The Khaki Boys at the Front; or, Shoulder to Shoulder in the Trenches

by Gordon Bates

  CHAPTER II

  MEETING COUSIN EMILE

  "Where, where?"

  Seated with his back to the door, Bob's gleeful announcement broughtJimmy also to his feet. By this time Bob had deserted his bunkies andwas making straight for two young men in the uniform of the U. S.Aviation Corps, who were advancing to meet him.

  "Well, well, _well_! If it isn't old Bob and Blazes!"

  The blue-eyed, broadly-smiling youth who uttered this jubilantrecognition, now had Bob's hand in a firm grip, and was shaking itvigorously. Standing beside him, his brother, an exact counterpart ofhimself, was engaged in greeting Jimmy with equal cordiality.

  "Let me in on this," commanded a laughing voice, as Roger joined thedelighted quartet. "I believe I've seen the famous Twinkle Twins beforeto-day."

  "You'd better believe it," retorted Jack Twinkleton. "How are you,Rodge? You're looking all to the mustard."

  "Put her there! How's the good old scout?"

  Jerry Twinkleton now claimed Roger's attention.

  "Oh, we're simply fine. You can't lose us. It isn't being done, don'tyou know, with this gang."

  Roger's face glowed with friendliness as he greeted the illustrioustwins. They were truly a welcome sight.

  "How long have you been over, and where do you go from here?" wereJimmy's quick questions. "We've been keeping an eye out and an ear openever since we landed in France. Thought we'd see you or, maybe, hearnews of you."

  "You're the great little scribes, you are," declared Bob. "We haven'thad a line from you since just before we left Sterling."

  "When was that?" promptly asked Jack.

  "Oh, early in February. You fellows wrote that you were expecting mostany day to go across."

  "Well, we went; right after that," grinned Jack. "We've written yougazabos three letters since then, and never got even a post card inreturn. We've abused you to each other for fair. Slackers; that's ourpet name for you."

  "Yes, that's it," immediately chimed in Jerry, always his twinbrother's faithful repeater.

  "We never got 'em." Bob shook a disgusted head. "We didn't get half ofour mail at Camp Marvin. I suppose it's chasing us around yet. We'llget it some day if we live long enough."

  "We wrote you fellows a couple of letters, too," informed Jimmy,frowning.

  "Then we've got something coming to us, too," was Jack's cheerfulretort. "Now let's flop and have a chewing-bee. Come on over to ourtable. We've a fine surprise for you. We want you to meet----"

  "Cousin Emile," supplied Bob. "I spotted him right away. We have acouple of fellows with us. They belong to the gang. One of 'em is Iggy.You remember? We told you about him. The other is a new pal of ours.We're the five Brothers now. Oh, maybe we haven't a bag of beans tospill!"

  "Get your two Buddies and bring 'em over to that table," directed Jack,pointing to an alcove table, larger than the others. "I'll steer Emileto it, by the time you round up your strays."

  With this he and his brother turned and bolted for their table, atwhich the famous aviator had already seated himself. An amused smiletouched his firm mouth, as he watched his lively cousins and theirfriends.

  "Now listen to the howl Iggins'll put up," laughed Jimmy, as the threeBrothers returned to their table. "This time he can't fade away anddisappear, the way he did when the Twinkle Twins came to see us atSterling."

  "I can no go," was the prompt refusal Jimmy met with.

  Half rising from his chair, Ignace showed signs of making a quickretreat from the cafe.

  "I can no go," mimicked Jimmy. "You're going, you old clam, if I haveto lead you along by the ear."

  Noting signs of refusal on the German-American's face, he next warned:"Don't you get panicky, either, Schnitz!"

  "If you two mules go to balking, we'll turn you out to shift foryourselves," threatened Bob. "Cousin Emile won't eat you. He's carefulabout what he eats."

  Bob's last flippant assertion caused Ignace to snicker. It also broughta faint smile to Schnitzel's somber face.

  "All right. I'll be good," he assented, and obligingly got to his feet.

  "If Iggy doesn't want to be a good fellow, just let him sit here all byhis lonesome while we have a good time," suggested Roger slyly. "We'lltell the Twinkles and Cousin Emile that he's very particular about whomhe meets."

  Roger winked at Bob, as he made this innocent suggestion.

  "No!" Ignace fairly bounced from his chair.

  "You say so, you ver' mean! I go by you. So is it."

  "Oh, just as you please," teased Roger.

  "I please!"

  With the expression of a martyr on the way to execution, Ignacefollowed in the wake of his bunkies, as they toured the length of theroom to the alcove.

  Already there, and seated on either side of their illustrious cousin,the Twinkle Twins rose to do the honors.

  Each one of the five Brothers experienced a thrill of excitement, as,in turn, he shook hands with the great aviator. They saw a rather tall,thin-faced man of perhaps thirty, with bright, dark eyes, and veryblack hair. They admired his strong chin and close-lipped, pleasantmouth. Neither could they fail to note his litheness of movement, as herose from his chair when the Khaki Boys were introduced to him by hiscousin Jack.

  "Have you been long in France?" he questioned courteously, as the partytook seats at the round table.

  "Only a few weeks, sir." Jimmy became spokesman. "We are in training atR----. We hope to go to the front soon."

  "You are eager for a taste of the fighting, I suppose." The aviatorsmiled. "That seems to be the prevailing spirit among the Americansoldiers. We of France admire it."

  "France has set us an example, sir, that we glory in following. Thewhole world knows what France has done in this war."

  Jimmy's face lighted into glowing enthusiasm.

  "I thank you, in the name of my country."

