Chapter I: Part 1

*The Boy Allies*

*With Marshal Foch*

OR

The Closing Days of the Great
World War

By CLAIR W. HAYES

AUTHOR OF
"The Boy Allies With the Army Series"

A. L. BURT COMPANY
NEW YORK

Copyright, 1919
By A. L. BURT COMPANY

THE BOY ALLIES WITH MARSHAL FOCH

*THE BOY ALLIES*

*(Registered in the United States Patent Office)*

*WITH THE ARMY SERIES*

*By Clair W. Hayes*

The Boy Allies at Liege or, Through Lines of Steel

The Boy Allies on the Firing Line or, Twelve Days Battle along the Marne

The Boy Allies with the Cossacks or, A Wild Dash over the Carpathians

The Boy Allies in the Trenches or, Midst Shot and Shell along the Aisne

The Boy Allies in Great Peril or, With the Italian Army in the Alps

The Boy Allies in the Balkan Campaign or, The Struggle to Save a Nation

The Boy Allies on the Somme or, Courage and Bravery Rewarded

The Boy Allies at Verdun or, Saving France from the Enemy

The Boy Allies under the Stars and Stripes or, Leading the American Troops to the Firing Line

The Boy Allies with Haig in Flanders or, The Fighting Canadians of Vimy Ridge

The Boy Allies with Pershing in France or, Over the Top at Chateau-Thierry

The Boy Allies with the Great Advance or, Driving the Enemy through France and Belgium

The Boy Allies with Marshal Foch or, The Closing Days of The Great World War.

*CONTENTS*

CHAPTER

I. Good News
II. Through the Lines
III. Among the Enemy
IV. Chester is Indiscreet
V. An Enemy Plot Bared
VI. An Encounter
VII. The Advance
VIII. Toward Sedan
IX. The Battle
X. The Advance Continues
XI. A New Mission
XII. Hal Meets an Obstacle
XIII. Chester to the Rescue
XIV. The Closing of the Net
XV. The Capture of Sedan
XVI. An Unexpected Honor
XVII. Stubbs Again
XVIII. A Message from the Enemy
XIX. Hirson
XX. The German Envoys Arrive
XXI. Stubbs' Scoop
XXII. Spa
XXIII. The Kaiser Abdicates
XXIV. In Trouble Again
XXV. A Battle
XXVI. The Conference Resumed
XXVII. Stubbs Redeems Himself
XXVIII. The End draws near
XXIX. The Last Zero
XXX. Conclusion

*THE BOY ALLIES
WITH MARSHAL FOCH*

*CHAPTER I*

*GOOD NEWS*

"Heard the news, Hal?" asked Chester excitedly as he dashed into the small but comfortable dugout where the two boys were quartered with the Thirty-second division of American troops a few miles to the east of Rheims.

"No," replied Hal Paine, "what news?"

"Austria has sued for peace; it's the beginning of the end."

"Rats!" said Frank. "I've heard that before. I guess you're a bit premature, Chester."

"Not a bit of it," declared Major Chester Crawford emphatically. "I had the news from Colonel O'Neil himself. He says Austria has made overtures for an armistice, looking toward a permanent peace."

"Oh, an armistice," said Major Paine. "That's a horse of another color."

"But it means peace soon," protested Chester.

"It might ordinarily," Hal agreed, "but you must remember that dealing with enemies such as we have now, there is no telling what may happen. I don't know so much about the Austrians, but the Germans are a treacherous lot, and I've no doubt that long association with men of that ilk has taught the Austrians a thing or two. No, Chester, take my word for it, there is nothing to your news. Even if the Austrians have made such overtures, you may be sure there is a trick in it some place."

"By Jove! You're an optimistic sort, aren't you?" said Chester.

"Well," said Hal. "I'm not quite as credulous as you seem to be. Besides, why should Austria sue for peace now? It's true that she is getting the worst of the argument, as is Germany; but to my mind she is a long way from being compelled to throw up the sponge. Then, too, she wouldn't have the nerve to leave Germany in the lurch."

"All the same, I'm taking the news for true," declared Chester.

Hal shrugged his shoulders.

"To whom were these overtures addressed?" he asked at length.

"To President Wilson."

"Is that so? Well, it would seem that the Austrians had looked to the proper place. It would seem they knew who, perhaps, would let them down the easiest."

"But they won't be let down easily," said Chester. "What's the matter with you anyhow? You know as well as I do that they must make full reparation for the ruin they have caused."

"Exactly," said Hal, "which is the reason I say that no such overtures have been made; or if they have, they were prompted by some hidden motive."

