT service management standards. See http://www.itsmfi.org/ for more
information.
ITIL is a set of best practice guidelines for IT service management. It is now
owned by an innovative joint venture business called AXELOS, in which Capita
plc, a commercial company, owns a 51% share; and the UK government retains a
49% share (thus ensuring that taxpayers share in the risk and benefit of the new
business). See http://www.itil-officialsite.com/ for more information; the move into
AXELOS is intended to be finalised early in 2014, and minimal disruption to existing
ITIL users is promised.
xv

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is the term used for a metric used to help manage a
process, service or activity and used as a basis for continual service improvement. Only
the most important of the many possible metrics should be defined as KPIs and used to
actively manage and report on processes, services or activities. KPIs should be selected
from the point of view of managing efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
Maturity is one way of defining the reliability, efficiency and effectiveness of a
process, function, organisation etc. The most mature processes and functions are those
which are formally aligned to business objectives and strategy, and are supported by
a framework for continual service improvement - see also the entry for Capability
Maturity Model (CMM).
Maturity Level is a formally-named level in a maturity model such as the Capability
Maturity Model Integration – see the entry for Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®).
Monitor Control Loop is the term used to describe the monitoring of the output of
a task, process, service or configuration item; the comparison of this output with a
predefined norm; and the taking of appropriate action based on this comparison. It is an
example of a feedback loop and is typically part of ITIL service operation.
OfficeofGovernmentCommerce(OGC) used to be a UK government department which
owned the ITIL brand before management of the best management practice portfolio
passed to the Cabinet Office and then to the AXELOS joint venture (see the entry on
AXELOS).
Operational Level Agreement (OLA) is the term used to describe an agreement
between a service provider and another part of the same organisation (it usually, but
not necessarily, relates to an IT service). An OLA supports the service provider’s delivery
of services to customers and defines the goods or services that will be provided and
documents the corresponding responsibilities of both parties – it will be developed as part
of service design and continual service improvement. For example, there could be an OLA:
y
y between an IT service provider and a procurement department to obtain
hardware in an agreed timeframe;
y
y between a service desk and a support group to resolve incidents in an agreed
timeframe.
Post-Implementation Review (PIR) is the term used for the more-or-less formal
review that should take place after a change or a roject has been implemented. A PIR
determines if the change or project was successful, and identifies opportunities for
improvement, which makes it an important enabler for continual service improvement.
PRINCE2® (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a formal process-driven project
management method (unlike the adaptive Scrum method often used with Agile
projects) that was originally developed by the OGC as a sort of stablemate for ITIL. It
was extensively refreshed in 2009 and now, like ITIL, is managed by AXELOS (see http://
www.prince-officialsite.com/). PRINCE2 addresses all kinds of projects (it is often used
with IT projects but is not limited to these) and remains a popular de-facto standard,
especially for UK Government projects, and is used worldwide. It is being challenged
xvi

GLOSSARY
by Agile methods such as Scrum but, used properly, can scale well (but it may be a bit
documentation-heavy for small projects).
Process Owner is the term used for the role that is responsible for ensuring that a
process is fit for purpose. The process owner’s responsibilities include sponsorship,
design, change management and continual improvement of the process, using agreed
process metrics. This role is often assigned to the process manager, but the process
manager role is a separate one and may be assigned to a different person, especially
in larger organisations.
Release Management is the process in service transition (sometimes just called
‘release process’) that is responsible for planning, scheduling and controlling the
movement of releases to test and live environments. This can't really be separated
from deployment management, as part of an integrated release and deployment
management process. Release management ensures that the correct components are
released and thus that the integrity of the live environment is protected.
Scope is the term used to describe the boundaries, or extent, within which a process,
procedure,certification,contractetc.applies.Forexamplethescopeofchangemanagement
could include all live services (or only all live IT services) and related configuration items,
the cope of an ISO/IEC 20000 certificate may include all IT services delivered out of a
named data centre and so on. Getting the scope wrong (for example, if you only manage
technology changes to an IT service but neglect changes to associated manual services or
business processes) can seriously impact business service delivery in practice.
Scrum (see https://www.scrum.org/ and http://www.scrumalliance.org/community)
is a community-based Agile project management framework for completing complex
projects effectively. Originating around 1986, it was originally largely used for software
development projects but is now often used for any sort of complex project.
Service Asset and Configuration Management (SACM) is the process in service
transition that manages both the configurations and the assets associated with a
service; it doesn't make much sense to manage one without the other.
ServiceCatalogue is the term used for a database or a structured document,developed
as part of service design, and containing information about all live services (including
those available for deployment), such as deliverables available, prices, contact points,
and the process for requesting/ordering a service. It is the only part of the service
portfolio made available to customers; it is used to support the delivery and/or sale
of services (an organisation might have an internal service catalogue and internal
departments might not actually ‘buy’ services).
Service Design is a stage in the service lifecycle, comprising a set of processes and
functions; it is also the title of one of the core ITIL publications.
Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) defines the set of tools and
databases used to manage the knowledge and information that is needed for reliable
service transition. It is a superset of the configuration management system, and stores,
manages, updates and presents all of the information that a service provider needs to
manage delivery of services over their whole lifecycle.
xvii

