by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER XVIII
THE LONE HOUSE BY THE ROADSIDE
"Listen, Tom!" hissed Jack.
The other had just sighed with relief on completing the work ofreplacing the spark-plug that had become fouled with oil.
"I, too, heard it plainly, Jack!" he breathed.
"Was it someone screaming or sobbing?" asked the other breathlessly.
"Sounded like it to me."
"And either a woman or a girl, at that!" hazarded his chum inbewilderment.
"It might have been a boy," suggested Tom. "There it is again."
Both of them listened. Peculiar sensations crept over them as they stoodand thus strained their ears to catch any further sounds. Sobbing at anytime is enough to arouse the feelings of a sensitive nature; but heardin the dead of night, and under the conditions that surrounded the twoyoung aviators, made it all the more thrilling.
Jack in particular was touched to the heart.
"Say, that's a queer thing, Tom!" he muttered. "Why should anybody becrying or screaming like that away off here, and at this time of night?"
"Oh, there are many who are weeping in these dark days," said Tomgravely. "The men in myriads of families will never come home again.Perhaps a mother, or it may be a sister, has just had word that son,father, or brother has been shot down in battle."
Jack shuddered. Why should his thoughts instantly fly to the Boche pilotwhom they had met and fought and conquered while on the way to Metz ontheir present perilous mission? It had been a fair fight, and a case oftheir lives or his. Nevertheless Jack shuddered as he remembered how theother had gone down after that last exchange of gunfire.
"Tom, notice that it comes from almost the identical direction where Itold you I heard the crowing of a rooster a while ago," he hastened tosay, more to rid his mind of those ghastly thoughts than anything else.
What a strange fatality if this should be the home of the unfortunateTeuton pilot of that Fokker machine, and the one who mourned was hismother or a young sister, or perhaps his wife!
"That means there's a house not far away, possibly an estate of somekind," mused Tom, as though turning over some sudden project in hismind.
Jack guessed what his chum was thinking about.
"Tom," he said softly, when for the third time they caught theheart-rending, half stifled sobs coming on the still night air.
"What do you want now, Jack?"
"I was just wondering whether you'd agree to something," continued theother, in a persuasive tone. "We're not in any _great_ hurry, arewe?"
"Well, no, perhaps not, Jack; though I'd like to deliver the paper intothe hands of our commander as soon as possible. It is probably of theutmost importance, you know."
"I can't help thinking how I'd feel, Tom, if my mother or sister were insome great trouble, and fellows who might be in a position to hold out ahelping hand considered their own personal safety first."
When Jack said this his voice was husky. Apparently the incidentappealed strongly to his emotions. Jack had always been unusuallythoughtful in regard to women of whatever age or degree, and would gofar out of his way to do one a favor; so it was not strange that heshould feel as he did at this time.
Tom was in a mood to be easily persuaded. The plaintive sobs, telling ofwoe that clutched some one's heart-strings, stirred a responsive chordwithin him. He, too, remembered those at home. Jack had put a clincheron his argument when he asked what their opinion of a man would be whoturned aside and went his own way after hearing a woman or a childcrying bitterly.
"All right, then, Jack; perhaps we can spare the time to take a turnaround here, and see if we can be of any help," he announced, greatly tothe satisfaction of his chum.
"Perhaps some one has been hurt and needs assistance," suggested Jack."It isn't going to delay us much, and may be of great help to them. Comeon--let's be on the move."
Tom was not quite so precipitate as his companion. Caution had a part inhis make-up.
"Don't try to rush things, Jack," he said. "I must take a last look overmy work here, you know."
"But you said everything was completed, Tom!" persisted the other.
"So it is, but I ought to make doubly sure before we leave the plane,"Tom added, as he took the electric hand-torch from his companion andbegan systematically to look over the engine at which he had beenworking, carefully examining every detail.
Jack said nothing further. He understood what his chum meant when hedeclared it important that they should know absolutely the motor was inprime condition for immediate service. Something might occur tonecessitate a hurried departure from the vicinity; a detachment of theenemy forces might appear, or other perils hover over their heads thatmight be laughed at only if they could take to the air withoutdetention.
