THE BLACK PEAS
The howling without continued when Hal and Chester reached their
own quarters.
"Well, you've made another enemy, Hal," said Chester.
"Can't help that," was his chum's reply. "It had to be done. By the way,
I wonder what's happened to Stubbs?"
"Oh, I guess he is spooking around some place. He'll turn up
before long."
The lad was right. Hal and Chester had hardly composed themselves to
sleep when the flap to the tent was lifted and Stubbs' head appeared. He
struck a match and looked at the two lads.
"Asleep?" he asked.
Neither lad was, but neither replied. They were both too sleepy to
care to enter into a conversation with Stubbs, so they maintained a
discreet silence.
"All right, then," said Stubbs, "if you're asleep I'll soon be with you."
He removed his clothing and went to bed.
Stubbs was up early the following morning and when the lads arose
entertained them with an account of his wanderings.
"And," he concluded, "I've stumbled across a story that's a wonder."
"A story?" repeated Chester.
"Yes. A 'story' is a newspaper man's way of expressing something big."
"Something to do with the battle?" asked Hal.
"It may have and it may not," declared Stubbs. "It may have something to
do with the whole war--and it may not. I don't know."
"What is it, Stubbs?" asked Chester.
Stubbs winked one eye at him.
"As I happened to stumble across this while I was snooping," he
said, "and as you don't think much of snooping, I am going to keep
this to myself."
"Come, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester, "you know I was just fooling."
"Well, I may be just fooling now, for all you know," said Stubbs.
In vain did the lads plead to know what he was talking about. Stubbs was
obdurate and took his departure, announcing that he was going to do some
more "snooping," without enlightening them.
Hardly had he gone when the lads received a caller. It was none other
than the young French boy whom Hal had rescued from the hands of his
tormentors the night before.
"They told me you came to my aid," he said to Hal, "so I have come to
thank you."
"Who are they?" asked Hal.
"Some of the men. It was true that I was ill last night. Jules Clemenceau
will not forget."
The young French boy had stood with one hand in his pocket, and now
withdrew the hand and extended it to Hal. As he did so, two small objects
fell from his pocket. Apparently Jules did not notice them. Hal shook
hands with the boy and the Frenchman took his departure.
Chester, in the meantime, had picked up the two little objects and now he
called to Jules, but the young Frenchman did not hear him.
"Oh, I guess he doesn't want these things, anyhow," the lad muttered.
"What things?" asked Hal, who had not seen the objects drop from
Jules' pocket.
Chester passed one of the objects to him.
"Know what it is?" he asked.
"Sure," returned Hal, "don't you?"
"No. What is it?"
"A pea."
"I never saw a pea like that."
"Probably not. They are rather rare. A black pea, that's what it is.
Where did you get it?"
"Jules dropped it out of his pocket."
"Well, as he seems to think I have done him a favor, I am just going to
keep this. I guess he won't mind. I'll carry it as a pocket piece."
"Then I'll carry the mate to it," said Chester.
He put the little round pea in his pocket and Hal followed suit.
Although neither could possibly have suspected it, these two little peas
were to be the means of getting them into all kinds of trouble.
There was heavy fighting that day and when night fell it found the
Germans safely entrenched in the French second line trenches along a
seven-mile front. For some reason or other Hal and Chester did not get to
the front, their duties confining them close to General Petain's
headquarters. They were kept busy most of the day, however, and were
tired out when they returned to their own quarters late that night.
Ready as they were for bed, they consented to sit up a while and talk
with Stubbs, who announced that he had a wonderful tale to unfold.
"Well," said Stubbs, "I have discovered a strange thing. It's a big
thing and there are many men in the French army implicated in it. Most
likely in the British, too, and I know that it has touched the ranks of
the enemy."
"What is it, a conspiracy?" asked Chester.
"It is," said Stubbs, "and it's a whopper. I haven't been able to find
the names of any of the leaders and I wouldn't know what to do if I did
learn who they are. This one thing, rather than anything else, is likely
to disrupt the aims of the Allies."
