CHAPTER V
NICK RABIG TURNS UP
"Guess who's here," said Billy a few mornings later, as he came up toBart and Frank. "Give you three guesses."
"That's generous," remarked Frank. "Well, I'll bite. Who is it? TheKaiser?"
"Come off."
"The Crown Prince?"
"Quit your kidding."
"I know," said Bart. "Hindenburg."
"Blathering boobs, both of you," pronounced Billy. "But with yourlimited intellects one ought to be patient. I'll give you one morechance. Think of the fellow you like the least in all the world."
"Nick Rabig!" the others exclaimed in one breath.
"Right," grinned Billy. "I knew that would get you. Nick seems to beas popular with you as poison ivy at a church picnic."
"What cat dragged it in?" groaned Bart.
"Our unlucky day," growled Frank. "I knew something would happen whenI picked up the wrong shoe this morning."
"But how did he get back?" asked Bart, his curiosity overcoming hisrepugnance.
"Came in on his own feet," replied Billy. "Escaped, so he says, afterperforming prodigies of valor. To hear Nick talk you'd think he'dwiped out half the German army."
His comrades laughed.
"I suppose we ought to kill the fatted calf," said Frank sarcastically.
"Where's the calf?" asked Bart. "Unless we take Billy here," he addedas an afterthought.
He dodged the pass that Billy made at him, and just then Fred Anderson,another young soldier, strolled up.
"Heard the news?" he inquired.
"About Nick Rabig? Yes," replied Frank. "Billy's just been telling usabout it."
"Bad news travels fast," growled Bart.
"Nick doesn't seem to cut much ice with you fellows," commented Fred."I never thought much of him myself, but you seem to have it in for himespecially. I suppose it's because he tried to play that dirty trickon Frank in the boxing bout."
"No, it isn't that," replied Frank. "I got satisfaction for that thenand there, and I don't hold grudges. It's something altogether outsideof personal matters. Have you heard any details about how Nick madehis escape?"
"Only a bit here and there," answered Fred. "I suppose it will allcome out later on. But it seems that he has a lot of information aboutthe German plans and he's now at headquarters being questioned by theofficers."
Frank turned the conversation into other channels, because although hehad the gravest reasons for believing Rabig to be a traitor, he did notwant to do the fellow an injustice or voice his suspicions until he wasable to confirm them by absolute proof.
Fred passed on after a few minutes and the boys looked at each other.
"Did you hear what Fred said about Nick's 'important information'?"asked Frank.
"Important misinformation," growled Bart.
"Bunk," declared Billy.
"Of course, Nick has an advantage in understanding German," said Frankcautiously, "and a loyal fellow in his situation might have picked upsomething that would be of advantage to our people, though it isn'tlikely, for the Germans guard their secrets pretty well."
"What's the use of talking?" burst out Bart. "We fellows are all ontoRabig. We know at this minute that he'd like nothing better than tosee the United States licked by Germany. Don't we know that he letthat German prisoner escape? Don't you know that he was talking in thewoods at night with that German spy that you shot? I tell youstraight, Frank, that if Rabig escaped it was because the Germans lethim escape. If he has information, it is because the Germans filledhim up with just the kind of information they wanted our officers tobelieve."
"I think Bart's right," remarked Billy. "It'll be the best day thisregiment ever saw when Rabig's stood up before a firing squad."
"In my heart I believe the same," assented Frank. "But the tantalizingthing is that we haven't a bit of legal proof. Rabig had that cut onhis hand to explain the escape of the prisoner. He seemed to besleeping in his bunk that night I got back from the woods. So far hehas an alibi for everything. We can't prove that he let himself becaptured. We can't prove that the Germans let him escape. As for theinformation he claims to have, our suspicions are based only on what weknow of the man's character."
"That legal stuff doesn't make a hit with me," growled Bart. "Some dayI'll break loose and take it out of him myself. My fingers itch everytime I see him. I'd hoped I'd never have to see him again."
"You're doomed to be disappointed, then," grinned Billy, "for here hecomes now."
They looked in the direction he indicated and saw Rabig coming alongthe company street.
