DAN HAS VERY "COLD FEET"
Rap-tap!
That sound brought Dave Darrin out of a sound sleep. Dan slumbered on.
"Who's there at this hour of the night?" asked Dave, through the door,
in the best Italian he could muster.
"From the 'Hudson,'" came the answer, in a voice so low that Dave did
not recognize it.
"One minute, then."
Dave slipped back, shaking his chum to rouse him, then drew the
curtains around Dalzell's bed.
In record time Dave drew on his own shirt, slipped into trousers, put
on collar, cuffs and tie, and followed this with coat and vest.
Then he stepped to the door, opening it. Repressing his natural cry of
astonishment, Dave silently admitted his visitors, next closed and
locked the door.
"Orders from the Admiral," said Lieutenant Totten, in an undertone,
and passed over the envelope.
Stepping under the light which he had hastily turned on, Darrin read
his orders.
"Read this, Dan," said Dave, passing the letter of instructions to his
chum, who was now also fully dressed. "Then I will read it once more,
after which we will burn it."
"Suits me," commented Dan, when he had finished and was passing back
the letter. "I've always wanted to see Paris."
"You won't see much of it this time," smiled Ensign Dave. "This is
business, and nothing else."
Then Dave tore the letter into strips. Taking these to the open
fireplace he set fire to them. All three officers watched until the
letter had been completely burned.
"And now," Dave continued, "I will mix this charred paper thoroughly
with the ashes that, fortunately, are left in the grate."
When he had finished, the mixing had been done so well that they would
be keen eyes, indeed, that could note the presence of minute particles
of burned paper in the grate's contents. His next act was to telephone
the hotel clerk to send up a time-table.
"We have plenty of time, yet," smiled Darrin, glancing at his watch,
after he had finished consulting the time-table. "It won't be the
height of comfort to travel to Paris without baggage. However, when
we get there we can buy anything that we may need."
"It will be great to shop in Paris," cried Dan, his eyes gleaming.
"Don't get the idea that we are going to do any running about in
Paris," Dave warned his chum.
"Not even if we have some idle time there?"
"Not even then," Dave answered. "I am very sure that neither the
Admiral nor the Ambassador would wish us to show ourselves much at the
French capital. We might thereby attract the attention of spies."
"That is true," agreed Lieutenant Totten.
Business being now attended to, Dave and Dan had time to finish
dressing comfortably. Then followed a period of waiting. Later the
hotel clerk was asked to summon an automobile. In this the Paris-bound
party, including Runkle, left the hotel, Totten accompanying them.
No sooner, however, had the American party left the hotel than an
Italian, crouching in the shadow of a building further along on the
same block, whispered to his companion:
"Telephone Signor Dalny for instructions."
Within three minutes a second automobile rolled up to the hotel.
"To the railway station first, on the chance of finding the Americans
there," the spy called to the driver.
Dave's party did not have long to wait at the station. Totten remained
with them to the last, however, that he might be able to report a safe
start to the Admiral.
"Don't look, sir, but coming up behind you, I am certain, is a fellow
I saw on the street outside the hotel just before we started,"
reported Seaman Runkle.
"Then we are being trailed," Dave said.
Not until the time came for starting did Lieutenant Totten shake hands
hurriedly with his brother officers and leave them, though he still
stood near the train.
Dave and Dan sprang into their compartment in one of the cars, Able
Seaman Runkle following more slowly.
"There's that spy fellow getting on the running-board further down the
train, sir," whispered Runkle.
"I expected him," answered Dave dryly.
"Would you like to lose him, sir?"
"Off the train altogether, do you mean, Runkle?"
"Yes, sir."
"Can you put him off without hurting him?"
"I think I can get him off, sir, without even scraping one of his
knuckles."
"You're at liberty to try, Runkle, if you are sure you won't injure
the man."
As the guard came along, locking the doors, Runkle leaped down to the
ground.
"Help, Mr. Totten, help!" called the seaman in a low voice that none
the less reached the ears of the departing lieutenant.
Then Runkle moved directly up to the spy leering into his face and
making insulting signs that caused the fellow to flush red.
"You're no good--savvy?" insisted Runkle in a low tone, making more
faces and gestures.
So quickly was it done that the now thoroughly insulted spy, though he
did not understand English, leaped at Runkle in a rage.
"He's going to try to rob me, sir!" cried Runkle, not very effectively
dodging the blows that the fellow aimed at him.
"Here, what are you up to?" demanded Totten, also in English, as he
reached out to grab the spy's collar.
In that strong grip the spy writhed, but could not escape.
"Thank you, sir," cried Runkle, with an unmistakable wink, after which
he raced for the car and the compartment in which the two young
ensigns waited.