Service Level is a measured and reported achievement relative to one or more service
level targets, although it is sometimes used informally as simply a synonym for service
level target.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) is part of the fundamental basis for a relationship
between a service provider and a customer. It describes the service, documents service
level targets, and specifies the responsibilities of the service provider and the customer.
SLAs may be used in service design and continual service improvement. A single SLA
may be used for multiple services or by multiple customers.
Service Manager is the term used to describe someone responsible for managing
the end-to-end lifecycle of one or more services. It can also describe any manager in
a service provider; but it most commonly refers to a business relationship manager, a
process manager, an account manager or a senior manager with responsibility for, say,
IT Services overall.
Service Owner is the term used for the role that is accountable for the delivery of a
specific service.
ServiceStrategy is the development of an overall strategy for delivering and managing
a service; it is also the title of one of the core ITIL publications.
Service Transition compromises a number of processes involved with building an
automated service and moving it from development to production; it is also the title of
one of the core ITIL publications.
Stakeholder is the term used to describe any one of all the people who have an
interest in an organisation, project, service etc. Stakeholders may be interested in the
activities, targets, resources or deliverables associated with a service and may include
customers, partners, employees, shareholders, owners, external regulators etc.
Tension Metrics are a concept used in continual service improvement, in which
improvements to one metric have a negative effect on another, related, metric; thus
ensuring (if the metrics are properly chosen) that an appropriate (beneficial) balance
is achieved.
Transition is the term used to refer to a state change, so the term service transition,
for example, refers to the movement of a service or configuration item from one status
in the service lifecycle to the next one.
Use Case is a concept developed by the agile movement to define required the
functionality and objectives, together with test cases that can demonstrate that a use
case is satisfied, for the design of a piece of code and, by extension, a service. Use cases
define realistic scenarios for the interactions between users of a service or system and
the service or system itself.
Version is used to identify a specific CI baseline and typically uses a naming convention
that includes a means of identiftying the sequence or date of each baseline; for example:
‘Payroll Application Version 3’ would contain updated functionality from Version 2.
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different content

What with athletic work, learning the different marching and
fighting formations, doing the necessary police work, studying the
mechanism of rifles and machine guns, learning how to signal,
digging trenches, throwing hand grenades and dozens of other
things, Ned, Bob and Jerry were kept busy from morning until night.
So with the other recruits.
Of course there was a certain time set aside for play and
amusement, and each young soldier was told to play as hard as he
worked. This was so he might come back to his tasks refreshed, and
with the desire to give them the very best that was in him.
The motor boys soon realized that the making of a soldier was a
task that was growing in complication. There were many new ways
of fighting, and defending oneself, and all these had to be mastered.
The use of the aeroplane, camouflage, hand grenades, rifle
grenades and many other new and terrible forms of fighting made
new systems necessary. In gas attacks alone there was enough to
study to keep them busy many days in the week, and this branch
was regarded as so important that drill after drill was held merely in
teaching the boys the best and most rapid manner of adjusting the
masks.
All this time Ned, Bob and Jerry were progressing. They were
becoming stronger physically, and better able to stand hardship and
exposure. They could take long marches, carrying heavy packs,
without getting over tired, and they knew how to bind up wounds,
how to apply first-aid dressings, and how to carry wounded
comrades from the field.
Of course there was much that was unpleasant and hard. Many of
their associates were different from those they had been used to,
and they had to do what they were told—obey orders. No longer
were they their own masters. They lived by rule and rote, and every
minute of the day, save the recreation hours, had to be accounted
for.

