HEADED FOR PARIS
Somehow or other Thad felt strangely drawn toward the French colonel who
had been so kind to them. Perhaps the fact that he had just told them of
his own son had something to do with it. At any rate, it seemed that the
soldier entertained a sincere affection for boys, thus telling that his
own heart was still young.
As he walked at the other’s side an idea came to Thad, who evidently
believed in the old adage, “strike while the iron is hot,” for it was a
favor he wished to ask, and one that might prove of considerable
advantage to them later on.
“Would it be possible for you to give us some idea concerning the roads
around Paris, M’sieu?” he asked, in that persuasive tone of his.
“Nothing would please me better,” came the quick reply. “I understand
why you make the request. Yes, it would be easily possible for a
stranger to lose his way, and wander far out of his course. Stay, I can
do better than that. Even now I remember that I have a small road map in
my possession, such as will give you all the information you require.”
He soon put the article mentioned in Thad’s possession, and proceeded to
show him several courses, which, if followed religiously, would land
them safely in the great French capital.
Giraffe was deeply interested. As a scout he had always shown
considerable ability with regard to negotiating strange paths. Then,
besides, it must not be forgotten that Giraffe was the only one of the
four who had already been to Paris.
He scanned that little map, and listened closely to all the officer
said. Doubtless Giraffe, with his woodcraft education in mind, was
fixing the details of that road chart in his mind, so that on occasion
he could recall it almost as plainly as print. This is always possible
when one has learned to remember details, a feature of scout education.
Later on Giraffe meant to have something to say about that same chart;
but for the present he contented himself with listening, and taking it
all in.
“Another thought comes to me,” observed the colonel, about the time they
drew near the spot where their car stood, with Bumpus occupying the
whole rear seat, upon which he was sprawled in perfect contentment. “You
may meet with trouble on the way. Some officious patriot might even
think of taking your car from you, always in the interest of France,
which just now is in sore need of every such conveyance. I can arrange
it so that you will avoid all such inconvenience.”
“And depend on it, M’sieu,” Thad assured him, “we do mean to turn the
car over to the military authorities just as soon as we have reached the
city. That was a part of our agreement when we accepted the loan of it
from the owner.”
“Wait for me, then,” he was told.
They saw him vanish within the small house where General Joffre held
forth, with the whole extended battle line in his single grip. One
minute, two passed; then their friend reappeared again. He was smiling
encouragingly, as though his mission had not been in vain.
“Look! he’s got a paper of some kind in his hand!” exclaimed the
observant Giraffe. “Now, I bet you it’s a pass that’ll give us the right
of way.”
Well, Giraffe had guessed truly, for that was exactly what it turned out
to be, a brief pass in French, and bearing the magical name of General
Joffre himself in the bargain. No wonder Thad received it with more or
less delight, while Bumpus and Giraffe and Allan surveyed that signature
with awe.
“General Joffre was only too pleased to sign the pass I wrote and
presented to him,” announced the officer, proudly. “He said it was a
small thing to do for such brave boys who had shown their sympathy for
the great cause. You should have no trouble in getting to Paris. In a
way, I wish I could go with you, for it would take me nearer my dear
ones; but there is a stern duty that holds me here. Some day, when we
have really saved France, and driven the enemy from her border, I may be
allowed to see them again. And now adieu, my young friends. Heaven
preserve you, and take you all safely back to your own country.”
He turned and left them hastily after shaking hands. Thad thought there
were signs of emotion on the soldier’s face, which he did not wish them
to see. Undoubtedly he had his own fine boy in mind much while in the
company of these intrepid American lads.
“Get aboard, the rest of you!” urged the impatient Bumpus, making room
for Giraffe alongside him on the rear seat; but they could excuse his
eagerness to be off, remembering that he yearned to see his invalid
mother again.
Giraffe gave a last look toward the small house that would go down in
history as a famous place, since between those four plain walls had been
planned all the wonderful moves that had given the French the victory of
the Marne. In days to come that spot would ever be a holy shrine to
which untold thousands of patriotic citizens would journey, to feast
their eyes on the “Headquarters of Joffre.”
“Unless I’m away off my guess,” said Giraffe, wagging that long head of
his in a wise fashion, “there’s bound to be a shift of base here pretty
soon. I can see signs of it right now. And why not, when the scene is
going to change, with the whole German army in full retreat to the
north?”
“Oh! _please_ tumble in here, Giraffe, like a good fellow,” pleaded
Bumpus, who of old knew how fond the other was of talking, once he got
upon a subject like that; “you can buzz me all you want, while we’re on
the move. I don’t see how I’m going to stand the delay much longer.”
Giraffe did not make any reply, but climbed aboard and settled himself
in what space the stout chum could afford to give him. He and Bumpus
always managed pretty well, for as Giraffe was fond of saying jokingly,
they were like a choice strip of breakfast bacon, since they represented
the “fat and the lean of it.”
