by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER VIII
IN THE RED TRIANGLE HUT
NIGHT had come again. The work of the day was over, and weary khaki-cladfighters could rest For they must be fit for the duties of thesucceeding day, which, like all recent ones, would bring its newdangers, glories, and no doubt pain and death for untold numbers oftheir fellows.
Still, in the camps where they were gathered that night, it would havebeen hard to run across a single soldier who showed a sign ofdiscouragement or concern. Already they bore themselves with the mien ofveterans, ready to joke and laugh, and swarming to the Red Triangle hutsfor a breath of entertainment, a glimpse of a rosy cheeked "home girl"in the midst of all this ghastly business of tragic warfare.
There Tom found Jack and Harry when he turned up rather late that night.He, too, had had a heavy and exciting though successful day's work inthe air, as had Jack. Nevertheless, on his return he had asked andreceived permission to absent himself from quarters for a time.
Of course there was need of consultation with the accommodating hospitalnurse concerning the disposition of little Jeanne, the ward of the trio,Jack, Tom, and Nellie, and Tom did not wish to neglect his duty--nor hisopportunity.
Late though it was, there still lingered a goodly crowd in the olddugout once occupied by a number of German officers, but now takenpossession of by the girls and men who wore the uniforms of Y. M. C. A.workers, when Tom reached it.
An old piano had somehow been brought along, and this was in almostconstant use, for numbers of the boys could play; and as for singingthere was an almost continuous chorus bawling out favorite songs, suchas "Over There," "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag," "When YouCome Back," and the like.
When some daring man ventured to play "Home, Sweet Home," however, not asound was heard; and apparently many of the loudest talkers foundsomething wonderfully important in the magazines they chanced to havebefore them, to judge from the way they bent persistently over whilereading. But then no soldier wants his comrades to see that his eyes areswimming in tears, as pictures of those at home dawn upon his vision.
Tom quickly found his two comrades, to be instantly met with a rush ofremarks that, however, fell from him as water would from a duck's back.
"You seem pretty happy, I must say!" observed Harry, grinning, for heunderstood what an attraction that pretty sister of his was to Tom.
"Oh, everything looks lovely, and the goose hangs high, whenever Tom hasspent an hour in Nellie's company," Jack remarked, going on with theteasing.
"Seems to me, Jack," said the object of this joking, "that you're insomething of the same box yourself. What important news did Bessie havein that letter you got this evening, and which you thought I didn't seeyou smuggle into your pocket on the sly?"
"Oh, I don't mind telling you," Jack announced smiling. "Meant to lateron anyway. Why, do you know, Bessie has become a Red Triangle workernow, as she and her mother had been transferred to that service. Shesaid there was some talk of letting them come along here to the Americanfront, since Mrs. Gleason had expressed a wish to do her bit withinhearing of the guns."
"That sounds good to me, Jack," remarked Harry.
"Do you know," added Tom, "I had a suspicion there was a hen on in thatnest just from a remark Nellie made about hoping to see Bessie beforelong. Wouldn't explain what she meant, either; so I reckon it's a put-upjob between the girls."
"Well, they have become quite fond of one another, you know," Jacksuggested.
Harry pretended to look huffed.
"All very fine," he grumbled; "but where do I come in, I'd like toknow?"
"Huh! what about some of those pretty French girls I've heard you ravingover, Harry? You might choose one and study French under her direction.Plenty of our boys are doing it, and seem to be pleased."
"If it comes to the worst," added Jack, soberly, "he can wait for littleJeanne to grow up. I imagine she's bound to be a peach one of thesedays, and well worth waiting for, Harry. But, joking aside, Tom," hecontinued, "what's doing over there with Nellie and our little charge?"
"Oh, she's making capital progress," came the quick reply. "Told me allabout it, you know."
"Sure thing, every word," put in Harry. "A whole hour it took, too, Iwarrant. There must have been a heap to tell."
"She's already managed to get together quite a number of things for thechild," Tom went on to explain. "A pair of fairly decent shoes and somematerial that one of the nurses will make into a dress, for she used tobe a seamstress over in the good old U. S. A. before the call came. Bestof all, Nellie has found just the family to leave our ward with."