But they knew it was doing them good, and they knew it was in a
good cause—the cause of humanity and world-betterment—and they
did not complain, except perhaps in a good-natured way, and
occasionally.
They had several more or less unpleasant encounters with Pug
Kennedy and fellows of his ilk, but this was to be expected. Ned’s
back completely healed and he was able to take his place in the
hardest drills with his chums.
Somewhat to the surprise of the boys they found that rifle work
was not rated as highly as they had expected it would be, for the
reason, they were told, that it has been found that in the present
war machine guns and artillery play such a big part.
Of course, for some time to come, the rifle will be the arm of the
infantry soldier. But it is coming to be more and more an auxiliary,
and not a direct means to an end. Hand grenades can do much
damage in the enemy trenches, and are easier to carry than a rifle
and many rounds of ammunition.
But of course there was rifle practice, and many a day the motor
boys and their chums spent on the ranges, perfecting their aim.
Every encouragement was offered them to become expert
marksmen, and the three friends were not far from the front when
the markings were made.
The spring had given place to summer, and the camp was not any
too cool. But there were shower baths, and the officers were not
over severe in drills when the weather was too hot. There was
plenty of chance to cool off between drills.
Occasionally the boys would have short leaves of absence, on
which they made trips to town and took in a show or two, getting in
on “smileage” books, or reduced rate tickets.
It was after a hard day in the trenches, practice at bayonet drill,
and hand grenade throwing that Bob came into the Y. M. C. A.
canteen where Jerry and Ned had preceded him and asked:

“Did you see the notice?”
“What notice?” inquired Jerry.
“Is Pug Kennedy going to be transferred?” Ned demanded.
“Nothing doing,” announced Bob, as he slumped into a chair. He
had lost considerable flesh and looked the better for it.
“Well, what is it?” some one asked. “Has Germany given up the
war?”
“I hope not until we get a chance to have a whack at her!”
exclaimed Jerry. “But shoot, Bob! What is it?”
“We’re going to have a practice march,” was the answer. “There’s
just been a notice posted about it. We’re to go in heavy marching
order, across country, and live just as we would if we were in an
enemy’s land.”
“That’s the cheese!” cried Ned. “We can live a sort of free and
easy life.”
“Don’t you fool yourself, son,” said an older man. “I’ve been on
these practice marches before. How are your feet?”
“Oh, pretty good.”
“Well, they’ll need to be,” was the answer. “Toting seventy pounds
on your back, through mud puddles, over rough country, uphill,
downhill, isn’t any picnic. Just wait!”

CHAPTER XXI
CROOKED NOSE AGAIN
“Forward—march!”
Snappily the command rolled out and it set in motion hundreds of
khaki-clad figures, each one with a rifle and a pack on his back.
The hike, or practice march, from Camp Dixton had started. After
days of preparation, the laying out of a route, and the sending
forward of supplies to meet the small army of men at different
places along the way, the start had been made.
Ned, Bob and Jerry recalled the rather direful prediction of the
soldier who had told them a marcher was only as good as his feet,
but they were not worried.
“I guess we can keep up as long as the next one,” Jerry had said.
“We’ve just got to!” declared Ned. “We can’t be shirkers.”
“I only hope I don’t get hungry,” said Bob, with rather a
woebegone face. “I’m going to put some cakes of chocolate in my
pocket, so I can have something to nibble on.”
“Don’t,” advised the same soldier who had spoken about their
feet. “Don’t eat sweet stuff until just before you can stop to take a
drink. Candy will make you thirsty, and the worst thing you can do is
to take a drink on the march. Wait until you stop. I’ve tried it, and I
know.”
And so the march had started. The route was in a big circle about
the camp as a center, and would take about five days. The men
were to sleep in dog tents, camping at certain designated points,
and eating the rations they carried with them and the food that

