by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER IV
THE REST BILLET
"Here's a pretty kettle of fish, Jack!" Tom Raymond remarked severalhours later, as he came into the dingy dugout where his chum was sitting.
A number of other pilots and observers occupied the same quarters, whichhad once been the refuge of German officers. Wretched though thesequarters were, they at least afforded security from the bursting shellsthat were being sent across now and then by the enemy, from theirpositions on the hills to the northwest.
Jack had been paying small heed to the merriment of his mates, who, likemost young men gathered together in a group, had been carrying on high.Sitting there with his head resting on his hand he had allowed himself tobecome buried in deep thought. A strained worried look had takenpossession of his usually sunny face.
"What's the matter now, Tom?" he asked, with a deep sigh, as though hehad been rudely brought back to a realization of the fact that he wasstill in France, where the battle raged, and far removed from thosepeaceful Virginia scenes he had been picturing.
"We're ordered out with that raiding party to-night," Tom continued,lowering his voice to a whisper, since it was supposed to be a militarysecret, and not to be openly discussed.
"Oh! Well, what does it matter?" asked Jack, beginning to show animation."We've put in our applications for leave, but the chances are they'll notbe acted upon immediately, although we asked for speed. And nothing wouldplease me more than to see action while I'm waiting. I'm afraid I'd goclean daffy unless I could forget my troubles in some way."
"Glad to hear you say that, Jack, because I'm feeling particularly keenmyself to be one of that bunch to-night"
"When do we start?" demanded the other tersely.
"Not until two in the morning," came the low reply. "All that's beenfigured out with regard to the moon you know."
Jack took a quick glance around. So far as he could see, no one waspaying the least attention to him and his comrade. One of the air pilotswas trying to sing a song, being in jovial mood after receiving a letterthat he admitted was from his "girl in the States" and the othersmanifested a desire to join in the chorus, though none of them dared lettheir voices out, since it was against the rules.
"Did you learn anything about the job we've got on hand, Tom?"
"Yes, that's what I did; though I believe it was not generally told toall who are to be in the party," came the cautious reply. "Of course justbefore the flight they'll be given full particulars, when orders areissued to the pilots and observers. It's a bridge this time, Jack!"
"That one spanning the river about twenty miles back of the German lines,do you mean?"
"Yes, it's the most important bridge within fifty miles. Over it day andnight the retreating Boche armies are passing. There's hardly a minutethat guns and regiments may not be seen passing across at that point."
"Yes," observed Jack, "and a number of times some of our airmen havetried to bomb it in the daytime; but Fritz keeps such a vigilant watch wenever could succeed in getting close enough to do any material damage.And so the High Command has decided that bridge must be knocked toflinders!"
"We're going out to make the attempt, anyhow," resumed Tom, nodding."Four big bombing machines in the bunch, guarded by eight battleplanes;and we've the good fortune to be chosen as the crew of one. I considerwe're lucky, Jack."
"That's right, Tom. Though I don't feel quite as keen for it as I wouldhave been had I not received that letter from our lawyer, asking me tohurry back home if I could possibly make it. Still, I'll be in for a badnight, anyhow, and might just as well be working."
"Are you worrying about your cousin?" demanded Tom suspiciously.
"To tell you the truth I am, more or less," Jack confessed. "I know himas a man utterly without principle. When he knows that it is a racebetween us to see which one can get to America first, so as to win theprize my foolish uncle left in such a haphazard way, there's absolutelynothing, I honestly believe, that Randolph wouldn't attempt in order tokeep me from getting there in advance of him."
"Well, try to forget all that just now," said Tom. "I've a nice littlesurprise for you, Jack. I suppose you know they've got a sort of 'Y' hutrunning back here a bit?"
"Heard some of the fellows talking about it, but, somehow, didn't seem totake much stock in the news. Fact is, I've temporarily lost my taste forthose doughnuts and the girls who give their time to jollying up ourfellows, as well as attending to their many wants in the line of letterwriting and such things."
"Perhaps," insinuated Tom, with a mild grin, "a doughnut mightn't goso badly now if the girl who offered it happened to answer to the nameof Bessie?"
At that Jack suddenly began to show more interest. A gleam came into hissaddened eyes and a faint smile to his face.
"That's an altogether different thing, Tom!" he exclaimed. "Do you reallymean that Bessie and Mrs. Gleason are so close as all that?"
"If you care to walk out with me you can be talking to them inside offifteen minutes," came the ready answer. "And while about it, I mightas well tell you that Nellie is there too. Seems that she's attached toa field hospital staff that's keeping us close company, and, meetingthe Gleasons, came over for the evening. She's been overworked lately,and needs some rest. I promised to come back for a short while, andfetch you along."
"Did--er, Bessie ask you to look me up?" asked Jack confusedly.
"To be sure! Twice at least. And I had to promise solemnly I'd do it evenif I had to take you by the collar and hustle you there. But our time islimited, and we'd better be on our way, Jack."
