TRAILED
"You made us tell our troubles first, now it's time the Twinkle Twins
took a turn at talking," Bob presently suggested.
The _garcon_ having at last been allowed to take the dinner order of
the new arrivals, a brief lull in conversation had ensued.
"Oh, we haven't much to tell," Jack responded lightly. "We made good in
a hurry at Berkley. You can't keep a good man down, you know."
"A couple of good men," insinuated genial Jerry.
"Twins that are equal to the same twin, are equal to each other,"
supplied Jimmy, smilingly misquoting a well-known axiom in geometry.
"That's us." Jack beamed widely. "We hunt in couples. There's only one
drawback. Some day when I go up in a Nieuport and bring down a Zep,
Jerry'll probably get the credit for it."
"You mean it'll be just the other way round," retorted Jerry.
"It's a sore subject. Let's can it. Where was I when my beloved twin
butted in? Oh, yes. We did pretty well at Berk. As soon as we showed
'em, we put up a howl to go over. We kept it up, too. They got so sick
of us, they shipped us out of the States to get rid of us.
"We had a peach of a voyage over. Fine weather, and neither of us
seasick. We were used to the old pond, you know. When we landed we
were sent to an American aviation station near Paris. We've been there
ever since. That's only a few weeks, though. We've been studying like
anything, and making a few flights. Haven't yet had a chance to go out
on a real fighting expedition."
"Emile's trying to get us transferred to the French Flying Corps,"
put in Jerry eagerly. "We pestered him about it until he promised in
self-defense. We want to fly a Farman or a Nieuport. It's hard to get
on the Nieuport squad. We'll have to do a lot of practice work before
we're ready to handle one."
"Emile thinks we can make good," Jack declared jubilantly. "Don't you
old coz?"
"Yes. These two have greatly surprised me." Voissard directed this last
to the Khaki Boys. "I did not know they had enlisted in the aviation
corps until they wrote me from the American station in France. I am
not sure that a transfer to the French Flying Corps can be arranged.
However, these boys were born in France, and of French and English
parents. This fact will, perhaps, be of much help in arranging the
transfer."
"We feel nearer to France, somehow, than to the U. S., even though
we've lived in the States a good deal," explained Jack. "We should have
piked over here and signed up with the French Flying Corps in the first
place. It would have saved a lot of red tape."
"Leave it to old Emile," was Jerry's disrespectfully affectionate
comment. "We should worry. Let Emile do it."
"You see!" Cousin Emile's eyebrows and shoulders went into amused play.
"They're a lucky pair of twins," was Bob's hearty rejoinder.
"Not yet," demurred Jack. "Wait until we're 'aces.'"
"And after that '_Communiqués_,'" added Jerry soulfully.
"To be an 'ace' you have to kill five Boche flyers, and bring
down their planes," explained Jack. "Ten is the number to be a
'_Communiqué_.' Emile is four times a '_Communiqué_' and five to boot.
He's clipped forty-five Boche birds of their wings and lives. Some
record! He has medals enough to cover his chest, only he won't wear
'em. He's the 'Flying Terror of France,' all right."
With one accord the Khaki Boys fixed wondering eyes on the "Flying
Terror of France." His sky-blue uniform flaunted but two of the many
emblems of valor he had daringly won.
His honors appeared not to trouble him in the least. He merely smiled
and said in his inimitable way:
"I have been fortunate. It cannot continue." He shrugged faintly.
"Our career in the air is, of a truth, brief. The danger is great,
but the reward greater. When we have, as the English say, 'done our
bit,' France has many more ready to replace us. That is, indeed, of a
satisfaction."
A momentary silence reigned as the aviator ceased speaking. His calm
disregard of self brought home anew to the Khaki Boys the gallant,
indomitable spirit of France in the great war. Each cherished the
secret hope that he, too, should never be found wanting in the high
quality of loyalty to the cause which Voissard possessed to such a
degree.
Apparently desirous of leading the conversation away from himself,
Cousin Emile began asking the Khaki Boys numerous interested questions
concerning their training in America. Though his eyes frequently rested
on Jimmy, to whom he had taken a decided fancy, he slighted no one of
them.
Bob's humorous manner and breezy speech evidently amused him
considerably. Quick to note this, Bob laid himself out to be
entertaining, and succeeded to the extent of making the great man laugh
in a delightfully boyish fashion that put his somewhat awed group of
soldier admirers quite at their ease. Voissard was, after all, "just a
good fellow."
The reappearance of the waiter with the dinner, ordered by the Twinkle
Twins and Cousin Emile, reminded the five Brothers that considerable
time had passed since they had finished their own meal.
"It's after eight," Jimmy Blaise announced regretfully, after a glance
at his wrist watch. "We'll have to be moving along. If we were back
in the U. S. now, we'd hang on till the last drop of the hat and then
hot-foot it. But not in gay Paree, with the gay knocked out of it by
the Boche scrap. If we get back to the station O. K., and on the right
train, we'll think ourselves some smart little Sammies."
"Oh, that's too bad!" exclaimed Jack ruefully. "Why beat it so soon?
You don't have to be back in camp before midnight, do you?"
"We're free till then, but we'd rather not risk starting any later,"
Roger answered. "We don't know Paris as well as you do."
"It's a blooming shame," deplored Jerry. "We wanted to take you around
with us for a while after dinner."
"Maybe we'll have a chance to come up to Paris again," was Bob's
hopeful reply.
The Khaki Boys had now risen most reluctantly, and were about to say
good-bye.
"We'll try to run down to your camp to see you," promised Jack. "We'll
send you a line beforehand."
The twins and their distinguished cousin were now on their feet.
"Make it soon, then," stipulated Jimmy:. "We think we're going to start
for the front before long. 509th Infantry's ours, you know. You won't
have much trouble finding us."
"If it happens that we don't see you again there, we'll hope to meet
you somewhere back of the firing line," declared Schnitzel earnestly.
"I've surely enjoyed meeting the Twinkle Twins.
"And you, sir." He turned to Voissard. "It has been a great honor to me
to shake your hand."
"_Merci._ I have also much enjoyed this hour with my American Allies,"
responded Voissard graciously.
He offered his hand to Schnitzel, then in turn to each of the other
four Brothers, all of whom expressed their warm pleasure of the meeting.
Jimmy came last. As the two men clasped hands their eyes again met
and again exchanged that silent message of friendliness. A general
hand-shaking with the Twinkle Twins followed, then the Khaki Boys said
a last good-bye and left the restaurant.
"Shall we walk or hail a taxi?" asked Bob, as they stepped out into the
street. "The full moon is on the job to-night. We can see our way along
even though this burg is shy on street lights."
Since the beginning of the war Paris had shown few street lights after
nightfall. Due to the fiendish Boche practice of making nocturnal air
raids for the purpose of dropping bombs, principally upon defenseless
women and innocent little children, every possible precaution had been
taken to guard this city against the inhuman cruelty of an ignoble foe.
"We'd better ride," decided prudent Roger. "It will be quicker and
we'll run no chance of losing our way. Here comes a taxi now. Hail it,
Blazes. You know how to _parlez-vous_."
Immediately complying, Jimmy signaled the driver of the machine. A
moment's shrewd bargaining with the latter regarding the fare to the
station, and Jimmy motioned his bunkies to step into the motor car.
None of the five observed, as they entered the vehicle, that a man had
emerged from the shadows of a neighboring building and signaled another
taxicab just driving up to the curb. In consequence, they were not
aware that the second taxicab was sedulously keeping on the trail of
their own.