would be brought to them by supply trains that accompanied the
army. It was to be as much like a hike through a hostile land as it
was possible to make it.
In order to make the illusion complete—that of having the young
soldiers imagine they were at actual warfare—the same sort of
marching was to prevail as would have prevailed had the men from
Camp Dixton been on their way to take their place in the front line
trenches, bordering on No Man’s Land, or as if they were hastening
to the relief of a sorely-tried division.
To that end it was ordered that the day’s march should be broken
up into periods. That is, the soldiers would march at the regulation
speed for a certain number of miles, a distance depending, to a
certain degree, on the nature of the land and whether or not it was
uphill or downhill. At the end of the distance a halt would be called,
and the men would be allowed ten minutes’, or perhaps a half
hour’s, rest. They were told not to take off their packs during this
period, as it would be hard to get them adjusted to their backs
again, but they were instructed to ease themselves as much as
possible, by resting the weight of their packs on some convenient
rock, log or hummock.
And so down the road went Ned, Bob and Jerry, in the midst of
their chums of the army—boys and men with whom they had
formed, for the most part, desirable acquaintances.
“This is one fine day,” remarked Jerry, as he and his friends
trudged along together.
“Couldn’t be better,” agreed Ned. “How about it, Chunky?”
“Oh, it’s all right, I guess,” was the answer.
“Chunky is worrying so much about whether or not he will have
enough to eat that he doesn’t know whether the sun is shining or
whether it’s a rainy day,” laughed a friend on the other side of the
stout lad.

“Well, I like my meals,” said the stout one, and there was more
laughter.
On and on marched the young soldiers. Their officers watched
them closely, not only to gain a knowledge of the characteristics of
the men, but to note any who might be in distress, and also for
signs of stragglers who might purposely delay the march from a
spirit of sheer laziness. The younger officers were given points on
the method of marching and the care of their men by those who had
been through the ordeal before. It was a sort of school for all
concerned.
The day was hot, and the roads were dusty, and to trudge along
under those circumstances with seventy pounds, more or less,
strapped to one’s back was difficult and trying work. But there was
very little grumbling. Each man knew he had to do his bit, and, after
all, there was a reason for everything, and a deep spirit of patriotism
had possession of all.
Now and then some one started a song, and the chorus was taken
up by all who could hear the air. This singing was encouraged by the
officers, for there is nothing that makes for better spirit than a strain
of music or a song on the march.
They passed through a farming country, and on all sides were
evidences of the work of the farmers. The injunction from
Washington to raise all possible seemed to have been taken to heart
by the agriculturists.
Among the volunteers were many boys from cities, who had never
seen much of country life, and some of their remarks were amusing,
as they noted what was being done on the farms.
During one of the halts, when Ned, Bob and Jerry, with some of
their chums, were resting beside the road near a farmhouse, Jerry
saw a somewhat lively scene being enacted near the red barn which
was part of the farm outfit. Pug Kennedy and one or two of his
cronies were chasing some chickens.

As Jerry watched, he saw Pug knock a chicken down with the butt
of his rifle, and then seize the stunned fowl, and slip it inside his
shirt, which was big and baggy. Just as the scrapper did this a man
came out of the barn and began to remonstrate with the soldiers, of
whom Pug was one. But the Cresville friends noted that Pug walked
away and came toward them. The bulge in his shirt, made where he
had hidden the chicken, was plain to be seen.
The man who had come out of the barn was evidently accusing
the soldiers to whom he was talking of having taken his chicken.
They denied it, and offered to be searched. They could easily afford
to do this.
The farmer, getting little satisfaction, came back to appeal to the
company commander, who heard his story—one to the effect that a
chicken had been stolen.
As looting was strictly forbidden, and as orders had been given to
make good any loss met by civilians on account of the soldiers, it
was necessary to conduct an inquiry.
The captain started to question his men, but he had not
proceeded far when he came to Pug.
“Did you take his chicken?” the scrapper was asked.
“Naw! What would I want of a raw chicken?” was the answer.
Just then Jerry gave a loud sneeze, ending with an exclamation of
“Ker-choo!” which sounded a bit like a rooster’s crow.
There was a laugh at this, but Jerry had not done it intentionally,
and the officer seemed to know that. But Jerry had been standing
near Pug Kennedy when this happened, and the sneeze must have
brought the hidden chicken to its senses. It suddenly began to
struggle inside Pug’s shirt, and cackled. Perhaps it thought it heard
the call of a comrade fowl in Jerry’s sneeze.
“Ah, I think we have what we want,” said the officer. “Kennedy,
bring the chicken here!”

