Tom Slade with the Boys Over There | Page 8

heart
because he cannot make you ze true welcome. But you do not know.
We are--how you say--persecute--all ze time. Zey own Alsace, but zey
do not love Alsace. It is like--it is like ze stepfather--you see?" she
added, her voice breaking. "So zey have always treat us."
For a few seconds Tom stood, awkward and uncomfortable; then
clumsily he reached out his hand and took hers.
"You don't mean they'll take you like they took the people from
Belgium, do you?" he asked.
"Ziss is worse zan Belgium," Florette sobbed. "Zere ze people can
escape to England."
"Where would they send you?" Tom asked.
"Maybe far north into Prussia. Maybe still in Alsace. All ze familees
zey will separate so zey shall meex wiz ze Zhermans." Florette
suddenly grasped his hand. "I am glad I see you. So now I can see all ze
Americans come--hoondreds----
"Tomorrow in ze night I will bring you ze clothes," she whispered,
"and more food, and zen you will be rested----"
"I feel sorry for you," Tom blurted out with simple honesty, "and I got
to thank you. Both of us have--that's one sure thing. You're worse off
than we are--and it makes me feel mean, like. But maybe it won't be so
bad. And, gee, I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow night, too."
"I will bring ze sings, surely," she said earnestly.
"It isn't--it isn't only for that," he mumbled, "it's because I'll kind of
look forward to seeing you anyway."
For another moment she lingered and in the stillness of night and the
thickly roofed arbor he could hear her breath coming short and quick,
as she tried to stifle her emotion.

"Is--is it a sound?" she whispered in sudden terror.
"No, it's only because you're scared," said Tom.
He stood looking after her as she hurried away under the ramshackle
trellis until her slender figure was lost in the darkness.
"It'll make me fight harder, anyway," he said to himself; "it'll help me
to get to France 'cause--'cause I got to, and if you got to do a thing--you
can...."
CHAPTER V
THE VOICE FROM THE DISTANCE
"My idea," said Archer, when Tom returned, "is to break that stick
about in half and prop the doorr just wide enough open so's we can
crawl in. Then we can spread the vines all overr the top just like it was
beforre and overr the opening, too. What d'ye say?"
"That's all right," said Tom, "and we can leave it a little open tonight.
In the morning we'll drop it and be on the safe side."
"Maybe we'd betterr drop it tonight and be on the safe side," said
Archer. "S'pose we should fall asleep."
"We'll take turns sleeping," said Tom decisively. "We can't afford to
take any chances."
"You can bet I'm going to get a sooveneerr of this place, anyway," said
Archer, tugging at a rusty nail.
"Never you mind about souvenirs," Tom said; "let's get this door
camouflaged."
"I could swap that nail for a jack-knife back home," said Archer
regretfully. "A nail right fresh from Alsace!"
But he gave it up and together they pulled the tangled vine this way and

that, until the door and the opening beneath were well covered. Then
they crawled in and while Archer reached up and held the door, Tom
broke the stick so that the opening was reduced to the inch or two
necessary for ventilation. Reaching out, they pulled the vine over this
crack until they felt certain that no vestige of door or opening could be
seen from without, and this done they sat down upon the straw, their
backs against the walls of the vat, enjoying the first real comfort and
freedom from anxiety which they had known since their escape from
the prison camp.
"I guess we're safe herre forr tonight, anyway," said Archer, "but
believe me, I think we've got some job on our hands getting out of this
country. It's going to be no churrch sociable----"
"We got this far," said Tom, "and by tomorrow night we ought to have
a good plan doped out. We got nothing to do all day tomorrow but
think about it."
"Gee, I feel sorry for these people," said Archer; "they'rre surre up
against it. Makes me feel as if I'd like to have one good whack at Kaiser
Bill----"
"Well, don't talk so loud and we'll get a whack at him, all right."
"I'd like to get his old double-jointed moustache for a sooveneerr."
"There you go again," said Tom.
Now that the excitement was over, they realized how tired they were
and indeed the strain upon their nerves, added to their bodily fatigue,
had brought them almost to the point of exhaustion.
"I'm all in," said Archer wearily.