CHAPTER IV
THE STORY OF THE LORRAINE WAIF
JACK had taken the locket in question out of his coat-pocket and openedit, extracting the folded paper it contained. This latter he smoothedout, for it was a mass of creases, from having been crushed into sosmall a receptacle.
"'To the kind friend who finds my child,' it starts," said Jack impressively. "'Her name is Jeanne Anstey. I am her wretched and dying mother, dying for my beloved France. It is the Boche who has done this. They came at daylight, and burned the poor cottage in which we have been making our home.
"'That terrible man was here with them as before, mounted on his horse, and with all his trappings. His name it is Anton von Berthold, and he is my half-brother. To my face he boasted, knowing that I was surely dying, that through Helene he meant some day to claim our estate in Lorraine, where there are deposits of iron that will be worth millions of francs yearly.
"'I believe he has long plotted to get hold of this property, and schemed to secure his ends through one of my poor children. Oh! if you have a heart, my friend, I pray you by all you hold sacred to see that my Jeanne is cared for; and, if it be possible, try to save my poor Helene from that monster.
"'This is the plea of a dying Frenchwoman. I have faith to believe Heaven will not desert the innocent in their hour of suffering. So I lay me down to rest, while my Jeanne will go forth in search of you, kind friend. And with my last breath I still proudly say, "_Vive la France!_"'"
"Is that all?" asked Tom, as his chum stopped.
"Yes, and there are some of the words blurred. I think it must have beenthrough the tears of this poor woman. She seems to have been wealthybefore the Huns drove her out of Lorraine because she had French bloodin her veins, and was probably married to an Englishman. What do youthink of it, Tom?"
"It's certainly a dreadful thing for so small a child as Jeanne to beleft alone in the world," replied the other. "What can we do about her,Jack, have you any idea?"
Jack remained for a moment in deep thought. Then he gave his comrade asidewise look as he spoke again.
"Do you know," he ventured to say, "it has struck me that if we couldget an hour or two off duty this evening you and I might take thelittle thing to Nellie and ask her if she couldn't have her lookedafter, as long as the Gleasons are out of reach in the south of France."
"Nellie Leroy!" exclaimed Tom, astonished, "Why, how could we manage it?The last I heard she was in a hospital on the French front, over in themountain section of Alsace."
"Oh, I've had later news than that," replied Jack. "Met Harry yesterday,and among other things he mentioned the fact that his sister had beentransferred to the American front; in fact was right then only a fewmiles away from where we stood and talked."
"You never said a word to me about it, Jack! Nor has Nelliewritten--unless her letter was lost."
"Meant to tell you, Tom, several times, but something always butted in;and finally it slipped my mind. And, really, I supposed you knew. Butwhat do you think of my scheme?"
"Perfectly lovely. It's about the only way I see that we can get Jeanneinto proper hands. Nellie has a heart of gold, and will manage somehowto see that the little thing is properly cared for."
"Especially when she learns that you've constituted yourself Jeanne'sguardian and protector," chuckled Jack.
"Let up on that, I tell you!"
"Well, this child seems to be thrown in my way for a purpose, and, Tom,I'm going to try my level best to save her twin sister from thatscoundrel of an uncle," announced Jack, with returning seriousness.
"Hear! hear!" chuckled Tom. "All the knights haven't cashed in yet, itseems. You ought to have a Sancho Panza around, Jack, because you're outto rescue beauty in distress; even if in this case the little lady isonly about six years old. But tell me again what the name of the archvillain is. At the time you mentioned it before, I thought it seemedsort of familiar to me."
Jack referred again to the crumpled slip of paper to make certain, afterwhich he announced:
"A regular German name, it seems, though he may of course be aLorrainer, as Jeanne's mother was. Anton von Berthold."
"H'm! Thought so!" Tom burst out. "Don't you remember there's a Generalvon Berthold on the other side, a particularly smart military man, too,who they say originated this machine-gun-nest business as a means fordelaying the pursuit of a retreating army?"
"Tom, you're right!" exclaimed Jack, evidently annoyed, thinking thatthat circumstance might make his self-assumed task the more difficult."Wouldn't it be queer if he should prove to be the very one? It doesn'tseem reasonable to me."
"Why not?" demanded his companion quickly. "Couldn't a German generalconspire to lay hands on the property of a relative just as easily asany ordinary person? Haven't they been accused of stealing most of thevaluables in Belgium and Northern France as spoils of war, frompriceless paintings and works of art to family plate and jewelry?"