"That's news worth while," asserted Jack. "What else do you know that'sinteresting, old scout?"
"This family is named Desplanes," Tom continued. "They have a fine homein Paris, from which they have been kept ever since the war began,because of the Germans getting between. They are glad to take charge ofyour little girl, Jack, since they mean to start immediately for thecapital, having only been able to get into our lines a few days back."
"Then that part of our job is settled, if you've got their Parisaddress!" Jack exclaimed. "The other connected with the finding ofHelene is going to prove a harder task I reckon."
"Oh! I've picked up a bit of information in that direction," thenewcomer told them, an announcement which of course caused Jack to lookintensely interested.
He had often found himself repeating that sad message and picturing thesuffering of the poor woman who, in dying, did not know what would bethe fate of her twin children, thus rudely separated, the one to becarried away by a remorseless relative and the other cast adrift in themidst of the fighting zone.
And so when Tom hinted that fortune had allowed him to secure valuableinformation connected with the abduction of Helene Anstey Jack'sinterest leaped upward by bounds. The spirit of laughter passed, and hewas now only alert for news that would perhaps stand them in good stead.
"Was it about that man, Von Berthold, Tom?" he demanded.
"No other," came the answer. "Nellie gave me the tip, and I made someinquiries of a prisoner she had picked out from among those who claimedto be Lorrainers and fighting for Germany against their wishes, becausethey were forced into it. She had dressed a wound for him, and had gotto talking with him. I was able to treat him to some cigarettes, andalso gave him a cake of chocolate on the sly; because that's reallyagainst orders, you know. But he promised to nibble it in secret, andnot let any one see him."
"I'm really ashamed of you, Tom!" said Harry, shaking his forefinger ina threatening fashion, and pretending to scowl. "A fine example to setto other pilots in our unit, or any of the doughboys in fact. But thenyou'll claim you had a good object in doing it; and of coursecircumstances alter army rules, as well as ordinary cases. Go on, andtalk some more."
"Well, from this prisoner I learned that General von Berthold's firstname is really Anton, which you remember she used in telling of hiscarrying little Helene off."
"We'll call that point settled, then," affirmed Jack decisively. "ThisGerman officer whose brilliant work has often been mentioned indispatches to the Paris newspapers, is Jeanne's uncle. What else did youpick up?"
"He's quartered right now in an old chateau on a height that overlooksthis whole sector of country, though some miles beyond the Argonneforest," explained the one who was telling the story.
"For a short time only," grimly announced Harry, "because the doughboyshave got the Boche on the run, and before long we'll see him skippingout for Sedan and the border. I suppose when this famous general doeshave to give up his fine chateau he'll send it sky-high with explosives,as they always do, so as to leave nothing that is French made to comforttheir enemies."
Tom nodded his head in assent.
"Do you know this Lorrainer told me that had already been arranged," hehastened to say. "He himself had been one of a party of engineers toplant terrible mines secretly in certain places under the walls, so thewhole building could be blown up in a flash. But that cunning
old foxmanaged it so that no one but himself knows how to start things moving."
"Why should he do a thing like that?" asked the puzzled Harry.
"Oh, it seems that a good many of the Boche soldiers have no particularlove for General von Berthold," Tom answered briskly, as though he hadanticipated that very question and was prepared to meet it.
"I see. He's afraid that if they chanced to know the combination,"chuckled Harry Leroy, "they might be tempted some fine night, when hewas asleep in his featherbed, to give him a rise in the world, since noone would be any the wiser. Yes, he's a sharp old duck, believe me!"
"I wonder," remarked Tom, "if he could have taken little Helene to thatchateau and is waiting for a chance to send her on to Munich, or someother German capital."
"Do you know, I've got a big hunch that way, Tom!" Jack exclaimed. "AndI mean, for one, to take the very first chance that comes along to runover back of the Hun lines so as to find if I can the chateau."
"Sainte Mershon, I learned the place is called," said Tom. "And I'll dothe same, boy."
"You said it was located on a height, so that it commanded an extensiveview, didn't you?"