The other showed an astonishing return to his old form. Apparently themere fact that he was about to see the Gleasons again caused him toforget, temporarily at least, all about his fresh troubles. They weresoon hurrying along, now and then dropping flat as some shell shriekedoverhead or burst with a crash not far away.
Their relations with Mrs. Gleason and Bessie were very remarkable, and ofa character to bind them close together in friendship. In fact, as hasbeen described at length in one of the earlier books of this series, Tomand Jack had been mainly instrumental in releasing the mother and youngdaughter from a chateau where they were being held prisoner by anunscrupulous and plotting relative, with designs on their fortune.
The so-called "hut" of the Y.M.C.A. workers was really only anotherdilapidated and abandoned German dugout, which had been hurriedlyarranged as a sort of makeshift headquarters, where the doughboys whocould get leave might gather and find such amusement as theconditions afforded.
There were Salvation Army lassies present too, with their pies anddoughnuts that made the boys feel closer to home than almost anythingelse, and even a sprinkling of Red Cross nurses from the field hospitalwho had been given a brief leave for recuperation.
Adjoining this particular rest billet was another of similar characterrun by the K. of C., which was also well patronized; indeed there seemedto be a friendly rivalry between the organizations to discover whichcould spread the most sunshine and cheer abroad.
Jack immediately was pounced upon by a pretty, young girl whose face waseither very sunburned or covered with blushes. This was of course theBessie mentioned by Tom. Others who watched professed a bit of envybecause Jack received all her attention after he appeared.
Nellie Leroy, the Red Cross nurse, looked very sweet in her regulationhospital uniform, with the insignia of her calling on her sleeve. If herface bore a sad expression it was no more than must be expected of oneseeing so much suffering at close quarters as came to the share of allthe women and girls who devoted their very lives to such a calling. InTom's eyes she was the prettiest girl in all France. It could also beseen that Nellie was very fond of the stalwart young air pilot, from theway in which her eyes rested on his figure whenever he chanced to beabsent from her side during the next hour; which to tell the truth wasnot often.
Of course nothing was said about the night's dangerous work that layahead for the two chums. But Bessie noticed that Jack occasionallylooked g
rave, and questioned him concerning it. In answer he took herinto his confidence to a certain extent concerning his reason for wantingto be in Virginia.
The time for separating came all too soon. Tom was very particular aboutthis, being a firm believer in duty before pleasure.
"Look us up often if you get the chance," said Mrs. Gleason, who had beenactively at work all the evening carrying out her customary duties, andproving indeed a "good angel" to scores of the young soldiers, who lookedupon her as they might on their own mothers.
"You can depend on it we will," said Tom, giving Nellie a warm look thatcaused her eyes to drop and a wave of color to come into her cheeks.
"Wild horses couldn't keep me away, if I can get across," Jack toldBessie, as he was squeezing her little hand at separating. "But then younever know what's going to happen these days. All sorts of things arepossible. If I do start across the big pond you'll hear of it, Bessie."
Jack looked back and waved his hand to the little group standing in thedoor of the dugout. He seemed much more cheerful than earlier in theevening, Tom thought; and as that had been one of his motives in gettingthe other across from the aviation camp he felt satisfied.
"And now for business," he remarked as they made their way along, with afrequent bursting shell giving them light to see any gap in the road intowhich they might otherwise have stumbled.
Fritz was unusually active on this particular night, for some reason orother, for he kept up that hammering hour after hour. It might be theGerman High Command suspected that the Americans were ready to make amore stupendous push than had as yet been undertaken, with the idea ofcapturing a whole division, or possibly two, before they could get away;and this bombardment was continued in hopes of discouraging them.
The two Air Service Boys did not bother themselves about this, beingcontent to leave all such matters to those in command. They had theirorders and expected to obey them to the letter, which was quiteenough for them.
Once more in their dugout, Tom and his comrade crawled into their limitedsleeping quarters simply to rest, neither of them meaning to try toforget themselves in slumber.
When the time came for action they were soon crawling out of the hole inthe ground. As pilots came and went unnoticed, each intent on hisindividual work, their departure caused not the faintest ripple. In fact,there were two other airmen who also came out and joined them when makingfor the place of the temporary canvas hangars, they, too, having hadsecret orders concerning this same night raid.
Arriving on the open field, they found a busy scene awaiting them. Herewere mechanics by the score getting planes ready for ascension. Thehum of motors and the buzz of propellers being tuned up could be heard inmany quarters.
Those sounds always thrilled the hearts of the two boys; it seemed tochallenge them to renewed efforts to accomplish great things in theirchosen profession. When, however, they reached their own hangar andfound a knot of mechanics working furiously, Tom's suspicionsinstantly arose.
"What's wrong here?" he asked the man who was in charge of the gang.
"There's been some sort of ugly business going on, I'm afraid," came thereply; "for we're replacing several wire stays that look as if they'dbeen partly eaten by a corrosive acid. Smacks of rank treachery,Sergeant."
