CONVINCING PROOF
"Are you sure about that?" asked Tom, though at the same time realizing
that Jack was not the one to give in easily, and must have used every
avenue for gaining information before reaching this condition of
certainty.
"There's not the slightest reason to doubt it, I tell you, Tom," Jack
replied slowly, shaking his head at the same time to emphasize his
sorrowful feelings in the matter. "I asked particularly, and the word
came that a passenger named Randolph Carringford had sailed yesterday on
the _La Bretagne_ for New York."
"Then that point seems settled," admitted Tom, though disliking to
acknowledge the fact. "Still, something might happen to prevent his
reaching New York City, or Virginia."
"What could stop him, since I'm utterly powerless to do anything?" asked
Jack, still unconvinced.
"Well," continued the would-be comforter, "vessels have started out
before this and never arrived at their destination. Take the _Lusitania_
for instance. More than ever are the Hun submersibles on the job these
critical days, for their commanders know they've almost got to their
last gasp."
"No such luck for me, I'm afraid, Tom," sighed the other, quickly
adding: "And for that matter I wouldn't want to profit at the expense of
the lives of others. So I hope the French boat gets safely past the
closed zone, no matter what it costs me personally. But it galls me to
feel how helpless I am. If my hands were tied this minute I couldn't be
worse off."
"Are you sure cabling would do no good, if we could manage to send an
urgent message?"
"Nothing will do except my presence there in person before Randolph can
present himself, thanks to our uncle's foolish will that puts a premium
on rascality. Yes, it's a bitter pill I have to swallow. I'd do anything
under the sun if only I could hope to beat that scheming cousin out! But
it's useless; so I'll just have to grin and bear it."
"I wish I had any suggestion to offer," remarked Tom; "but to tell the
truth I don't see what you can do but wait and see what happens. We've
got our applications for leave in, and some influential friends pulling
wires to help us through. Something may turn up at the last minute."
"It's mighty fine of you to say that, though I know you're only trying to
keep me from discouragement."
"See who's coming, will you?" suddenly ejaculated Tom.
Even before he looked the other could give a shrewd guess as to the
identity of the person approaching, for Tom seemed unduly pleased.
"It's Nellie, as sure as anything," muttered Jack. "I wonder what's
brought her over here. You don't imagine anything could have happened to
Bessie or Mrs. Gleason--the Huns haven't been trying to bomb any 'Y' huts
or hospitals lately, have they, Tom?"
"Not that I've heard," came the ready answer. "And besides, I had the
pleasure of chatting with Nellie for a whole hour this morning. You see
I got a bit anxious about you; was afraid you'd neglected to step over
and get those cuts attended to as you'd promised; so to make sure I
wandered across."
"Of course you did!" jeered Jack. "And if that excuse hadn't held water
there were plenty more shots in the locker! But never mind; here's Nellie
hurrying toward us. Doesn't she look rather serious, Tom?"
"We'll soon know what's in the wind," was the answer, as the pretty Red
Cross nurse hastened to join the two boys.
"You didn't expect to see me again so soon, I imagine, Tom," she said as
she came up, trying to catch her breath at the same time, for she had
evidently hurried.
"No, I must say I didn't dream I'd have that pleasure, Nellie," replied
the air pilot, as he took her hand in his and squeezed it. "But something
unusual must have brought you all the way over here, I imagine."
"Well, it was, Tom," she told him.
"It isn't safe either," continued Tom, "for you to be abroad. The Huns
are likely to begin long range shelling any minute, and the road's a
favorite target for their gunners; they've got it's range down fine."
"It isn't about Bessie, I hope?" ventured Jack, still more or less
apprehensive.
Nellie looked at him and slightly smiled, for she knew Jack was
exceedingly fond of the young girl.
"Bessie is perfectly well," she assured him; "and when I passed the Y hut
she and her mother were helping some of the Salvation Army girls make a
fresh heap of doughnuts. But my coming does concern you, Jack."
"Please explain what you mean by that?" he begged her, while his face
lighted up with interest, showing that for the moment his troubles,
lately bearing so heavily upon him, were forgotten.
"I will, and in as few words as possible," she answered, "for my time is
limited. I left several cases to be cared for by a nurse who has not had
as thorough a training as she might have had, and the responsibility lies
with me. But I can give you five minutes before I start back again."
Needless to say Nellie by this time had both boys fairly agog with
curiosity, for neither of them could give the slightest guess as to the
nature of the news she was bringing.
"You see, they were bringing in a lot of fresh cases," she explained,
"for there has been some furious fighting going on this morning, as our
boys drove in to chase the Huns out of the village. Among the number of
wounded, one man among others fell into my care. His name is Bertrand
Hale, and I think both of you know him."
Tom and Jack exchanged looks.
"We have met him many times," said the former; "but I can't say that he
has ever been a friend of ours. He's rather a wild harum-scarum sort of
chap--I imagine his own worst enemy, for he drinks heavily when he can
get it, and spends much of the time in the guard-house. Still, they say
he's a fighter, every inch of him, and has done some things worth
mentioning."
