CHAPTER II.
A CHANGE OF PLANS.
Rod's hesitation was of brief duration. He saw that both his comradeswere fairly wild to go. Josh in particular seemed to look upon thischance to see some more of the fighting taking place between the hostilearmies as arranged especially to suit his fancy.
"All right, then," said Rod finally, "let's see what's to be done. Ifshe can put certain facts in our possession, so that we'd stand a chanceof finding Andre in the army of General Joffre, we might undertake thetask. It'd be hard to refuse, with that little darling of a girl in suchgreat need."
"Bully for you, Rod!" exclaimed Josh; "I knew you'd come to time righthandsomely. We'll likely see something of the fierce battles that areraging every day in northern France as the Germans drive the Allies backmile after mile, aiming to take Paris, and end the war with a rush!"
Apparently Josh had been dreaming of something along these lines, andthe opportunity to gratify his ambition took him by storm.
Rod again turned to the French woman and started to converse with heronce more. How her face did light up when she learned that these braveAmerican boys had decided to lend her their aid, and try to find herabsent soldier husband among the legions of patriots defending thebeloved Paris.
Hanky Panky and Josh could understand very little of what was said, butby watching the expressive face and motions of Jeanne they were able totranslate much of her explanations.
"She has told me where her humble home is," explained Rod finally, "andthis very night we will visit her to hear further particulars, andreceive the document which was enclosed in the letter from the Frenchlaw firm in Paris."
"And then?" asked Josh breathlessly.
"Perhaps to-morrow we can start away from here and head south, to crossthe border line, and enter France," he was told.
"But not to go as far as Boulogne, eh, Rod?" questioned Hanky Panky.
"No, for that would take us out of our way," the other continued. "Afterwe get to Calais we will have to strike direct for Paris; that is unlesswe learn that one of the numerous German armies has cut across the road,blocking our way. In that event we will have to shape our plans overagain. But there's no use crossing a bridge until you come to it, sodon't let's worry."
He once more spoke to the little woman, whose face was now beaming withgratitude. She seized the boy's hand and actually kissed it before Rodhad a chance to snatch it away. The act made him flush with confusion,especially since Josh was chuckling in his clumsy way. But one thing wassure, Jeanne considered their crossing her path at the time she needed afriend more than ever before in all her life as a most fortunate thing.
So the boys walked away.
"Just to think what a wonderful change has come about inside of half anhour," remarked the delighted Josh. "We had it all arranged for a littlespin down the coast, and then embarking at Boulogne for America. Nowwe're planning to strike out to that region where a million Germansoldiers are striking hard blows at the lines of the Allies, and meaningto capture Paris. Why, I'm tickled half to death at the idea of seeingsome more thrilling pictures of the Great World War."
Josh and Hanky Panky could talk of little else during the balance ofthat day. Rod seemed very quiet, and it was evident that he foresaw theywould have dangerous work laid out for them, which might try theirboldness as few things had ever done before.
"Listen," he told the others at one time, when they were discussing thepossibilities of the future; "perhaps neither of you happened to noticea man with a French look who stood by a stoop further along the narrowstreet, and kept watching us all the time I was talking to the woman.Since then it's struck me that perhaps he may have been the other cousinshe spoke of, Jules Baggott, and that he was guessing how the wind laywhen he saw me read the paper, and watched her kiss my hand."
"Whoop!" ejaculated the impulsive Josh immediately, "that would meantrouble with a big T, wouldn't it, Rod?"
"If he concluded that we were going to find her husband, providing Andrehadn't already been killed in the fighting," Rod went on to explain, "Ishould imagine this Jules would go to some trouble to stop us, and getthe paper away. You can see what it would mean to him if we failed tomake connections."
Many times during the balance of that afternoon Josh and Hanky Pankyreferred to the business which they were about to undertake. In fact itseemed as though both boys enjoyed the idea of again drawing near thefighting line, and witnessing some of the amazing events taking placethere in this modern war. History was being made every day, and thethought of being actual witnesses of these grand undertakings thrilledthem as nothing else could have done.
Frequently either one or the other imagined they were being followed;and a dozen times some innocent citizen was suspected of being theskulking Jules. If the French cousin of Andre actually had them shadowedit was done so skilfully that none of the boys were any the wiser.
After supper that night they sallied forth. Rod took extra precautionsto dodge the main exit of the hotel at which they were quartered; if aspy waited there to keep tabs on their movements he meant the fellowshould have his trouble for nothing.
They found the home of the French woman. It was, of course, an humbleabode, but as neat as a pin. Rod again entered into a ferventconversation, and from time to time stopped to explain to his chums whatthe burden of the talk might be.