"I reckon you're about right, Tom, so far as that goes," agreed Jack,finally impressed by what his chum said. "General Anton von Berthold--ifwe find out that is his first name it would settle it for me. And thenwe could perhaps learn from one of the prisoners we find in the barbedwire stockade something about his goings-on, where he's putting up atpresent, and all that, you know."
"And in the meantime don't you think Jeanne would like something toeat?" asked Tom. "How could she ever have managed to make her waythrough the Boche lines, and get to where you ran across her?"
"I've tried to find out," Jack told him. "She mentions something aboutbeing taken by a neighbor after that man carried her sister away on hishorse. They told her that her mother had died, and been buried. Thenone day she was taken, hidden under a load of forage, and carried milesaway. When she was put down in the end they told her she could soon findthe Americans, who were near by. But she had wandered about in theforest for nearly a whole day before I came on her."
"Well, let's skirmish for something to eat. Our chef is a good friend ofyours, Jack; suppose you go around and tell him what's doing. He'll notrefuse to let you have something for a poor little girl. Take Jeannealong with you. She'll win Erastus over without fail by one of hersmiles."
"I'll do it, though I hardly think it necessary. The poor little thingmust be awfully tired, too. But I'll carry her, I did that most of thejourney here. Then to get some gas and start back to where Morgan issitting on our plane, waiting for me to come."
"Here, you get busy with that gas and I'll manage the grub part of theprogramme! If Erastus declines to fork over I'll choke him. But I knowhe can't refuse when he sees her," and Tom jerked his thumb backwardwhile saying this toward Jeanne, now sitting on a friendly stump lookingabout her with interest at the bustling scene.
Jack hurried away to secure a can of gasoline, while Tom took Jeanne bythe hand and led her toward the air squadron's camp kitchen, or"chuck-wagon."
Erastus, the cook, was as usual about that hour as busy as a bee. Withso many hungry men to provide for when meal time came around, he hardlyfound a minute to call his own.
It chanced, however, that Tom, as well as Jack, had become a favoritewith the cook, and he always had a cheery word for either of the youngair pilots.
"Ah, there, Sergeant, where'd you get the skirt?" he remarked, givinglittle Jeanne several winks, though the red of his face was onlyindicative of good-nature.
It smelled so good around the steamer of coffee and the piles of freshbread which Erastus and his helper had piled up that even the timidchild smiled back at the one who seemed to be the "boss" of all thatvast array of good things--much more than she had ever seen before inall her life.
For Jeanne was very, very hungry, having eaten almost nothing since theprevious afternoon.
"Jack came across her, y
ou see, Erastus, and--" bending forward soJeanne might not hear what he said--"she's lost her sister, and themother has died, a victim of the Huns. Erastus, she's nearly starved,and I was wondering whether you wouldn't give me something for her."
"Against orders, you know, Sergeant," said the other. Then he lookedmore pityingly than ever at the pretty child. "But just this once Imight," he added. "Say, I'd go without my own supper sooner'n see thatduck suffer, sure I would. Wait around, and see what happens, Sergeant."
Tom did linger, apparently explaining to little Jeanne all about thewonderful invention in the way of a cook's outfit that could take careof a multitude of hungry fighters, and which was modeled somewhat on thepattern of the "chuck-wagon" long in use on the cattle ranges of the farSouthwest.
Then there was a mysterious passing of something that Tom hastened tostow away, an exchange of muttered words with the rosy-cheeked cook,after which Tom and Jeanne went back to the quarters of the boys, wherefor some little time he watched the almost starving child devourquantities of bread and butter--actually real butter--made intosandwiches which Erastus had hastily done up for her.
Tom was about to go to headquarters with the request that he and Jackmight be allowed a short furlough in order to take the little girl toput her in Nellie Leroy's care when an orderly came with a message fromthe young airman's superior officer ordering him to go out on specialscout duty.
It was with a half sigh that Tom Raymond began his preparations, for hisinterest in Nellie was deep, and he had looked forward with pleasure tothis chance of seeing her, and now he must leave this matter wholly tohis chum.
Still, little Jeanne Anstey was Jack's "find," and the young air pilotwas evidently deeply interested in the child and wanted to aid her withas little help from others, even from his best chum, as was possible.Perhaps, after all, Tom felt, it was best that the matter was left toJack.
But Jack was a long time in returning. In a short time Tom must go onduty, and what was he to do with Jeanne in the meanwhile?
"Little girls are all right," murmured Tom, "but I guess they are notmuch in my line. Gee! I wish Jack would come."