“I haven’t any——”
Again the hen cackled and stirred within the bully’s shirt. The
evidence was conclusive. There was a laugh, and with an air of
having been caught in a petty trick Pug took out the fowl, not much
the worse for its experience, and handed it to the farmer.
“If we weren’t on a hike, I’d send you to the guardhouse for that,”
said the officer sternly. “You know what the orders are against this
sort of business. I’ll take up your case when we get back to camp.
Fall in!”
Kennedy muttered something, and shot a look of anger at Jerry.
“That was your fault,” he said.
“My fault?”
“Yes, you sneezed on purpose like a rooster, and you woke up the
hen!”
“Oh, come off! I sneezed by accident.”
“I don’t believe you!” said Pug. “I’ll get square all right!”
This seemed his favorite threat.
Jerry laughed. It seemed too far-fetched to be worth noticing, but
he was later to remember the promise of the bully.
The farmer, his chicken restored to him, was satisfied, and the
march was taken up again. Nothing of moment occurred the rest of
that day, and at night a halt was made, and the dog tents put up in
the fields and woods near the road. Each man carried half a tent,
and by combining the two halves shelter for the largest part of a
man’s body was secured. It was not as comfortable sleeping as in
the barracks, but the night was warm and the boys were full of
enthusiasm, which made up for a lot.
They were gaining valuable experience, and, aside from minor
troubles, every one was satisfied.

It was late the next afternoon, and considerable ground had been
covered, when something happened that had to do with Jerry, Ned
and Bob. They, as well as every one else, were thinking of the
coming night’s rest and a meal, when the order was given to rest, it
being the last of those occasions for the day, preparatory to going
into camp for the night.
As Ned, Bob and Jerry were taking what comfort they could beside
the road, the stout youth looked up as a wagon passed. In it was a
man, seemingly a farmer, and though he drove by quickly Bob
exclaimed:
“There he is!”
“Who?” asked Jerry lazily.
“Crooked Nose!” answered Bob, greatly excited. “He’s the man we
saw in Cresville the night of the fire when the Frenchman was
robbed! Look, there he is!” and he pointed to the retreating wagon,
which turned off down a side road.

CHAPTER XXII
THE ACCUSATION
“Look here, Chunky!” exclaimed Jerry, with one look at his stout
chum and another at the tail-end of the wagon. “Is this a joke, or
what?”
“Mostly what, I guess,” put in Ned. “If it’s a joke I don’t see the
point, giving us heart disease that way. What do you mean? Was it
Crooked Nose?”
“That’s what I said,” retorted Bob as nearly sharp as his bubbling
good-nature ever permitted him to be. “I tell you I saw the same
man, with the same crooked nose, that ran into you, Jerry, in the
restaurant that night in Cresville when we had the fire.”
“Naturally if it was the same man he had the same nose,” said
Ned.
“Well, it was the same man all right,” went on Bob. “I don’t very
often forget a face.”
“Nor the time to eat,” added Jerry with a laugh. “Never mind, it
will soon be time, Chunky. Don’t let your stomach get the best of
you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Bob.
“I mean I guess you’re getting delirious from want of food. You’re
seeing things.”
“I tell you I saw that man with the crooked nose!” asserted Bob.
“And moreover I think it’s our duty to follow him, and see what he’s
doing here. He may have my father’s watch, and Mrs. Hopkins’
brooch.”

“Maybe that’s true,” agreed Jerry. “But we’ve got pretty slim
evidence to act on. And it seems out of the question to believe that
he would be away down here. You probably did see a man with a
crooked nose, Bob, but there are lots such.”
“I’m sure it was the same one we saw in Cresville,” insisted the
stout lad. “Come on, let’s have a look down that road. We’ve got
time.”
But they had not, for just then the order came to fall in, and the
march was resumed. But it was only a short hike to the place where
camp was to be made for the night, and when Bob found that it was
not more than two miles to the road down which he had seen the
wagon turn, he said to his chums:
“Say, fellows, we’ve got to investigate this.”
“Investigate what?” asked Jerry, shifting his pack to ease a lame
spot on one shoulder.
“Crooked Nose,” replied Bob. “We can ask for a little time off, and
take a hike by ourselves down this road. Maybe that fellow works on
a farm around here. Though what he’s doing so far from Cresville
gets me. I’ll wager it isn’t for any good. But we ought to look him
up.”
“S’pose we find he’s the wrong man, even if he has a crooked
nose?” asked Ned, not eager for further hiking just then.
“We’ve got to take that chance,” Bob went on. “I’m sure, from the
look I had of him, that he’s the same one. Are you with me?”
“Well, you needn’t ask that,” was Jerry’s answer. “Of course we’re
with you. And if this turns out a fizzle we won’t say we told you so,
Chunky. It’s worth taking a chance on, though if we do find this is
the same crooked-nosed chap we saw at the time of the fire, it isn’t
going to prove that he robbed the Frenchman. If he got all that
valuable stuff he wouldn’t be here—he’d be in the city having a good
time.”