In the end Jeanne entrusted him with the precious paper, which, oncesigned by her husband, with the names of competent witnesses alsoinscribed according to law, would mean a competency for herself andchild the balance of their lives, whether Andre ever came home from thewar or not.
Rod was very cautious in making his way back to the hotel. He avoidedall dark streets, and warned his chums to keep a bright lookout forskulking figures. Nothing out of the way happened, however, and theyreached their hotel in safety. For once Josh evinced little desire tostop and watch some of the stirring scenes which were to be met with inall the principal thoroughfares of Antwerp during those days and nightswhen the shadow of the German mailed fist hung over the heads of thedauntless Belgian nation.
Down at the hotel Rod found the gentleman waiting for him with whom AmosTucker, far away in America, had business connections of vast importancewhich he had entrusted to Rod to carry through.
This was finally accomplished, and after Rod made sure that everythinghad been completed in a satisfactory fashion, he entrusted the papers tothe mail to be carried duly to Mr. Tucker, guarded by registry and everypossible means against loss in transit.
"There; I feel as if I had a big load off my shoulders," said the boy ashe once more joined his two chums, who had spent the hour talking overthe immediate future, and what amazing things it might have in store forthem.
All of them were tired, for they had been up early that August day, andevery hour had been crammed with excitement. Accordingly it was decidedthat they had better retire without further delay, and get what sleepthey could.
"There's no telling what sort of a bed we may have to-morrow night," Rodwarned the others; "so make the most of it while you have a softmattress under you. The ground is pretty hard, sometimes, you know,because often we've tried it, and may have to again."
Both the others only laughed, as though they were so well pleased withthe opportunity crossing their path so unexpectedly that they could notfind any fault, no matter how things turned.
When another day dawned they busied themselves in getting breakfast,settling their account, and then securing their motorcycles, which hadbeen well taken care of during their stay in Antwerp. Such valuablewheels might have been commandeered by the authorities for use in thearmy, only that Rod chanced to carry a few lines actually signed by KingAlbert and which had been placed in his hands by the dauntless Belgianmonarch himself, which warned all concerned that nothing belonging tothe American boys was to be touched, as they had shown their friendshipfor Belgium in numerous ways.
Rod was careful enough to make sure that all of them carried a plentifulsupply of th
e necessary petrol, for he realized how difficult it wouldlikely be to secure any of this liquid fuel, since every gallon wasbeing seized for the use of the multitude of lorries and cars employedfor transportation purposes by the armies in the field.
It was about nine in the morning when they were ready to start. Theearly September day was a fair one, though promising more or less heatbefore noon came and went. Rod led the way, and they soon left the bigbustling city on the Scheldt behind them. A splendid road invited anincrease of speed, and presently they were booming along right merrily.
How delightfully cheery did the rapid clatter of the exhausts sound totheir ears, after having been deprived of this familiar company for daysat a stretch, since abandoning their machines at the home of a womanmarket gardener, who had later on brought them to the city, concealedunder a load of produce.
They kept as close together as safety allowed, with Rod as usual in thelead. Well did the other two know they could always depend on him tosteer them aright. Rod carried a little map of the country with him.Besides, he had studied it so thoroughly that in most cases he couldtell the lay of the land without consulting the chart.
"This is the life!" called Hanky Panky, who brought up the rear,squatted in his saddle something after the manner of a huge toad; forHanky had a peculiar "style" of his own, entirely original, which heclaimed to have as many good points as a horse jockey's method of ridingon the neck of his mount.
"Pity our two poor chums who had to set out for home so early!" addedJosh, who was in a sense fairly hugging himself on account of thewonderful possibilities for excitement looming up above the horizon justthen.
"Well, their machines went with them," said Rod over his shoulder, "andthey say 'where ignorance is bliss 'tis a folly to be wise.' Right nowthey may be over in England, pitying us for being left behind in theland of the Great War."
"This is a hunky-dory road, all right!" ventured Hanky Panky shortlyafterward. "Why, we seem to be gliding along as smoothly as if on aparlor floor. We could go twice as fast, if we wanted to."
"No need of that," said Rod, hearing the remark, which was, however,intended only for Josh; "we'll pass through Ostend and Dunkirk, reachingCalais in short order. Then, like as not, we'll have to spend the restof the day there, and to-night in the bargain."
"Shucks! what's the use of all that, Rod?" demanded Josh, for he wasfairly wild to get near the firing line again, and witness more of thosewonderful sights that had thrilled him to the bone a short time back.
"We'll have to give an account of ourselves, most likely, and getwritten permission to go into France," he was told.
"Say, fellows," called out Hanky Panky just then, "there's a carwhirling along right now in a cloud of dust, with two men aboard.Wouldn't it be a joke on us if that was the Jules Baggott the womanspoke of, and that he was chasing after us, bent on making us give upthe paper she entrusted to Rod here?"