A TRAITOR APPEARS.
Hal turned to Chester.
"When they fail to find us," he said, "they'll come back, inquiring
all along as they return. They are sure to ask for us here." He turned
to the woman. "Have you a place where we can hide?"
"Yes," she replied, "there is a secret trap-door to the attic. You may
go up there and no one will be the wiser."
"Then we had better get up there at once," said Chester, "for there is
no telling how soon they may return."
A few moments later and they were safe in a little room at the very
top of the house. After showing them to their retreat, the good woman
departed, saying that she would return in a few minutes with water and
food.
"You'll need it," she said, when Hal protested against putting her to
so much trouble. "And, besides, I should be a poor Frenchwoman could I
not aid the friends of my own country."
She was back in a few moments, and the lads ate hungrily of the food
she brought them, for it had been long hours since food or water had
passed their lips.
After their benefactress had departed, Hal said to Chester:
"This is bound to be a tedious day. I guess we had better try and put
it in sleeping. Besides, we'll need all the rest we can get for our
journey to-night."
"Just what I was thinking," said Chester, "and I'm ready to go to
sleep right this instant."
He stretched himself out on the floor and in a few moments was fast
asleep. A short time later and Hal also lay in the arms of Morpheus.
How long the lads had slept, they did not know, but they were awakened
by the sound of voices directly below them.
"No, I have seen nothing of them," came the voice of the woman who had
given them refuge.
"But we have searched every place else," came another voice, speaking
in French, but with a heavy German accent. "They must be here. We
found the bicycles a short distance from this house, and have scoured
the woods. They must be here."
"I say they are not," came the woman's voice, raised in anger.
"Well, I must search the house, at any rate," said the German, "and,
if I find that you have been aiding the enemies of Germany, it will
go hard with you. Stand aside, please."
"I tell you there is no one here," cried the woman.
"Stand aside!" came the German's voice again, and there was the sound
of a struggle, followed by the voice of the German: "Search the house,
men."
Then came the sounds of heavy feet tramping through the house. Hal and
Chester were both wide awake now and lay silent, listening. For an
hour the heavy footsteps continued to ring through the house, and
there was the sound of slamming doors and moving furniture.
And finally came the voice of the woman again: "I told you there was
no one here."
But apparently the German officer in command was not yet satisfied.
"Have you searched the attic?" he demanded of his men; "and the
cellar?"
"There is no one in the cellar," came a voice in reply, "and there is
no attic."
"I'll have a look for myself," came the reply, and heavy footsteps
ascended the stairs into the room directly beneath Hal and Chester.
There came to the lads' ears the sounds of heavy blows against the
floor on which they lay. Evidently the German officer was making sure
that there was not an opening in the ceiling of the room below. But
after a while he desisted. The boys heard him descend the stairs, and
a few moments later the sound of his voice:
"There is no one up there."
Both lads drew a breath of relief. A moment more and a slamming door
gave evidence that the Germans had departed.
"I was afraid he would locate the trap-door," said Hal to Chester,
after they had gone.
"Same here," replied Chester. "But I wasn't going to let them take me
without a fight. Only one man could get up here at a time, and we
could certainly dispose of him."
"Yes, but they could starve us out, or set fire to the house or
something, which would be worse than being captured. Besides, we
couldn't let the woman who has aided us come to harm."
"No, that's so, too," agreed Chester. "I hadn't thought of that."
Further conversation was interrupted by a sound of some one at the
trap-door. Chester and Hal both jumped to their feet, and stood ready
above the opening in the floor to seize the intruder should it prove
to be an enemy.
But when the trap-door came away the head of their benefactress
appeared through the opening.
"You can come down now, if you want to," she said. "The Germans have
been here and gone. I am sure they will not return."
Chester turned to Hal.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Shall we go down, or had we better
stay up here?"
Hal considered for a moment.
"I guess we might as well go down," he replied at length. "I don't
believe there is any likelihood of their coming back. Besides, it's
too cramped and stuffy up here for comfort."
Accordingly both boys descended from their refuge, and a few moments
later were sitting in the living room with their hostess.