“We’ll have to be careful about making an accusation, I guess,”
agreed the stout lad. “But if we find he is the same chap we saw we
could telegraph to the police of Cresville and ask if he was wanted
there. If he is, the police there could take the matter up with the
police of this place. That’s the way they do it.”
“Are there any police here?” asked Ned, looking around with a
smile, for they were in the midst of a country that looked too
peaceful to need officers of the law.
“Oh, they always have constables, deputy sheriffs or something in
these villages,” said Jerry. “That part will be all right, Bob. Go to it.”
And “go to it” Bob did. As soon as the army had come to a stop
and the supper mess had been served, the three motor boys sought
and received permission to go off for a stroll. It was early evening,
and they must be back within the guard lines at ten, they were told,
but this would give them time enough.
Having traveled about as much as they had, the three friends had
acquired a good general sense of direction, and they had noted the
location of the highway down which Bob had said the crooked-nosed
man had driven.
It was their plan to go back to this point and make some inquiries
of any resident they might meet in regard to the existence, on some
neighboring farm, of a man with a nose decidedly out of joint.
“His defect is such that it surely will have been noticed,” said Bob.
“He’s a marked man if ever there was one, and he ought to be easy
to trace.”
As the three friends left the camp, armed with written permission
to be absent until “taps” that night, Jerry, looking across the field,
where the dog tents were already up, said:
“There goes Pug Kennedy. He must have a pass, too, for he’s
going toward the lines.”
“I hope he isn’t going to trail us,” remarked Bob. “If we make this
capture, or give information by which Crooked Nose is caught, we

want the honor ourselves,” he added, with a grin.
“Oh, Pug doesn’t know anything about the Cresville fire,” declared
Ned.
“He might,” insisted Bob. “He lives just outside the town, and he
may have heard of the Frenchman’s loss and about Crooked Nose.
Come on, let’s get going, and not have him ahead of us.”
But Pug Kennedy did not seem to be paying any attention to the
motor boys. He marched steadily on, showed his pass to the sentry,
and was allowed to go through the line. Then he started off down
the road.
“That’s the way we’re going,” objected Bob, in disappointed tones.
“Oh, don’t pay any attention to him!” exclaimed Jerry. “He’s
probably going out to see if he can pick up any more hens. We’ll
mind our own affairs, and he can mind his.”
“If he only will,” murmured Ned.
However there was nothing to do but proceed with the plan they
had made. Whether it would succeed or not was a question, and
there was also a question as to what to do in case they should
discover the right crooked-nosed man. But, being youths of good
spirits, the boys did not worry much about this end of the affair.
Down the pleasant country road they marched, in the early
twilight. It would not be dark for a while yet, and they expected to
make good use of their time. Their first “objective,” as Bob said,
would be the road down which the crooked-nosed man had driven.
This place was soon reached, but it proved to be a lonely stretch
of highway. At least no house was in sight, and there appeared to be
no residents of whom information could be asked.
“But there may be a house just around the turn of the road,”
suggested Bob hopefully. “Let’s hike on.”
So go on they did, and they were rewarded by seeing, as they
made the turn in the highway, a farmhouse about a quarter of a mile

beyond.
“Maybe he lives there, or works there,” suggested Bob.
“What gets me, though, Chunky,” said Jerry, “is what he would be
doing down here.”
“Nothing strange in it,” said the stout lad. “He may be a sort of
tramp farmer, and they go all over, the same as the umbrella men,
or the wash-boiler fixers. Come on!”
They hurried forward, eager for what lay ahead of them, and if
they had not been so eager they might have been aware of a figure
which had cut across lots and was sneaking along behind them. And
the figure was that of Pug Kennedy.
“I wonder what their game is?” Pug muttered to himself. “If they
are spying on me, it won’t be healthy for them. I’ll see what they’re
up to, and maybe I can put a spoke in their wheel.”
Reaching the house, Ned, Bob and Jerry saw, sitting out in front,
evidently resting after his day’s labors, a bronzed farmer. He looked
at the boys with interest, and inquired:
“What’s the matter? Lost your way?”
“No, we came to see you,” answered Jerry.
“To see me? Well, I’m sure I’m glad to see any of Uncle Sam’s
boys. Used to be one myself, but that’s long ago. Come in and set.”
“No, we’re on business,” went on Jerry, who had been elected
spokesman. “Have you seen a man around these parts with a very
crooked nose?”
The farmer started, and looked closely at the boys.
“A crooked nose?” he repeated.
“Yes,” interjected Bob, “a very crooked nose. It’s spread all over
one side of his face.”
“Why, that must be Jim Waydell! At least that’s what he called
himself when he came to work for me,” said the farmer, who had