"Personally," said Chester, "I don't care what you think. You are so confounded wise it's a wonder General Pershing hasn't resigned in your favor."

"Come, now, Chester," replied Hal. "Don't get sore. Can't you take a little joke?"

"I don't call that much of a joke. I came with a piece of news I thought you would be anxious to hear, and all you've done is scoff."

"Never mind," said Hal. "Personally, as I have said, I am inclined to the belief that you are all wrong, but at the same time I hope you are right. However, time will tell."

Chester was about to reply, but the sound of hurried footsteps without restrained him. A moment later there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," called Hal.

A lieutenant, whom the lads recognized as attached to Colonel O'Neil's staff, entered and came to attention.

"What is it, lieutenant?" asked Chester.

"Colonel O'Neil desires your presence in his quarters at once, sir," replied the lieutenant; "and, Major Paine also."

"We shall follow you at once, lieutenant," said Hal, reaching for his helmet, which lay on his cot.

The lieutenant saluted again, turned on his heel and departed. Hal and Chester followed him a few moments later.

"I thought it was about time we had something to do," said Hal as they hurried along.

"Right," Chester agreed. "We've been pretty quiet for the last week. I shall be glad to get busy again."

"Here too."

Hal Paine and Chester Crawford, natives of a small Illinois town, had been chums from early childhood. Together they had gone to school, toured the lumber country of the northwest where Hal's father owned large tracts of land; travelled extensively, and fought and played. So close had they been in their school days that their companions had dubbed them "The Boy Allies." More than one lad of more mature years had found to his sorrow that when he "picked on" one of them he had two to contend with.

At the outbreak of the great European war Hal and Chester were in Berlin with the former's mother. They were caught there by the German mobilization, and in attempting to get out of the German capitol, were separated from Mrs. Paine. Thrown thus upon their own resources, the two lads gave the first evidence of that resourcefulness which later was to stand them in good stead.

They joined forces with a French and an English officer and, after considerable excitement and adventure, reached the Belgian frontier just in time to be with the forces of King Albert when they made their desperate but futile stand at Liege.

In an unofficial capacity, the boys were able to render some little assistance to the Belgian commander, and later, through the latter's efforts, were permitted to join the Belgian forces. Several months later they found themselves commissioned lieutenants.

Hal and Chester had seen active service in all the theaters of war. They were with the British in France and Flanders; they served under General Joffre and under General Petain, French commanders, at the first battle of Verdun, when the German advance was checked just as it seemed the enemy must break through to Paris. They fought with the Cossacks on the eastern front, with the Italians in the Alps and with the Serbians and Montenegrins in the Balkans.

At the time the United States declared war on Germany, Hal and Chester were captains in the service of King George of England, serving at the time under Field Marshal Haig. With other Americans in the allied army, however, they were selected to return to the United States, where for some months they lent invaluable service to Uncle Sam in drilling raw recruits at the army training camps.

Such excellent reputations had they won, however, that when the first American expeditionary force sailed for France, Hal and Chester found themselves among them. Since their return, they had taken active parts in the American advance. They had been with the Marines at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood; they had been with the heroic Thirty-second division which had won undying fame in the Argonne forest, where the American forces had been all but annihilated under the German fire.

Now they had been resting for several days.

The turning point in the great war had come and gone. The full power of American might was making itself felt on the western battle front, where the Yankee troops time and again had proved themselves the masters of the best the German emperor had to offer. The tide had turned at Chateau-Thierry in the early summer, and from that time on the Americans, under the leadership of "Black Jack" Pershing, had pressed their advantage at every opportunity.

To the unprejudiced observer it was apparent that the Germans were already beaten. True, they might fight on for days, weeks or months, but their offensive power had been broken by the million and more Americans who had been hurled against them. There was nothing at the moment to indicate that the German emperor, his advisors, or the German people, were willing to cry for peace, but it was plain that the ultimate outcome was only a question of time.

From time to time came rumors of internal disorders in Germany. These, however, could not be substantiated, and for that reason it was impossible to tell that Germany was on the eve of a revolution.

Gradually the allies and the American forces had pushed their battle lines toward the east. Much of France and of Belgium, for almost four years occupied by the Germans, had been reclaimed. Everywhere, where there was fighting, the advantage rested with the allies. No longer did the Germans dash to the attack with the impetuosity that characterized their attacks in the early dawn of the war. Their morale had been broken.

Even the crack Prussian Guards, the flower of the German army, had been decisively beaten by the Americans at Chateau-Thierry. Hurled into the battle at the last moment in an attempt to stem the advance of American soldiers and marines, they had proved unequal to the task. The Yankees had proved their masters at every turn.

