CHAPTER XXIV
SURPRISING BRIDGETON
"Here's the end of the marshy tract," Tom said, after they had beenfloundering around for some little time.
"How fine it feels to be on solid ground again," Jack observed, stampinghis feet as though he really enjoyed the sensation.
Indeed, after being for such a long time, weary hours after hours,confined in the big bombing plane, the relief was greatly appreciated byboth Tom Raymond and Lieutenant Beverly, as well as by Jack Parmly.
"Now for the home town!" the last mentioned told his companions. "And asnear as I can figure it out there's not a ghost of a chance that CousinRandolph could have arrived before me."
"For that matter I'm sure the French steamer must be still far out atsea, with a day or two's journey ahead of her," Colin assured him.
"Then it's my game, provided we don't run across some U. S. armyauthorities who'd want to know our names and hold us for investigation,which would knock everything flat."
"We're going to try to avoid all that bother," Beverly assured him. "Itisn't going to make us feel very proud of our achievement, since we haveto hide our light under a bushel; but for one I don't regret it. Nomatter if we have to be punished for desertion, our motive was honorable;and they never will be able to deny us the credit of having made thelongest flight on record in a heavier-than-air machine."
"All the same," urged Tom, "I'd rather keep quiet about that stunt, forthe present at least. I want to go back and finish the work over there.If the Huns are going to be driven to the Rhine we ought to be doing ourduty by Uncle Sam; which we couldn't if shut up in the Governmentpenitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, awaiting trial as deserters."
"Here's a plain trail that may lead us out of this region of scrub oaks,and to some farmer's place!" the lieutenant exclaimed just then; and intheir eagerness to get in touch with some one who would take them to therailroad they talked no further concerning the great flight and itspossible serious consequences to them.
Half an hour afterwards they came to the home of a farmer, who was tryingto make a living out of his isolated holdings, eking it out, as heinformed them while his wife was getting up the best meal possible, bydoing some terrapin hunting, and even trapping muskrats and suchfur-bearing animals during the otherwise unprofitable winter months.
It was very comfortable to sit down once more to a table after being solong taking "snacks" at odd hours, and being cramped in the bombingplane. And as the farmer's wife had plenty of fresh eggs, which they toldher not to stint, the generous omelet she produced was fully appreciated,flanked as it was by rashers of pretty fair bacon.
There were also some freshly made soda biscuits which had a trueold-fashioned Southern taste, appreciated by Tom and Jack. LieutenantBeverly did not show any great liking for them; but he was a Northerner,brought up on baking-powder biscuits, so the others could understand hiswant of appreciation.
Taken all in all, they certainly enjoyed that first bite ashore after thecompletion of their memorable flight across the Atlantic.
Jack, so Tom said, seemed to think it was a sort of celebration becauseof the event, for his face was wreathed in a perpetual smile.
"The sort of smile," Jack retorted, "that won't come off."
"Oh, how good I do feel!" was a remark that if he made it once he did adozen times, always finding it greeted by answering nods on the part ofhis two companions.
Of course they told the farmer they were aviators who had had themisfortune to drop into the marsh, where he would find their plane.
Beverly hired him to dismantle this in part, and store it away in hisshed until later on it could be called for in person. He was not todeliver it to any person without the presence of one of the trio.
When he started out to drive them in his old rickety vehicle to thenearest railroad station, miles distant, he was almost stricken dumbbecause Beverly, in the fulness of his gratitude over their marvelousescape, thrust a full hundred dollars upon him, with a promise of a likeamount later on for looking after the abandoned bombing plane.
"To-day is marked with a white stone in the life of Farmer Jenkins,believe me," Jack whispered aside to Tom, as they saw the amazed lookspreading over the man's weather-beaten face.
"It's that with all of us," said Tom soberly.
Jack fell silent after that. He was engrossed with thoughts connectedwith his unexpected return to the home of his childhood; and inimagination could see the excitement their unheralded appearance wascertain to arouse.