given his name as Thomas Martin to the boys, when they told him
who they were.
“Do you know him?” asked Jerry.
“Well, not very much, no. He came along, asked for work, and, as
I was short-handed, I gave it to him. Why do you ask?”
“We’re not sure whether he’s the man we want to see or not,”
answered Jerry, determined to be a bit cautious. “If we could have a
look at him close by——”
“He’s out in the barn now,” interrupted the farmer. “Go talk to him,
if you like.”
He waved his hand toward a ramshackle red building, and the
three boys started toward it. As they entered they heard some one
moving around, and then they caught sight of the very man they
were looking for standing in the opened rear door. The last rays of
the setting sun streamed full in on him from behind, and illuminated
his face. His crooked nose was very much in evidence.
“There he is!” exclaimed Bob.
And as if the words were a warning the man, with a cry, gave a
jump up into the haymow and disappeared from sight.
“Come on!” cried Ned. “We’ll get him!”
The three motor boys sprang to the pursuit, scrambling over the
hay. It was a noiseless chase, for the hay deadened all sounds. They
could not see the man, but it was evident that he was either going
to hide, or was making toward some unseen door by which he could
escape.
“We’ll get him!” exclaimed Bob. “Come on!”
There came a cry from Ned.
“What’s the matter?” asked Jerry.
“Slipped and stuck my hand into a hen’s nest in the hay,” was the
answer. “Broke about half a dozen eggs, I guess! Too bad! We might

have taken ’em back to camp to fry for breakfast.”
Hardly had Ned uttered the words than the boys were startled by
hearing a voice they knew—the voice of Pug Kennedy. It said:
“There they are now, Mister, stealing your eggs! I told you that’s
what they were after—robbing hens’ nests. Better look out for your
eggs!”
“I will!” exclaimed the voice of the farmer, in answer to this
accusation. “I wondered at their story of the crooked-nosed man!
They just wanted to get into my barn! I’ll fix ’em!”

CHAPTER XXIII
THE MINSTREL SHOW
Ned, Bob and Jerry, hearing this talk, wondered greatly. What
could it mean?
“Come down out of there!” cried Mr. Martin. “Come down out of
my haymow, and tell me what you mean! What are you after,
anyhow?”
“We want to catch that crooked-nosed man,” answered Jerry. “We
didn’t tell you before, but we think he is a thief.”
“Well, I come pretty near knowing you are!” was the grim retort.
“Come down here!”
There was no choice but to obey, and rather puzzled as to what it
all meant, and why Pug Kennedy should come to make such an
accusation, the three chums slid to the barn floor from the haymow.
They might miss their chance of catching the crooked-nosed man,
but it could not be helped.
“There! What’d I tell you?” exclaimed Pug, pointing to Ned, as the
chums faced the now angry farmer. “If those aren’t egg stains I’ll
never eat another bit of chow!”
Too late Ned realized what his accidental slipping into the hen’s
nest meant. The evidence was damaging against him. The whites
and yolks of the eggs dripped from his hands, and there were stains
on his uniform.
“Ha! Caught you, didn’t I?” exclaimed the farmer. “Now you’ll pay
for this!”