There was nothing for the Germans to do but retreat. This they did, slowly, contesting every inch of the ground. Gradually, however, their retreat became faster, and at some places it developed into utter rout.

Late in July of 1918 the enemy had been cleared from the greater part of France and Belgium. In fact, in Alsace-Lorraine, American troops were on German soil and threatening the strong fortresses of Metz and Strassburg. Germans had been cleared from the Argonne forest, which, in the enemy's possession, had proved one of the greatest menaces to the allied advance.

It appeared that the time was drawing near for a decisive blow by Marshal Foch.

The time was to come sooner than either Hal or Chester could possibly have conceived, and both boys were to bear a full burden of the fighting.

At the quarters of Colonel O'Neil, Hal and Chester waited a few moments before being ushered into the former's presence. But their time came eventually, and they hurried into Colonel O'Neil's office and stood at attention.

Colonel O'Neil looked up.

"Well, how do you feel, Major?" he asked of Hal.

"Pretty well, sir."

"Good. And you, Major Crawford?"

"Very well, sir."

"Good," said Colonel O'Neil again. "I'm glad to hear it, for I've an important piece of work that must be done at once and I wouldn't feel like calling upon you unless you are perfectly fit."

"We're perfectly fit, sir," declared Chester eagerly.

"Draw up chairs here, then," said the colonel.

The boys obeyed.

*CHAPTER II*

*THROUGH THE LINES*

"I suppose," said Colonel O'Neil, "you have both heard the rumor that Austria has sued for peace?"

"Yes, sir," replied Chester, "and I have tried to convince Hal of it, but he is inclined to be skeptical."

"And with good reason," declared Colonel O'Neil. "I don't place much confidence in the report myself. Nor, it seems, do my superiors. In fact, it is in regard to that report that I have summoned you here."

Hal smiled slightly.

"To me it seems the report is too good to be true," he volunteered.

"My sentiments exactly, Major," said Colonel O'Neil. "Nevertheless, it is, of course, possible that the report is true, and if it is true, it is the beginning of the end. However, before the general staff can take advantage of the report, it must be verified absolutely. With Austria suing for peace, and Bulgaria and Turkey virtually out of the war, we can strike such a blow at the Germans on the west front as will mean the end of the war before Christmas."

"I see," said Chester, "and it is to obtain confirmation of the report that you have summoned us?"

"Exactly," declared the colonel. "It stands to reason that if Austria has made peace overtures, the German general staff will know of it. Also, for that matter, will practically every man in the German army. It would appear that if we could place a man behind the enemy's lines, he could, with caution and discretion, learn the truth of the matter. I have called you here to offer you this opportunity."

"And we accept it, of course, sir," declared Hal.

"Of course," Chester repeated after his chum.

"Good!" exclaimed Colonel O'Neil. "I knew I could depend on you. General Rowan asked me to put the mission in the most capable hands I could find, and being familiar with your records, I know that my selection could not be better."

"Thank you, sir," said Hal and Chester in a single voice.

"Now," went on the colonel, "I don't want to hamper you with a lot of foolish and needless instructions, but I do want to impress upon you that the sooner the matter is cleared up the better. You will both be granted indefinite leave of absence, but I would ask that you return at the earliest possible moment."

"We shall, sir," said Chester quietly.

"Very well, then," replied Colonel O'Neil; "that is all."

The lads saluted and left the colonel's quarters.

"Well," said Hal, as they made their way back to their own quarters, "this is an expedition after my own heart."

"Right," Chester agreed. "I suppose that it's necessary to keep some of us sitting quietly around here, but at the same time I would rather it were someone besides me."

"Same here. But I'll bet some of the rest of the fellows would be tickled to death with our luck."

"Naturally; why shouldn't they be? Now the question before the house is the best method of crossing safely into the German lines."

"And of getting safely out again," said Hal dryly.

"That goes without saying. But we've got to get there first. The return trip will be considered later."

"There are ways enough of getting there," said Hal. "Automobile, airplane, afoot or a-horseback. Take your choice."

"Airship for me," said Chester; "its quicker and promises a greater degree of success."

"I'll make that unanimous," said Hal. "Airship is my vote, too."

"Guess we'd better wait until along toward midnight, though," Chester suggested.

"Why?"

"Well, chiefly because there is less likelihood of our being discovered at that hour. Guards will be posted, of course, but we've eluded them before and we can do it again. Also, arriving within the enemy's lines after midnight, will give us the chance of mingling with the German troops without so great a risk of discovery."