His step was swaggering and he looked immensely satisfied with himself.
Bart's fist clenched.
"Nothing doing, Bart," Frank counseled in a low tone. "Hold yourhorses. I know just how you feel. I had to lick him once and maybeyou'll have your turn. But not now. I want to find out whether heknows anything about Tom."
"All right," said Bart, "but it comes hard."
Nick saw them standing there, and for a fraction of a second seemed tobe of two minds about keeping on. He hated them all cordially and hehad no doubt of the feeling with which they regarded him. But hishesitation was only momentary, and he came on with just a littleadditional swagger in his gait.
He would have passed without stopping but Frank spoke to him pleasantlyenough.
"Hello, Nick!" he said. "See you've got back."
"That's plain enough to see," responded Nick surlily.
"Papa's little sunshine," murmured Billy under his breath.
"Huns seem to have fed you pretty well," remarked Frank.
Rabig only grunted and looked at Frank suspiciously.
"Did you see anything of Tom Bradford over there?" asked Frank.
A look of surprise came into Rabig's little eyes.
"No," he answered. "Was he captured?"
"We're afraid so," answered Frank.
"I didn't see him," declared Rabig. "Perhaps he's killed," he added,almost smacking his lips with satisfaction.
They longed to kick him, but restrained themselves, and Rabig passed on.
"Isn't he a sweet specimen?" asked Bart in disgust, as he looked atRabig's receding figure.
"Did you see how his eyes lighted up when he heard that Tom was gone?"put in Billy. "The only thing that would give him more satisfactionwould be to have the same thing happen to Frank."
"I guess he hates us all alike," said Frank. "Down in his heart heknows that we believe him to be a traitor. His only comfort is that wehaven't been able to catch him with the goods. But that will come intime. A little more rope and he can be depended on to hang himself.But that can wait. What I'm more interested in is that he didn't haveany news of Tom."
"Perhaps he was lying," suggested Bart. "He may have seen Tom overthere, but wouldn't give us the satisfaction of telling us."
"No, I don't think it was that," commented Billy. "I was watching himclosely while Frank was talking to him, and I could see that he wasreally surprised as well as pleased to learn that Tom was gone."
"But even if he didn't see him, that doesn't prove that Tom isn'tthere," suggested Bart. "He may have been captured by some otherdivision. Besides, to tell the truth, I don't believe that Rabig wasin a prison camp at all. Did you notice how fat and well fed helooked? I'll bet that he's been living high on the best the Huns couldgive him."
"He didn't look like most escaped prisoners for a fact," assentedFrank. "We'll let his failure to see Tom go for what it's worth. Butthere's one thing that's been growing in my mind right along. We'resure that Tom isn't dead, for the burial parties cleared up the fieldand didn't find him. We know too that he isn't on the hospital list.I got a squint at that no later than yesterday, and Tom's name isn'tthere. That seems to cut out everything except capture by the Huns,doesn't it?"
"What else is there?" asked Bart gloomily.
"Just one thing," replied Frank, "and that is that Tom
has got awayfrom the Huns but hasn't yet got back to us. I know what that boy is.He isn't the kind to settle down and tell himself that he's a prisonerand that's all there is to it. There isn't a bone in his head, andhe's been busy every minute thinking up some plan to get away. Youknow what the boches are doing now. They're getting so short of menthat they're using prisoners right behind the lines in cutting brushand hauling guns and that sort of thing. Of course it's dead againstall the rules of war, but a little thing like that doesn't bother theGermans. Now if that's going on there are lots of chances to escapethat the prisoners wouldn't have if they were all huddled together in aprison camp under the rifles of their guards. Get me? Picture Tom outin the thick woods going meekly ahead doing as he is told withoutmaking a break for freedom. Not on your life! Some way or other he'llslip off, and some fine day you'll see the old scout come walking inand asking us if breakfast's ready."
"It sounds good," said Bart unconvinced, "but I'm afraid it's a dream."
"All guess work," chimed in Billy. "We don't know anything."
"No," admitted Frank, "but we know Tom."