It had been arranged between them that their presence must be kept asmuch a secret as possible. On this account they would delay their arrivalat the home of Jack's mother until after darkness had set in.
"To-morrow," Jack had said, when these things were being discussed,"we'll telegraph to Mr. Smedley in Richmond to come on without delay inconnection with my dead uncle's estate, ready to settle it according tothe provisions of his queer will. Then we'll be ready for Randolph whenhe bobs up."
Beverly had also made a suggestion when they were thus talking it allover, and arranging plans after their usual way.
"Now I've got a good friend who lives on Staten Island, right in New Yorkharbor," he informed them. "Often while at his house visiting I've amusedmyself with a glass watching steamers pass through the Narrows lyingbetween the shore of the island and that part of Brooklyn opposite FortWadsworth. I'll wire him to let me know by the same means when _LaBretagne_ reaches Quarantine in the harbor."
"A clever idea, Colin!" Tom cried. "In that way we can figure out justwhen Jack's cousin might expect to arrive in Bridgeton to claim theestate as being the first one on the ground, thanks to that sillyprovision of the old man's will."
"Given two hours to get off the vessel, after the time she reachesQuarantine," Jack figured, "and six more to get to Richmond makes eightin all. Then he might be two hours getting out to Bridgeton, for trainsare not very plentiful. He could make it in that time if he took aroadster with a chauffeur and came that way. Ten hours in all."
"We'll be lying in wait for Randolph, all right!" laughed Beverly. "Andwhat a surprise it'll be! The man must think he's dreaming, having leftyou over in France, Jack, on the fighting front when he sailed, with notone chance in a thousand that you could catch even the next boat, dayslater, and then finding you here ahead of him!"
The prospect pleased them all so much that they made light of themerciless jostling received in that springless wagon over wretchedVirginia shore roads. In fact, they were so elated over the great successthat had rewarded their daring venture that it seemed just then as ifnothing could ever again make them feel blue, or depressed in spirits.
In due time the lonely little station was reached. It was then two in theafternoon of that eventful day. Just as Tom anticipated, it turned outthat there would not be a train in the direction they wished to go fortwo hours and more. This train would drop them at another station wherea connection was made with the road that ran through Bridgeton.
It was lucky they found themselves in no hurry, thanks, as Jack naivelyremarked, to their having come across "on the air-line limited."
The time dragged to Jack, naturally, but he felt he had no reason forcomplaint after such wonderful good fortune. At last their train camealong. What if it was ten minutes late? That would only shorten theirwait at the junction.
"So long as we reach the old town by nine tonight I'll be satisfied,"Jack had bravely committed himself by saying; and indeed it was justabout then they did jump from the steps of the car at Bridgeton, for thesecond train had been two hours late.
Nevertheless all of them were united in thinking they had made a swifttrip from the American sector of the fighting front in France to the townof Bridgeton in the Old Dominion in just _four complete days_.
Jack led the way, though, of course, Tom would have been just ascompetent a guide, since this was also his home town.
How those blinking lights in the well-remembered windows of the Parmlyhome held Jack's eyes, once
he sighted them! Never before in all hislife had he felt such a delicious thrill creep over him from head to toe.
Knocking on the door he and his chums carried out their pre-arrangedplan. Jack and Tom were to keep back out of sight, leaving LieutenantBeverly to break the glorious news first and prepare the family, so theremight not be so loud an outcry as to arouse the neighbors and breed theexcitement in the community that neither of the returned fighters wished.
Jack's aunt, who, a widow herself, made her home with her widowedsister-in-law, came to the door, for some reason or other. Perhaps thenegro servants still went home at night, as had been the case before Jackwent to the war. She looked surprised and anxious as soon as she saw thatthe caller was a stranger, and evidently an aviator from his dress.
"This is Mrs. Parmly, I believe?" the visitor hastened to say.
"Mrs. Job Parmly. Mrs. Parmly's sister-in-law."