"Then you had better tell General Petain about it," declared Hal.
"I suppose I should," said Stubbs, as he drew out his pipe and proceeded
to fill it.
He was quiet a moment as he ran his fingers in his vest pocket,
seeking a match.
"Say, I'm a good one, ain't I?" he demanded, forgetting his grammar
absolutely.
"What's the matter now?" asked Hal.
"Matter is that I can never keep a match. Have you got one?"
"Fortunately for you, I have," said Chester. "I don't carry them, as a
rule, having no use for them, but I chanced to find a box of safety
matches to-day."
He reached in his pocket and produced the box; and as he did so the
little black pea rolled from his pocket. It rolled toward Stubbs and the
little man caught it. He would have returned it to Chester, but as he
started to do so he took a close look at it. He gave a sudden start and
the box of matches Chester had extended to him dropped to the floor even
as his fingers would have closed on it.
"H-m-m-m," he muttered to himself. "I wonder. I suppose it would be a
great thing. I wonder."
Stubbs picked up the box of matches and proceeded to light his pipe with
deliberation.
"Well, now that you have that pipe puffing," said Hal, "what's the rest
of this story of yours?"
"On second thought," said Stubbs calmly, "I have decided to keep it
to myself."
"You're not going to tell us?" demanded Chester.
"No," said Stubbs. "By the way, here's your black pea," for Chester had
not noticed that he had dropped it.
"Thanks," said Chester, taking the pea and dropping it in his pocket, "I
wouldn't want to lose it."
"No, I guess not," said Stubbs mysteriously. "Pretty scarce articles. I
don't suppose you could find another one in some distance."
"Oh, yes, you could," said Hal. "I have one myself."
"That so?" said Stubbs, and added to himself: "I thought so, but I wanted
to make sure."
Hal produced his black pea. Stubbs examined it carefully and passed it
back to him.
"Better keep it in a safe place," he said. "As I say, they are scarce
and it never does a fellow any good to lose anything when there is
anyone around."
Hal and Chester started guiltily. How could Stubbs know they had found
the peas when they fell from the pocket of Jules Clemenceau? Stubbs, who
had been watching the two closely, observed these sudden starts and
interpreted them to his own satisfaction.
"Come now, Stubbs," said Chester, "tell us the rest of this story
of yours."
"No," said Stubbs, "I am going to keep it to myself." He added under his
breath: "The young cubs! Trying to pump an old-timer like me to see how
much I know!"
"You mean you are not even going to tell the general?" asked Hal.
"That's what I mean," said Stubbs.
Hal and Chester exchanged glances. They wondered what had come over the
little man so suddenly. Stubbs caught the interchange of glances and
again he read it wrong. To Stubbs it appeared that there was relief on
their features.
Stubbs shook his head.
"I'm going to turn in," he said.
Not another word could the lads get out of him, try as they would. But
Stubbs, on his cot, did not sleep immediately. Covertly he watched the
two lads as they talked in tones too low for him to hear, strain his ears
as he would.
"Well, I guess I don't need to hear 'em," he told himself. "I can guess
what it's all about."
He rolled over and went to sleep.
But the nature of the lads' conversation was a whole lot different from
what Stubbs thought it was, though it concerned the little man himself.
"Something wrong with him," said Chester.
"Right you are," agreed Hal. "Talks like we had offended him or
something."
"Maybe he just wants to keep us guessing."
"That might be it. Anyhow, if he doesn't tell us to-morrow, I'm going to
tell him what I think of him."
"Then he won't talk," said Chester.
"We might be able to get him mad enough to make him talk," returned Hal.
"By Jove! so we might," said Chester. "We'll have a try at it to-morrow
if it's necessary."
"All right. Then let's turn in. I've a feeling it's going to be a
strenuous day to-morrow."
And it was; though not strenuous in the way Hal had expected.