  The aviator's hand lightly touched his forehead in salute.

  Instantly seven hands went up in prompt return of the salute.

  "Now let's drop the form and ceremony act," proposed Jack Twinkleton."I'll salute you, Emile, when I have to, but I'll be blamed if I willwhen I can get out of it. I've a great deal of respect for you up inthe air, and some when we're down on the ground. Don't forget that,will you?"

  "I will endeavor to remember." The Frenchman showed white teeth in anindulgent smile. "It will be, perhaps, a trifle difficult," he slylyadded.

  "Ha, ha! Emile's onto you, Jack!" rejoiced Jerry.

  "You're my twin," flashed back his brother, with the wide, jovial grinthat so characterized the Twinkle Twins.

  "I'm sorry, but it can't be helped," retaliated Jack, duplicatingJerry's grin. "Now let's side-track these playful little complimentsand get down to business. I'm crazy to know what you fellows have beendoing since you left Sterling. You tell your tale and then we'll tellours. Wait a minute till I shoo this waiter away. We don't want toorder yet. We want to talk."

  "We were down south at Marvin for a while, then one day we started outon a hike with a big detachment of Sammies, and we never went back anymore," began Bob, when Jack had temporarily banished the waiter fromtheir vicinity. "First thing we knew we were piling into a train andafter we rode awhile in that we got tired of it, and switched off to atransport for a change. It was the _Columbia_, and I guess----"

  "The _Columbia_!" exclaimed three voices in unison.

  "Yes, I guess we _do_ know what happened to the _Columbia_," emphasizedJack. "And you fellows were in that mix-up and came out O. K.! Well,what do you think of that?"

  "How'd you get away from her, and what happened to you?" was Jerry'sexcited question.

  "Three of us were taken off her by a destroyer. Bob got into alifeboat, and another destroyer picked up that crew. I was the only onewho got wet. I had a swim in the nice cold water, and a trawler took mein when I got tired," ended Jimmy whimsically.

  "That's the way he tells it," sniffed Bob. "Now let Bobby speak hispiece."

  Whereupon Bob launched forth int
o a vivid account of Jimmy's adventureson that terrible night, to which the Twinkle Twins and Cousin Emilelistened with ever-deepening interest.

  Quite naturally Bob was obliged to go further back than the torpedoingof the Columbia in order to explain the events that had led up to themurderous attack made upon Jimmy by the German wireless operator.Inevitably, too, he made a hero of his bunkie, regardless of thewarning signals that the irate Blazes flashed at him from two resentfulgray eyes.

  "Some little hero!" was Jack's verdict, his deep blue eyes restingadmiringly on Jimmy, who was looking embarrassed and a trifle sulky.

  "Oh, I'm not so much," he muttered.

  "Always he say!" broke in a solemn voice.

  Temporarily bereft of speech in the presence of the Twinkle Twins andtheir distinguished relative, Iggy rallied to the cause of his belovedBrother.

  "So is it Jimmy think," continued Ignace stolidly, now bound to beheard. "He have the much do, ver' good, ver' brave."

  "I agree with you." The aviator bent a kindly glance on Ignace thatcaused him suddenly to realize that this wonderful "fly man" had "thekind heart." In consequence, he forgot his awe of the great Voissardand beamed genially upon him.

  "Just to be even with _you_, Ignace So Pulinski, I'm going to tellwhat _you_ did," announced Jimmy.

  "No-a!" Ignace raised a protesting hand.

  Nevertheless, Jimmy recounted the incident relating to his Polishbunkie's firm faith in the destroyer, which immediately raised a laugh.

  "Now you even, you don' say no more nothin'," decreed Iggy, very red inthe face.

  "All right, I won't," promised Jimmy. "I haven't anything more to say,anyway, except that we all got together again in Ireland. We went toEngland to a rest camp and from there to France. Now let's hear whathappened to the Twinkle Twins since we saw 'em last."

  "Just a minute and we'll tell you," nodded Jack. "Did you ever hearwhether the body of this bridge fellow was recovered? A good many ofthe bodies of those poor Sammies were washed ashore."

  "This fellow isn't dead." Jimmy's eyes grew briefly troubled. "Bobforgot to say in his wonderful story that I saw him afterward inBelfast. We were on the train just getting ready to pull out ofBelfast. I was watching the crowd on the station platform from thewindow. I saw him, sure as guns. He saw me and he recognized me. Hegave me one awful look and beat it through the crowd."

  "Quite remarkable!" Voissard's dark eyes were fixed reflectively onJimmy. "Describe the appearance of this man. I may be able to placehim. The Prefect of Police, here in Paris, is my personal friend.Through him I have learned much regarding criminals. I have seenphotographs of many Germans badly wanted by the Allied powers, eitherfor particularly serious crimes, or because they are known to be spiesof unusual cleverness and daring."

  "This Charles Black, as he called himself, is no common criminal,"began Jimmy, then continued with a detailed description of the "tigerman."

  The aviator listened attentively, a slight frown contracting his darkbrows.

  "I cannot place him," he said when Jimmy had finished. "My friend, thePrefect, may be able to do so. I intend to remain in Paris for a day ortwo. I expect to dine with him to-morrow evening. I will make inquiryof him. In case I should learn anything of interest I will communicateit to you either in person or by letter. It is possible that I may soonvisit your camp at R----."

  "I wish you would sir," Jimmy responded with a fervor that conveyed hisutter delight of the prospect.

  "_Merci._" The one simple word was spoken as only a Frenchman can say,"Thank you."

  Their eyes meeting levelly, boy and man each realized that he had founda friend.