“We’re perfectly willing to pay for the damage we accidentally did
to your eggs,” answered Ned. “I believe I broke half a dozen,
possibly more. But it was while I was crawling around, trying to get
the crooked-nosed man, who was escaping.”
“It’s a good story, but it won’t wash,” laughed Pug Kennedy. “They
were after your eggs, farmer, and that’s the truth.”
“I believe you, and I’m much obliged to you for telling me. It isn’t
the first time I’ve been robbed by soldiers out on a hike, and I said
the next time it happened I’d complain. I’m going to. You’ll come
with me before your officers, and see what happens.”
“Oh, that’s all nonsense!” exclaimed Jerry. “We admit we broke
some of your eggs by accident, and we’re willing to pay, and pay
well for them. We didn’t intend to steal!”
“I should say not!” chimed in Ned, wiping his hands off on some
hay.
“I don’t know what you might do,” was the answer. “I only know
what I see—egg stains. You might have sneaked into the barn if I
hadn’t seen you. And when I did notice you, you told me some story
about a crooked-nosed man to make it sound natural.”
“But there is a crooked-nosed man,” insisted Bob.
“Course there is,” said the farmer. “I admit that. But he isn’t such
an unusual man. For all I know you may have seen him driving in
with my wagon—he’d been to town—and you made up that story
about wanting to see him.”
“Yes, we did see him driving,” admitted Bob. “And then we
thought——”
He stopped. He realized that appearances were against him and
his chums, and that any explanation they might make, especially
after Ned’s mishap with the eggs, would seem strange.
“First I thought you were all right, and really did want to see my
hired man,” went on the farmer. “But when this other soldier came

and said he’d seen you go into my barn, and had heard you talking
about getting eggs for a good feed, why, I realized what you were
up to.”
“Did he tell you that yarn about us?” asked Jerry, looking at Pug.
“He did. And it’s the truth.”
“Well, it isn’t the truth, and he knows it!” cried Ned. “He’s taking
this means of getting even because of what he thinks we did to him.
All right! Let it go at that. We’ll go before the officers with you.
We’re not afraid! We’ll tell the truth.”
“You’d better!” declared Mr. Martin. “You wait till I hitch up and I’ll
take you back to camp. This soldierin’ business is all right, and I’m in
full sympathy with it. But it isn’t right to rob farmers, and your
officers won’t stand for it.”
“We didn’t intend to rob you,” said Jerry. “And while you are acting
this way that man, who may be a desperate criminal, is escaping. If
you are bound to take us before our officers, at least look after the
crooked-nosed chap.”
“Oh, I can lay hands on him when I want him,” said the farmer,
and then Ned, Bob and Jerry realized how futile it was to argue with
him.
“It’s too bad!” murmured Bob, as they drove back to the camp in
the wagon, Pug declining to accompany them, saying he would walk.
“Yes, it is tough,” agreed Jerry. “Just when we were about to get
hold of Crooked Nose! If he’s the one you think he is, Bob, he’ll take
the alarm and skip.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Hang Pug, anyhow! What’s his game?”
“Maybe he made the accusation against us to cover up some trick
of his own,” suggested Ned, in a low voice so the now unfriendly
farmer would not hear. “Pug had some object in coming away from
camp, and it wasn’t to follow us, for he didn’t know what we were
going to do.”

“I don’t believe he did,” assented Jerry. “But he must have
followed us, and when he saw us go into the barn he made up his
mean mind to make trouble for us.”
This was the only explanation the boys could think of, and they
had to let it go at that.
The three chums had to stand no little chaffing and gibing when
they were brought back to camp in practical custody of the farmer. It
was not uncommon for the lads, on hikes and practice marches, to
raid orchards and hen roosts, and punishment was always meted out
to the offenders, while payment for the damage done was taken
from their pay, and their comrades jumped to this as the explanation
of the present predicament of Ned, Bob and Jerry.
“But this accusation is unjust!” said Ned, when they were taken
before their captain. “It’s all a mistake.”
“Well, let’s hear about it,” said the officer somewhat wearily, for
there had been several cases of raids on this march.
Thereupon Mr. Martin told his story of having been informed by
Kennedy of the alleged intentions of the motor boys. And he told of
having seen them slide down from his haymow, one of them bearing
unmistakable evidence of eggs on his person.
“I know it looks queer,” said Ned.
“It certainly does,” agreed the captain, grimly.
But he was a just man and he listened to the boys’ story. He
seemed somewhat surprised at the mention of the crooked-nosed
man, but he made no comment, and when all was said he gave his
judgment.
It was to the effect that as the boys had affirmed on their honor
as soldiers and gentlemen that they were telling the truth, he could
not but believe them. At the same time it was evident that they had
done some slight damage, and had put the farmer to some
inconvenience in bringing them back to camp, and it was only fair

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