"I see. Mrs. Parmly, my name is Beverly, Lieutenant Beverly of the UnitedStates Aerial Corps, just over from France. I am a good friend of yournephew, Jack, who has entrusted a message to me to deliver to his mother.May I come in for a short time, Mrs. Parmly?"
He was immediately warmly greeted and drawn into the sitting-room wherehe met Jack's mother. The two outside could peep under the drawn shadeand watch all that went on, Jack quivering with emotion as he looked onthe beloved faces of his own people once again.
Beverly knew how eager the boy must be, and hence he lost little time ingetting down to the main fact, which was that he wished them not to doanything to arouse curiosity in the neighborhood; but that Jack was nearby, and all would be soon explained; also that they must not be troubledthinking he, Jack, had done anything really wrong.
When he had drawn down the shades fully, that being the signal to thoseoutside, Jack could restrain himself no longer. Opening the front doorhe rushed into the house and quickly had his mother and then his auntin his arms.
The story was told at length, with the family clustered around Jack andTom, hanging on every word as though it were the most thrilling thingthey had ever heard, which in truth it must be.
Then Tom had to be considered. Lieutenant Beverly volunteered to go overto the Raymond house, which could easily be pointed out to him, and bringback the startled family, so they could greet their boy, whom they, ofcourse, supposed to be at that very moment still overseas, risking hislife in his perilous calling.
It seemed to Tom that the delight of once more greeting these lovedones well repaid him for all he had passed through in making thatwonderful flight. The story had to be all gone over again, and scoresof questions answered.
By degrees the scope of Jack's plan was grasped by his family, who ofcourse knew about the strange conditions of Joshua Kinkaid's will,whereby the bulk of his large estate, long before promised to theParmlys, would go without restrictions to either Randolph Carringford orJack Parmly, according to which of them, after the death of the testator,appeared before a notary public specified in Bridgeton, and qualified toassume the trust.
So, too, the plan of campaign designed to confound the arch-schemerwho had even plotted to keep Jack from ever applying in person, wasagreed to.
The presence of the three was to be kept a dead secret. They would not goout of the house by daylight, even for a breath of air. In the morningthe old family lawyer, who had also served Mr. Kinkaid in a similarcapacity, would be sent for to come hurriedly.
Once he arrived, the stage would be set for carrying out the provisionsof the queer will, which Tom considered might hardly have stood thetest of a contest in court, though later on the lawyer, Mr. Smedley, whohad himself carefully drawn it up, assured him it was really aniron-bound document.
"But," Jack said, as they waited for the lawyer's coming on the noontrain from Richmond, "we can spare a couple of days here, and still makethe steamer we hope to sail on for the other side. And it would be toobad if we missed seeing how dear Cousin Randolph takes his Waterloo."
Mr. Smedley arrived, and was astounded to see Jack. He showed that hissympathies were on the side of the Parmly family by his delight whenshaking hands again and again.
Then the thrilling story was once more told, after he had been bound tosecrecy. It would be hard to describe the emotions of the old lawyer ashe sat and listened to what a great feat Jack and his two comrades hadcarried through.
After that all arrangements were made, and the lawyer decided to stay tosee the thing through. It was the most astonishing event in all his life,he assured the company, and not for a fortune would he miss the scenethat must accompany the coming of Randolph Carringford.
Mr. Smedley also sent a long telegram to that friend of Colin Beverly'swho lived on Staten Island. Later that same day a reply was receivedpromising to carry out faithfully the instructions given, if he had tosit up all night keeping watch on all vessels arriving, though if portrules were rigorously carried out no steamer would be allowed to enter orleave except by daylight.
"But we know that isn't the case," Tom said, "because those troop shipshave left New York under cover of darkness many a time. Still, the shipsmay have waited down the bay until morning, and then sailed."
That day passed, and the following night. Early on the morning of thethird day after Jack's arrival home came a telegram to Mr. Smedley.
"Now for news!" cried Jack, as it was opened.
The message was brief and to the point, affording them all theintelligence they required.
"_La Bretagne_ at Quarantine eleven to-night; expected to dock intwo hours!"