"Any way suits me," said Hal. "First thing to do, now that we have decided upon our means of locomotion, is to find a plane."

"I'll commandeer one from Captain Nicholas," said Chester.

"All right. Tell him to have it ready at midnight sharp."

"Right," said Chester and hastened away.

Hal meantime returned to their quarters and threw himself down upon his bunk. He was reclining at ease when Chester entered to report the airplane arranged for.

"Captain Nicholas said he would have it in flying trim exactly at midnight," said Chester. "Now, my advice is that we discard our uniforms and climb into German attire if we can round up the necessities."

"Guess that can be done, too, without any trouble," said Hal. "We've plenty of prisoners here. All we have to do is to change with them. I should say that Captain Nicholas could attend to that, too."

"I'll suggest it to him," said Chester, and took his departure.

The lad was back within the hour with two German uniforms, which had once adorned the forms of German captains of infantry.

"Seems we're losing rank here," commented Hal with a laugh. "You might at least have robbed a couple of generals or field marshals."

"Take what you can get these days and be thankful," grinned Chester. "Also, ask no questions. According to Captain Nicholas, even this pair of captains objected strenuously to being deprived of their uniforms. I imagine a general would have put up a terrible howl."

"You're probably right," Hal agreed. "Well, we'll be satisfied with what we have. If we're discovered it won't make much difference whether we're attired as privates or the kaiser himself."

"No, a firing squad could shoot through one as well as the other," Chester replied. "Now, all we have to do is wait until midnight."

"In which event," said Hal, "I shall woo sweet morpheus for two hours and fifteen minutes."

"Two hours and fifteen minutes is right," said Chester after a glance at his watch. "I'll follow suit."

Five minutes later both lads were stretched out in their bunks fast asleep. They slept soundly, but not so soundly, however, that they did not wake at the desired minute.

At fifteen minutes to twelve, Hal opened his eyes and sat up. Chester yawned, stretched and sat up a minute later.

"Time to be moving," he said, glancing at his watch again.

"Right," Hal agreed. "I'll be inside this German uniform in three minutes by the clock."

He was; and Chester found himself suitably attired a moment later.

"Now for the plane," said the latter.

He led the way to where a two-seated biplane was being guarded by several soldiers.

"All right, men," said Hal, "you can turn in now. We'll take charge of this craft."

The soldiers saluted and took their departure.

"Let's be moving," said Chester. "Into the pilot's seat with you, Hal."

"Thought maybe you wanted to do the driving this time, Chester," said Hal.

"That's a poor joke, Hal," declared Chester. "I don't want to die right this minute, and I guess you don't, either."

"Which is the reason I'm not going to argue with you who will do the piloting," Hal declared.

He clambered into the pilot's seat, and Chester took his place in the observer's compartment.

"All set?" called Hal.

"All set," was Chester's reply.

"Let her go, then," said Hal, and the single guard who had remained gave the machine momentum with a vigorous push.

The machine moved slowly across the ground at first, then, under Hal's guiding hand, dashed on swifter and swifter. Hal touched the elevating lever and the airplane soared into the air.

Now Chester had been aloft many times, but he had never reached a point where he was not affected by the sensation of the earth dropping away from him. For a moment he clung to the side of the car. His head cleared, in a twinkling, however, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"All right, Chester," Hal called back, not taking the time to turn his head.

"All right," was Chester's reply. "Step on her, Hal."

Hal obeyed this injunction, and the plane darted in the direction of the distant enemy like a big bird.

There was no light aboard the craft that carried the two lads toward the German lines. On either side, above and below, however, Hal could see now. and then a faint twinkle, indicating that other American craft, bent upon no such dangerous mission as Hal and Chester, still were on the alert to prevent a possible surprise attack by the foe.

These lights were soon gone, however, and now all that Chester could see was the faint outline of Hal's head before him. He looked back, but the last of the American lights had been lost in the distance. Ahead, the German lines were still too far distant for a plane to be distinguishable should it be on guard aloft.

The night was very dark. For this Hal felt thankful, for it meant that, barring accidents and the rays of German searchlights, he had more opportunity of guiding his craft into the enemy lines, unobserved. Could he escape the prying eyes of the foe's sentinels of the sky, he felt that he had nothing to fear.

The distance between the German and allied lines at that point, Hal knew, was less than three-quarters of a mile. This distance was covered in a jiffy, but still Hal kept the nose of the craft pointed due east, for it was his intention to come down well within the foe's lines rather than to risk a landing near the front.

But at last he felt he had gone far enough. His hand tightened on the controls and gradually the speed of the plane slackened. Chester leaned forward, and putting his mouth close to Hal's ears, exclaimed:

"Going down here?"