Tom was not long in doing as he desired. Meanwhile Jack could hear anoccasional sob from the same quarter as before, and the sounds continuedto exercise a peculiar influence over him which he could not haveexplained had he been asked.
"I'm ready now, Jack!".
"Glad to hear it," muttered the other, half under his breath; not thathe meant to infer Tom had been unduly long, but because his feelingswere wrought up to a high pitch that caused him to quiver all over.
Tom evidently guessed this, judging from his next remark.
"Cool down, Jack," he said, laying a hand on his companion's arm. "Thiswill never do, you know. Getting excited is the worst thing an air pilotcan do. It'll prove fatal to all your hopes, unless you manage tocontrol your feelings better."
"I guess you're right, Tom."
"I don't think there's any chance the plane will be discovered here inthe open field, even if there is a road so close by," mused the pilot,after they had gone perhaps as far as twenty-five yards.
"Not in a thousand years," asserted Jack confidently, turning to lookback as he spoke. "Why, even now I can't discover a sign of the wings,or anything else in the misty moonlight, it's so deceptive. Only thatlone tree standing close to where we dropped tells me the location ofour plane."
"Yes, I marked that, too," asserted Tom quietly. "I thought we ought tohave some sort of landmark to guide us if we should be in a hurry comingback. And the tree, standing up fairly high, can be seen ten timesbetter than anything close to the earth."
"Here's the road, Tom."
"So it is, and an important one in the bargain, judging from itscondition," remarked the other, softly.
"It runs the length of the valley, of course," added Jack. "I shouldn'tbe surprised if it went all the way from Metz to the Verdun front. Ifthat's the case it must have considerable travel, even if nothing haschanced to come along since we landed."
"I can see signs to tell that we are close to some sort of countryestate, or it may only be a Lorraine farm."
"I can glimpse lights through the trees, and chances are they come fromwindows in the house beyond."
"I see them too," affirmed Tom.
"But say, isn't it pretty late for a farmhouse to be lighted up likethat?"
"Depend on it, there's some good reason for all that illumination," Jackwas told. "And perhaps we'd better drop this talking so much, now we'regetting close to the place. No telling what we'll find there. For all weknow this may be some one's headquarters, though pretty far back of theline for that sort of thing. But I think it'll turn out to be somethingmore than ordinary."
It did.
Jack began to weave all manner of fantastic explanations to account forthe illumination of the house alongside the road to Metz.
He felt he would not be very much astonished to discover a line ofmilitary cars standing at the gate, and find that an important councilof war was being conducted within the building.
Then he remembered the crying and sobbing. Somehow, that did not seem tofit in with his other imaginings. The touch of Tom's hand on his armmade Jack give a violent start.
"Here's a high fence, you notice," Tom whispered. "Seeing that makes mebelieve it's going to turn out to be a country estate,
and not just afarm. We ought to find a gate somewhere further along."
"That crying has stopped, Tom."
"For the time being, yes," admitted the other. "Perhaps she's only goneaway from the open window. I was in hopes it would keep on, so we couldbe guided straight."
Two minutes later, after walking alongside the high fence for somedistance, they discovered the entrance to the place. Tom flashed hislight on the ground.
"Been considerable going in and coming out of vehicles, generallyautomobiles," he announced.
"And private cars are almost taboo in all Germany these dark days, theytell us," mentioned Jack sagely. "That makes it look as if some sort ofmilitary business might be transacted in this isolated place. Gee! Itell you it's getting my curiosity whetted to a fine point, all thismystery. But we're going in, of course, Tom?"
"Some way or other, Jack. If the entrance is closed and locked we canclimb over the fence, all right. But no need of worrying about that,because I already see the gates are ajar. Come on."
So they slipped into the enclosed grounds, actuated by an impulse,wholly unconscious of what might be awaiting them. They had been drawninto the adventure simply on account of a praiseworthy desire to be ofservice to some unknown one who seemed to be in trouble. And neither ofthe boys even vaguely suspected as yet what strange happenings wouldconfront them before many minutes passed by.