"I imagine you describe him exactly, Tom," Nellie told him. "Very well,
this time he's in a pretty bad way, for he has a number of serious
injuries, and, besides has lost his left arm, though it's possible he may
pull through if his constitution hasn't been weakened too much through
dissipation."
"But what about Bertrand Hale, Nellie? Did he tell you anything that
would be of interest to us?" asked Tom.
"I can see that you're beginning to suspect already, Tom," she continued.
"For that is exactly what happened. He kept following me with his eyes as
I moved around doing my work, after taking care of him. Then he beckoned
to me, and asked whether I wasn't a particular friend of Jack Parmly and
Tom Raymond.
"Of course I assured him it was so, and with that he looked so very eager
that I knew he had a secret to tell me. This is the gist of what he said,
boys. Just four days ago he was approached by a man he didn't know, who
managed to get some strong drink into his hands, and after Hale had
indulged more than he ought made a brazen proposition to him.
"It was to the effect that he was willing to pay a certain sum to have
you boys injured so that you would be laid up in the hospital for weeks.
He had gained the promise first of all that Bertrand would never say a
word about what he meant to tell him.
"Although he admitted that his mind was hardly clear at the time, still
Bertrand assured me he had repelled the offer with indignation, and even
threatened to beat up his tempter unless he took himself off. The man
hurried away, and then in the excitement of the order for his battalion
to go over the top, Bertrand Hale forgot all about it.
"From that time on it was nothing but fighting and sleeping for him, so
he had no time even to think of warning you. Then he got into the mess
this morning that finished him. With that arm gone he's done with
fighting, he knows, even if he pulls through.
"It was the sight of me that made him remember, for he said he surely had
seen me with one of you boys several times. And so he confessed, begging
me to get word to you, so that if the unknown schemer did find a tool to
carry out his evil plots you would be on your guard.
"I could not wait after hearing that, but came as fast as I could,
fearing you might have set out again and that something would go wrong
with your plane. That is the story simply told, Tom. Can you guess why
any one should wish to do either of you such a wrong as that?"
"What you tell us, Nellie," said Tom soberly, "clears up one mystery
we've been puzzling over."
Then he rapidly sketched what they had discovered on the preceding night,
when they had arrived at the hangar prepared to go forth with the
raiders, only to learn that some unknown person had been meddling with
their plane.
"So it looks as if Bertrand's refusal to play the dirty game didn't
prevent that man from finding some one who was willing to sell his soul
for money," was the way Tom wound up his short story.
Nellie was appalled. Her pretty face took on an expression of deepest
anxiety, showing how much she cared should ill-fortune attend these good
friends of hers.
"How can such wickedness exist when war had made so many heroes among
our boys?" she mourned. "But you must be doubly on your guard, both of
you. Tell me, can you guess why this unknown person should want to
injure you?"
"Simply to keep me from setting out for America," said Jack bitterly.
"Let me describe my cousin Randolph to you, Nellie; and then tell me if
what Bertrand said about the unknown man would correspond to his looks."
After she had heard his accurate description Nellie nodded her head.
"He saw very little of his face, so he said. Bertrand only said the
other was a man of medium build, with a soft voice that made him think of
silk and then too he had a trick of making gestures with his left hand,
just as you've said your cousin does. Yes, something tells me your guess
is close to the mark; but he must be a very wicked man to attempt such a
dreadful thing."
"Worse than I ever thought," admitted Jack grimly. "But after all nothing
came of his lovely scheme; nor did it matter, since he's given me the
slip, and is right now almost a third of the way across the sea. I'm like
a race-horse left at the post."
"Whatever you do, Jack, don't lose the fine courage that has been your
mainstay through other troubles," Nellie said, as she laid a hand on his
arm and looked steadfastly into the young air-pilot's face.
"Thank you, Nellie, for your confidence in me," he continued, showing
some of his old spirit again. "I ought to be ashamed to give in so
easily. Yes, Tom and I have been in plenty of bad scrapes, and pulled
out just because we set our teeth and refused to admit we were down and
out. So I'm going to try the same dodge in this case, and not acknowledge
defeat until the ninth inning is through, and the last man down."
"Good-bye, both of you, and remember, no matter what comes some of us are
always thinking of you and praying for your safety."
With these words, long remembered by both boys, Nellie gave each of them
her hand, and hurried away before they could see how her eyes dimmed with
the gathering mists.
"A brave girl," said Tom, with considerable vigor, as he tenderly watched
her retreating figure and waved his hand when he saw her turn to blow a
farewell kiss in their direction.
"Yes," said Jack, heaving a sigh. "She and Bessie seem to be our good
angels in this bad mess of war, Tom. I feel better after hearing her
words of encouragement; but all the same I'm still groping in the dark.
How am I going to beat Randolph across the Atlantic? For once I wish I
had wings, and might fly across the sea like a bird. How quickly I'd make
the start."