"We can never thank you enough for what you have done for us," Chester
told her, after she had related her experiences with the Germans.
"No, indeed; we can never thank you enough," agreed Hal. "Had it not
been for your kindness we should have been in the hands of the Germans
right now, and there is no telling what they might have done to us."
The good woman waved aside their thanks.
"Pooh! pooh!" she said. "And why shouldn't I help you? Surely no
thanks are necessary because I did my duty."
"But women----" Hal began, when she interrupted him.
"I have a son of my own in the war," she said, her voice growing very
low and tears dimming her eyes.
"And I hope," said Hal gently, "should he ever be in a situation
similar to ours, that another good woman may be the means of saving
his life, and that some day he may return to you."
"Just so he does his duty I shall be satisfied," said the woman, who
now introduced herself as Mrs. Madeline Dersi. "He has been a very
wild boy, but I am sure that his heart is true and that he will fight
to the last for his country, as did his father before him."
"And I am sure of it, too," said Chester. "When we return to our lines
we shall make it our business to hunt him up."
And at that moment there was a hasty step outside, the door to the
room in which they were sitting was flung open, and a young man, in
civilian garb, burst in.
Mrs. Dersi was across the room in a moment, her arms wrapped about the
newcomer. Tears streamed down her face, as she repeatedly kissed the
young man, who seemed to take no great interest in the procedure.
Finally Mrs. Dersi turned to Hal and Chester.
"My son," she said proudly, "of whom I was just talking to you."
Now the newcomer freed himself from her embrace and stepped forward.
"Who are these?" he demanded, pointing to the two lads.
Mrs. Dersi explained.
"And we were just talking of you," she added; then stopped and
surveyed her son critically. "Why are you not in uniform?" she
demanded.
"Why, I--I--I----" stuttered young Dersi, "I am on a scout, and it was
thought best for me not to go in uniform." He turned suddenly to Hal:
"Are you expecting any of your men here?" he demanded.
"Why, no," replied Hal. "We are going to try and make our way back to
our lines to-night."
Young Dersi appeared to breathe easier, and this fact was not lost
upon either Hal or Chester.
"Well," he said, after a pause, "I haven't time to stay here. I just
dropped in a moment to see you, mother. You say the Germans went
north? How long have they been gone?"
"About an hour," said Chester.
"Good. Then it will be safe for me to continue on my way."
He bowed to the two lads, kissed his mother, and a moment later had
left the house, his mother accompanying him to the door.
"There is something queer about him," said Chester to Hal, as Mrs.
Dersi and her son left the room. "He's not telling the truth."
"I know it," said Hal. "I don't like to say it, but it is my belief
he is fleeing from the French lines to give information to the
Germans."
"You mean you think he is a traitor?"
"I told you I didn't like to say anything," replied Hal, "but I am
afraid you have hit the nail on the head."
"In that event he is likely to tell of our presence here," cried
Chester.
"I'm sure he'll tell," said Hal quietly.
"Then what shall we do?"
"We shall leave at once--or, as soon as Mrs. Dersi returns. That is
the best return we can make for her kindness to us. It would break her
heart to know that her son is a traitor to his country."
"It would, indeed," was Chester's reply; but further talk was
prevented by the return of Mrs. Dersi.
"And is not my son a fine, brave man?" she asked, with justifiable
pride.
"He is," said Hal and Chester both, hoping that they were telling the
truth.
"Mrs. Dersi," said Hal, "we have decided that it probably will be
better for us if we take our departure at once. I am sure there are no
Germans near right now, and the sooner we get started the sooner we
shall reach our own lines."
"But would it not be safer to wait until dark?" questioned the woman
anxiously.
"I am afraid not," replied Hal, with a meaning glance at Chester. "We
think we had better take our departure at once."
Mrs. Dersi offered further objections, but at length, seeing that
they were all in vain, she bade the two lads a sorrowful farewell,
enjoining them to be sure and look her son up and to return to see her
should the opportunity offer. This they gladly promised, and, leaving
the friendly shelter of the good Frenchwoman's home, continued on
their weary journey toward the British lines.