"Yes, that's what the prisoner told me. Said it looked very much like alot of castles he knew about along the Rhine. We've all seen pictures ofthose, so it's easy to guess what they resemble. But he also said thebuilding had been twice dynamited, though only one section was inruins."
"If either of us is lucky enough to make a find, remember, Tom, nothingmust be done until we've had a chance to talk matters over."
"Oh, sure thing," affirmed Tom. "I wouldn't dream of trying to cut inand steal your thunder Jack. Jeanne is your find, and we're pals in thisgame, as we've always been since we were kids together in the U. S. A.When the hour strikes for General von Berthold to have uninvited guestsdrop down on him from the skies, we'll be in cahoots, as usual. And youmay lead off."
Jack looked relieved. Apparently he had begun to suspect dimly that hisambitious chum might have thought to cut the ground out from under his,Jack's, feet, by planning a bold raid on the chateau, spurred on to sucha rash deed by his ardent desire to impress Nellie Leroy.
Tom began to stretch himself.
"Feeling some tired after such a rushing day's business," he told them,in a vein of apology. "And I think, mates, I'll turn in after I'vemunched a cake or two and had a drink of lemonade. Join me in a glass,will you, Jack, Harry? I feel like treating to-night, I'm so perfectlysatisfied with the way things are going."
The other two exchanged looks and chuckles, which, however, Tompretended not to notice; for he had made up his mind not to be disturbedany longer because of his comrades' jokes concerning his warm friendshipfor Harry's sister. What boy among the tens of thousands of Americans inthat sector but would be pleased to have such a delightful "sister" withwhom to hold occasional interesting chats when opportunity arose?
They accepted the invitation, however, for really it was rather warm inthe Red Triangle dugout, mostly underground, just as the fleeing Hunofficers had left it when compelled to run. Somehow those enterprisingY. M. C. A. workers managed to keep constantly on hand a supply ofcertain articles deemed necessary to the comfort of the fighting men;and lemons stood near the first in this preferred list.
When coming in on a hot day from hard work in the trenches, or aftercreeping through tangled undergrowth where not a breath of breezestirred, with their nerves strained every second of the time, nothingcould revive the flagging energies more quickly than a lemonade mixed bythe dextrous fingers of a clever girl in khaki, a sunny smile on herface, and a love for everything connected with America in her warmheart.
Those huts erected by the Red Triangle corps, what oceans of comfortthey brought to the boys over there! Sometimes they were large andcommodious, possessing almost every conceivable means for gratifying thenormal appetite of a healthy-minded but tired and homesick soldier boy.Then again it might be, as in the present instance, that circumstancesprevented any display, and the restoration bivouac had to be openedunder rather discouraging conditions, while the supplies also ran low,for it was not easy to get them so far up along the line.
But the main thing was that there could be found the cheerful,never-failing services of those who gave every minute of their time toworking for the boys wearing the khaki, and braving death itself underOld Glory.
The night had up to then been fairly quiet.
Tired after the day's fighting, both armies lay down to rest, lookingforward to a renewal of hostilities when another day dawned. Doubtlessthe retreating Huns would utilize this time in preparing many more ofthe machine-gun nests, each of which was calculated to hold up theadvancing Americans for a certain period.
As for the Americans trying to advance during the night, that wasutterly out of the question, since under those trees a pall lay thatmight hide any number of deadly traps, into which they, in theirignorance, would surely stumble.
The three Air Service boys were still standing chatting with the girl inkhaki, whom they knew very well, and sipping their lemonade when,without warning, there broke out a terrible din. The ground under theirfeet seemed to shake with the force of an explosion, which they realizedmust be quite near at hand.
Another explosion immediately followed, and then still more in irregularsuccession. The boys had learned by now to tell what such explosionssignified, so they looked at each other aghast, and Jack cried out:
"The Huns are making an air raid on our lines back here! They must be ingreat force, too, with all those bombs dropping! Tom, didn't it strikeyou those explosions came mostly from the quarter where our Red Crossfield hospital lies?"
Tom felt a cold chill, the same thought having gripped him.