ETHEL BLUE AWAITS A CABLE
MRS. SMITH begged that the meeting should not adjourn, and under her
direction the trouble caused by Dicky's entrance into the navy was soon
remedied, although it was evident that the ceiling of the dining-room
would need the attention of a professional.
Roger soon returned with the news that the honorary member of the Club
had taken no cold, and every one settled down to work again, even
Dorothy, who rescued enough clay from Dicky's earthworks to complete the
handle of her candlestick.
"I'd like to bring a matter before this meeting," said Tom seriously
when they were all assembled and working once more.
"Bring it on," urged the president.
"It isn't a matter belonging to this Club, but if there isn't any one
else to do it it seemed to me--and to Father when I spoke to him about
it--that we might do some good."
"It sounds mysterious. Let's have it," said James.
"It seemed to me as I thought over those movies the other night that
there was a very good chance that that man Schuler--your singing
teacher, you know, Fraulein's betrothed--wasn't dead after all."
"It certainly looked like it--the way he fell back against the
orderly--he didn't look alive."
"He didn't--that's a fact. At the same time the film made one of those
sudden changes right at that instant."
"Father and I thought that was so a death scene shouldn't be shown,"
said James.
"That's possible, but it's also possible that they thought that was a
good dramatic spot to leave that group of people and go off to another
group."
"What's your idea? I don't suppose we could find out from the film
people."
"Probably not. It would be too roundabout to try to get at their
operator in Belgium and very likely he wouldn't remember if they did get
in touch with him."
"He must be seeing sights like that all the time."
"Brother Edward suggested when he heard us talking about it that we
should send a cable to Mademoiselle and ask her. She must have known Mr.
Schuler here in the school at Rosemont."
"Certainly she did."
"Then she would have been interested enough in him to recall what
happened when she came across him in the hospital."
"How could we get a message to her? We don't know where that hospital
was. They don't tell the names of places even in newspaper messages, you
know. They are headed 'From a town near the front.'"
"Here's where Edward had a great idea--that is, Father thought it was
workable. See what you think of it."
The Club was growing excited. The Ethels stopped working to listen,
Helen's face flushed with interest, and the boys leaned across the table
to hear the plan to which Rev. Herbert Watkins had given his approval.
They knew that Tom's father, in his work among the poor foreigners in
New York, often had to try to hunt up their relatives in Europe so that
this would not be a matter of guesswork with him.
"It's pretty much guesswork in this war time," admitted Tom when some
one suggested it. "You can merely send a cable and trust to luck that it
will land somewhere. Here's Edward's idea. He says that the day we went
to see Mademoiselle sail she told him that she was related to Monsieur
Millerand, the French Minister of War. It was through her relationship
with him that she expected to be sent where she wanted to go--that is,
to Belgium."
"She was sent there, so her expectation seems to have had a good
foundation."
"That's what makes Edward think that perhaps we can get in touch with
her through the same means."
"Through Monsieur Millerand?"
"He suggests that we send a cable addressed to Mademoiselle--"
"Justine--"
"--Millerand in the care of Monsieur Millerand, Minister of War. We
could say 'Is Schuler dead?' and sign it with some name she'd know in
Rosemont. She'd understand at once that in some way news of his being in
Belgium had reached here."
"It seems awfully uncertain."
"It is uncertain. Even if she got the cable she might not be able to
send a reply. Everything is uncertain about it. At the same time if we
_could_ get an answer it would be a comfort to Fraulein even if the
message said he had died."
"I believe that's so. It's not knowing that's hardest to bear."
"Don't you think Mademoiselle would have sent word to Fraulein if he had
died?"
"I don't believe she knew they were engaged. No one knew until after the
war had been going on for several weeks. If ever she wrote to any one in
Rosemont she might mention having seen him, but I don't believe it would
occur to her to send any special word to Fraulein."
"She might be put under suspicion if she addressed a letter to any one
with a German name even if she lived in the United States."
"No one but Ethel Blue has had a letter from Mademoiselle since, she
left," said Helen. "We should have heard of it, I'm sure."
"Well, what do you say to the plan? Can't we send a cable signed by the
'Secretary of the United Service Club'?"
"I think it would be a good use to put the Club money to," approved
James, the treasurer.
"If you say so I'll send it when I get back to New York this afternoon.
How shall we word it?"
"Mademoiselle Justine Millerand, Care Monsieur Millerand, Minister of
War, Bordeaux, France," said Roger, slowly.
"Cut out 'Mademoiselle' and 'Monsieur,'" suggested Margaret. "We must
remember that our remarks cost about a quarter a word in times of peace
and war prices may be higher."
"Cut out 'of War,'" said Ethel Brown.
"There's only one 'Bordeaux,'" added Margaret.
"A dollar and a quarter saved already," said James thoughtfully. "Now
let's have the message."
"What's the matter with Tom's original suggestion--'Is Schuler dead'?"
asked Ethel Blue. "I suppose we must leave out the 'Mr.' if we are going
to be economical."
"Sign it 'Morton, Secretary United Service Club, Rosemont.' I'll file
Ethel Blue's address--at the cable office so the answer will be sent to
her if one comes."
Ethel Blue looked somewhat agitated at the prospect of receiving a cable
almost from the battlefield, but she said nothing.
"The United Service Club was the last group of people she saw in
America, you see," Tom went on, "so Edward thinks she'll know at once
whom the message comes from and she'll guess that the high school
scholars want to know about their former teacher."
"I have a feeling in my bones that she'll get the message and that
she'll answer," said Ethel Blue.
"If she doesn't get it we shan't have done any harm," mused Ethel Brown,
"and if she does get it and answers then we shall have done a lot of
good by getting the information for Fraulein."
"We needn't tell anybody about it outside of our families and then there
won't be any expectations to be disappointed."
"It certainly would be best not to tell Fraulein."
"That's settled, then," said Tom, "and I'll send the message the moment
I reach town this afternoon."
"It's the most thrilling thing I ever had anything to do with," Ethel
Blue whispered.