"Lieutenant Totten is holding on to the chap, sir," announced Runkle
gleefully. "He won't let him go until the train's out, either."
Holding the unlocked door open a crack, Dan Dalzell watched as the
train pulled away from the station.
"Totten has him, and is explaining to a policeman," Dalzell chuckled.
"That spy doesn't travel with us this trip."
"What's the odds?" asked Darrin, after a pause. "Dalny must belong to
a big and clever organization. He can wire ahead to spies who will
board the train later on and follow us into Paris."
"Then, with your leave, sir, I'll keep my eye open for spies until
we're back aboard the flagship," suggested Runkle.
"Very good, so long as you break neither laws nor bones, Runkle," Dave
laughed.
The Americans had the compartment to themselves. Had all been in
uniform Runkle would not have been likely to travel in the same
compartment with the young officers, but in citizen's dress much of
discipline could be waived for greater safety.
Though Dan Dalzell did not now have much hope of sight-seeing in
Paris, he was able, after dozing until daylight, to gaze interestedly
out upon the country through which he was traveling.
Able Seaman Runkle was another absorbed window-gazer. As for Ensign
Dave Darrin, while he caught many interesting glimpses of the scenery,
his mind was mainly on the question of how the international plotters
were planning to break the friendship between the two strongest
nations on earth.
By what means could these plotters sink a British ship, and yet make
it appear to be the work of Americans?
Hundreds of miles had been traveled, and one day had swung far on into
another before a plausible answer came to Darrin's mind.
Then Dave fairly jumped--the thing that Admiral Timworth so dreaded
now looked quite easy.
"What's the matter?" asked Dan, staring at his chum.
"Why?" countered Dave.
"You jumped so hard," Dan replied.
"I was thinking."
"Stop it!" advised Danny Grin. "A little harder thinking than that
might wreck the train."
Dalzell enjoyed every hour of the journey. In the daylight hours he
was busy "taking in" all the country through which the train passed.
In the evening hours, Dan was outside on the platform, at every
station, to watch the crowds, large or small.
As for Seaman Runkle, that splendid lad was absorbed, almost to the
point of gloom, in watching at every station for a sign of a spy on
the train with them.
Before they reached the French-Italian frontier Dave realized, with a
start, that Admiral Timworth had failed to provide them with such
credentials as would probably be called for in crossing the
Italian-French frontier, and that they had forgotten to ask for such
papers. However, at the frontier stop their friend Dandelli, the
Italian naval officer, in uniform, almost ran into them. He was glad
to vouch for the pair to the French and Italian guards at that point,
and, after some hesitation, Dave and Dan were allowed to proceed into
France.
"But be careful to have proper papers when returning, if you come this
way," Dandelli smilingly warned them.
It was seven o'clock on the second morning after leaving Naples when
the express reached Paris.
Hardly had the train stopped when Darrin and Dalzell were out and
moving through the station. Seaman Runkle kept at a distance behind
them, his sharp eyes searching for any signs of spies. But Runkle was
able to make no report of success when he stepped into the taxicab in
which his superior officers sat.
Danny Grin was again busy with his eyes as the taxicab darted through
the beautiful streets of the French capital.
"What are you laughing at?" Dave asked suddenly, noting that Dan's
grin was even wider than usual.
"Paris strikes me that way--that's all I can tell you," drawled Dan.
"Do you consider Paris a joke?" demanded Darrin.
"Of course not. But Paris has the name of being such a gay town--in
peace times, of course. But at this early hour the city looks actually
gray to me. If the look of the city doesn't improve, later in the day,
I can't understand how any one can feel like being gay."
"Paris and the world have managed well enough, in the past, to combine
for gayety," Dave replied. "Just now, of course, with all the men
thinking of war, and so many women wearing black for dear ones they've
lost at the front, the city can't show much of its former gayety.
Paris is going through her ordeal of fire. These are dark days for
good old France!"
Suddenly Dan's face fell grave.
"Now, what's the matter?" quizzed Darrin.
"I've just had a horrible thought," Dan confessed. "You haven't been
concealing from me, have you, the fact that, though you had no
frontier passport you have a letter or some form of credentials to the
American Ambassador?"
"I haven't anything of the sort," Dave rejoined, he, too, now looking
grave.
"A fine lay-out this is, then," growled Danny Grin. "Here we are,
going to the American Ambassador on a matter of the utmost delicacy.
We are going to tell him and ask him some of the secrets of the United
States government, and we haven't a scrap of paper to introduce us. Do
you realize what we'll get? The Johnny-run-quick! We'll get the
balluster slide, the ice-pitcher greeting! Dave, we're going to land
hard on the sidewalk right in front of the Embassy. And then some
frog-eating, Johnny Crapaud policeman will gather us in as disorderly
persons! Fine!"