Now Thad had started, and Giraffe must needs squirm around so as to
catch one last look at the wonderful picture, which he wished to impress
upon his mind “for keeps,” as he put it.
Of course they did not expect to return over the same road they had
taken when heading for the place. While the bombardment had long ago
ceased, at the same time the condition of the road might be very bad in
places. Besides, there was no necessity for doing this, since their
friend the colonel had marked out another course for them to pursue.
Giraffe got busy almost as soon as they had covered the first half mile.
Leaning forward, he asked Thad for the little road map which the officer
had given him.
“I’ll tell you why I want to look at the same again,” Giraffe went on to
say, as he took it from Thad. “Seemed to me there was a cross-road that
would take us over to that main line where I met you. And, you see,
Thad, I’m familiar with that same, having navigated it twice. If we
could make it handy to strike over there I’d like to act as guide to the
expedition, you know.”
“Figure it out for yourself, Giraffe,” Thad told him. “I’m willing to do
it, if we think the road looks good to us. One way is as easy as
another, so long as we keep our heads about us and don’t go astray.”
“Oh! I surely hope now nothing like that does come along,” sighed
Bumpus; “I’ve had enough of getting lost, for this trip, anyhow.”
“Don’t worry,” Giraffe told him, “we’ll get there O. K., you can depend
on that. We haven’t many more miles to go before we strike the outskirts
of Paris, for the Germans got almost within big gunshot of the place,
you know, before they were forced to swing around.”
“I understand that, Giraffe,” said Bumpus, “but all the same I haven’t
forgotten how it’s always the very last lap that’s the hardest to cover.
All sorts of things go wrong when you’re in sight of the goal. I never
yet tried to do a series of things but what it seemed like the very last
was harder to get through with than most of the others combined.”
Thad understood what he meant, for he too had often noticed the same
thing; but nevertheless Thad was not one of the kind to allow
discouragement to get the upper hand.
“A little more patience, Bumpus, and you’ll be there,” he told the
anxious one. “We’re on the way now, and no small troubles will be
allowed to hold us up long, if we can prevent it.”
Three minutes after Thad said this they heard a sharp report. Bumpus of
course jumped to the conclusion that they were being made a target for
German shrapnel again; but Giraffe rested under no such delusion.
“There goes a tire, as sure as anything!” he exclaimed, in disgust.
“Oh! what rotten luck!” cried Bumpus dismally.
“We’ve got to try everything once,” Allan called out, cheerily, for his
nature was one that could not be easily discouraged.
Thad hastened to draw up. An examination showed them that one of the
rear tires had been punctured. While this might cause them a little
delay, it was not so bad as it might have been.
“Fortunately we’ve got an extra inner tube along,” announced Giraffe.
“Bumpus in prowling around while we were up on that hill watching the
battle came across it. So now let’s get busy, and fix her up again.”
A little experience along such lines had made the boys fairly proficient
mechanicians. Thad went about things in a business-like fashion; while
even Bumpus fluttered around, and offered to do anything they told him,
such was his eagerness to hasten repairs.
“Well, crawl under, and hold up the car while we work,” suggested
Giraffe, maliciously; “because I’m a little afraid of that jack we’ve
got; it doesn’t look overly strong. What’s the use of having a broad
back like yours, Bumpus, if you can’t make good?”
However, Bumpus declined to be tempted to undertake the job. He did
cease his complaining remarks, and went to one side of the road, where
he sat down and waited for the others to get through.
They did not have the road to themselves all this time. Occasionally
some vehicle would come along. Now it was a van loaded for the front,
either with goods, or soldiers, or ammunition. Again it might turn out
to be some of the wounded heroes on their way to the rear. Several times
the boys had seen men in uniform, with perhaps an arm bound up, walking
along the road. They had stoutly declined to take up precious room in an
ambulance, meaning to walk all the way to the city. That was the kind of
stuff those French fighters were made of. Being sent to the rear meant
to them a punishment they did not much fancy, while the battle was still
on, and enemies to be struck.
“All right again!” announced Thad, finally, at which Bumpus was
galvanized into life, for he scrambled to his feet, and ambled toward
them, his face creased with amiable smiles.
“After all we made pretty fine time of it!” declared Allan; “just twenty
minutes, and a hard job in the bargain, because we’re not familiar with
the French style of tires and inner tubes.”
Once more they were moving along, and all seemed well. Giraffe even made
ready to keep an eye out for that cross-road which Thad had promised to
explore in the endeavor to reach the main line into the city. He guessed
that it must be somewhere ahead a short distance; any minute they might
come upon the turn, when Thad expected to decide on their next move. If
the road looked good they would try it.
“I think I see the turn, Thad,” he presently called out; “just where
that post is planted. Yes, it has some sort of sign on the same. And now
to decide whether we want to try the run across, or not.”