CHAPTER XIX
ADVENTURE
In the dawn of the next morning Ruth arose and rearranged all her stockof supplies and corrected the schedule of goods on hand. Despite herrecent activities she had kept her accounts up to date and every recordwas properly audited.
Before Helen Cameron and Jennie Stone even knew how Ruth proposedmaking use of them, the girl of the Red Mill had explained her planfully to the matron. That the Americaine Mademoiselle was so friendlywith the grand folk at the chateau rather awed the Frenchwoman. Shecould find no fault with anything Ruth did.
But there was a great outcry when, at breakfast, Ruth explained toHelen and Jennie that she was called away from the hospital on privateand important business, and for several days.
"She's running away to be married!" gasped Jennie Stone. "Treason!"
"Your romantic imagination is ever on tap, isn't it, Heavy?" respondedRuth with scorn.
"That's all right," returned the plump girl sharply. "You look out foryour brother Tom, Helen Cameron."
"But it may be one of these French officers," Helen said, with moremildness. "Some of them are awfully nice."
"Don't be ridiculous, girls!" Ruth observed.
"Really it isn't at all nice of you, my dear," her chum said.
"I'm not doing this because it is nice," flared Ruth, whose nerves werea little raw by now. "It is something I _have_ to do."
"What, then?" demanded Jennie.
"I can't tell you! It is not my secret! If it were, don't you supposeI would take you both into my confidence?"
"I don't know about that," grumbled Jennie Stone.
"I had made arrangements to do this before you came," the girl of theRed Mill said, rather provoked. "You must take me at my word. Icannot do differently. I never told you girls a falsehood in my life."
"Goodness, Ruthie!" exclaimed Helen, with sudden good sense. "Say nomore about it. Of course we know you would not desert us if it couldbe helped. If Tom would only come while you are gone----"
"I may be able to communicate with him," Ruth said, turning her headquickly so that her chum should not see her expression of countenance."And there is something you girls can do for me while I am gone."
"I warrant!" groaned Jennie. "No rest for the wicked. Don't try tothink up anything in the line of cooking for _me_, Ruthie Fielding, forI won't do it! I have come here to get away from cooking."
"Will you fast then, while you remain at Clair?" asked Ruth ratherwickedly.
"Ow-wow!" shrieked the plump girl. "How you can twist a fellow'smeaning around! No! I merely will _not_ cook!"
"But she still hopes to eat," said Helen. "What is it you want of yourpoor slaves, Lady Ruth?"
"Do my work here while I'm gone. Look out for the supplies. I canbreak you both in this morning. I do not know just when I shall becalled for----"
"By whom, pray?" put in the saucy Jennie drawlingly.
Ruth ignored the question. "You will not find this work difficult.And, as Jennie suggests, it will be a change."
"Good-_night_!" groaned Jennie.
"Don't lose heart, sister," said Helen cheerfully. "I understand thatRuth often goes into the wards and writes letters for the poor poilus,and feeds them canned peaches and soft puddings. Isn't that what youdo, Ruthie?"
"Better not let me do that," grumbled Jennie. "I might be tempted toeat the goodies myself. I'll write the letters."
"Heaven help the home folks of the poor poilus, my dear," Helenresponded. "Nobody--not even Madame Picolet--could ever read yourwritten French."
"Well! I do declare!" exclaimed the fleshy girl, tossing her head. "Isuppose the duty will devolve upon me to eat all the _blesses'_ fancyfood for them. Dear me, Ruthie Fielding! Don't stay long. For if youdo I shall utterly ruin my figure."
It was very kind of the girls to agree to Ruth's suggestion, and sheappreciated it. But she could not tell them anything about what shewas to do while she was absent from the hospital.
Indeed, she barely knew herself what she would do--in detail, that is.She had put herself in the hands of Major Marchand and must wait tohear from him.
She dared not breathe to Helen a word of Tom's trouble. Nobody mustknow that she, Ruth, hoped in some way to aid him to escape from beyondthe German lines.
It seemed almost impossible for a girl--any girl--to pass from one sideof the battle front to the other. From the sea on the Belgian coast tothe Alps the trenches ran in continuous lines. Division after divisionof Belgians, British and their colonial troops, French, and Americansheld the trenches on this side, facing a great horde of Germans.
In places the huge guns stood so close together they all but touched.Beyond these were the front trenches, in which the sharpshooters andthe machine-gun men watched the enemy. And beyond again were thelistening posts and the wire entanglements.
How could a girl ever get through the jungle of barbed wire? And inplaces the Huns had strung live wires, carrying voltages strong enoughto kill a man, just as they did along the borderland of Holland.
When Ruth thought of these things she lost hope. But she tried not tothink at all. Major Marchand had bade her be of good hope.
She kept her mind occupied in showing the two girls their duties and inintroducing them to such of the nurses and other workers as Ruthherself knew well.
It was rather late in the afternoon, and she had heard no word of themajor, when Ruth and her two friends came out of a lower ward to themain entrance of the hospital just as an ambulance rolled in. Two ofthe _brancardiers_ came out of the hospital and drew forth onestretcher on which a convalescent patient lay.
"Oh, the poor man!" murmured Helen. "What do they do with him now?"
"He has come in from a field hospital," began Ruth. And then she sawthe face of the ambulance driver. "Oh, Charlie Bragg!" she called.
"What did I tell you?" said Jennie solemnly. "She knows 'em all. Theygrow on bushes around here, I warrant."
"They don't grow 'em like Charlie on bushes, I assure you," declaredRuth, laughing, and she ran down the steps to speak to the ambulancedriver, for she saw that he wanted to say something to her.
"Miss Ruth, I was told to whisper something in your private ear, andwhen I have said it, you are to do it, instantly."
"Goodness! What do you mean, Charlie Bragg?" she gasped.
"Listen. Those two _brancardiers_ are coming for the second man. Whenthey start up the steps with him, you pop into the back of theambulance."
"Why, Charlie!" she murmured in utter amazement.
"Are you going to do as you are told?" he demanded with much apparentfierceness.
"But the third man? You have another wounded man inside."
The stretcher-bearers slid the second convalescent out of the ambulance.
"Now!" whispered Charlie. "Do as you are told."
Half understanding, yet still much puzzled, the girl went around to therear of the ambulance. It was half dark within, but she saw the manlying on the third stretcher, the one overhead, put out a hand andbeckon her. She could see nothing of his face, his head was so muchbandaged. One arm seemed strapped to his side, too.
The engine of the car began to purr. Charlie clashed the clutch. Ruthjumped upon the step, and then crept into the covered vehicle. The carleaped ahead.
She heard Jennie Stone exclaim in utter amazement:
"Well, what _do_ you think of that? What did I tell you, Helen? Sheis actually running away."
In half a minute the ambulance was out of the courtyard and the dust ofthe village street wan rising behind it, as Charlie Bragg swung the carinto high gear.
This was adventure, indeed!