"Yes," was Hal's reply. "May as well, I guess. It should be as safe as any place. Suit you?"

Chester shrugged in the darkness.

"I'm satisfied if you are," he replied. "Shoot!"

The plane began to descend.

*CHAPTER III*

*AMONG THE ENEMY*

The aircraft settled to earth in the darkness as gently as a huge bird and Hal and Chester stepped out silently. For a moment they stood trying to get their bearings.

"Where do you figure we are?" asked Chester in a low tone.

"We should be a mile due east of Sedan," was Hal's reply. "I saw the lights of the city below as we passed."

"Sedan, eh?" said Chester. "What memories of school days that name conjures up, Hal."

"So it does," was Hal's whispered response: "Of Bismarck, of Napoleon III and of the French defeat in the deciding battle of the Franco-Prussian war."

"What a glorious thing it would be if the French could strike a decisive blow at the Germans here now," muttered Chester. "It would be retribution."

"No less," Hal agreed; "and still, to my mind, it would be extremely better if the decisive blow were delivered by American troops, whether at Sedan or elsewhere."

"Right, as usual, Hal," was Chester's reply.

And although neither lad knew it then, it was to be the fortune of American troops to wrest Sedan from the hands of the invader and to be the first forces of democracy to tread the streets of the historic city.

"We've talked enough, Chester," Hal whispered. "It's time for action."

"Let's be on the move, then," Chester whispered back. "Which way?"

"Might as well head toward the city, I guess."

"How about the plane here?"

Hal shrugged in the darkness.

"We'll have to leave it, I guess. If we're not back by morning it will be discovered, of course, and a search instituted for its occupants."

"Which might lead to our discovery," said Chester.

Again Hal shrugged.

"It might, of course," he agreed.

"Then why not pull it in among the trees there?" Chester wanted to know, pointing to a clump of trees a short distance away.

"Not a bad idea," Hal declared. "I hadn't noticed the trees, myself."

"As Stubbs would say, you must be more observing," was Chester's response. "Lay hold here."

With some effort the boys wheeled the plane into the little clump of trees and then stepped forth again.

"It may do," said Hal, eyeing the hiding place carefully in the darkness. "It's invisible enough now, but I don't know how well the foliage will protect the plane in daylight."

"It's the best we can do, at all events," declared Chester. "Come, let's be on our way."

"May as well, I guess," said Hal, and led the way toward the distant city of Sedan.

From time to time the lads passed hurrying figures as they walked along, but they were not so much as accosted. In their German uniforms, they felt reasonably safe, particularly so as their features were concealed by the darkness. Once in the city, however, they knew they would have to exercise greater caution.

Nevertheless they entered the outskirts of the city with firm tread and headed directly toward the center of town. Neither had been in Sedan before and each was conscious of the utter foolishness of prowling around the edge of the city.

"We've got to get among the foe if we want to learn anything," Hal said.

A few lights still twinkled in the city, despite the lateness of the hour. On what appeared to be the main street, the lads made out a fairly large hotel.

"Guess that's our destination," said Chester, pointing.

Hal nodded.

"That's the place," he said, "though I don't know what we'll do when we get there."

"Events will shape themselves," said Chester.

"That's what worries me. If I could shape them according to my own needs and desires it would be much better."

"Don't croak, Hal."

"I'm not croaking. I'm merely remarking."

"You remark a whole lot on the style of Anthony Stubbs, if you ask me," declared Chester. "Come on, let's go into the hotel."

Hal made sure that his revolvers were ready in his pockets before he followed Chester through the door. Both lads kept their caps well over their eyes, for while there was little danger of their being suspected, their countenances lacked the heavy sluggishness of the Germans--a fact which should it be noticed, might call for questions.

At one side of the small lobby was a desk. Chester approached it. A man rose to greet him.

"We want a room for the night," said Chester gruffly in German, using the commanding and ill-bred tone always affected by German officers in talking to inferiors in rank or civilians.

The man threw wide his arms.

"I'm sorry, Herr Captain," he said humbly, "but all the rooms are occupied."

"What!" said Chester angrily. "I said that my friend and I desire a room, and a room we will have if we have to trundle your guests out into the street."

"But----" protested the hotel clerk.

"Silence!" thundered Chester. "Now answer me. You have a room of your own, have you not?"

"Yes, Herr Captain, but----"

"Silence!" cried Chester again. "Your key, if you please."

Again the man seemed on the point of protesting, and Chester stepped quickly toward him.

"Your key," he said again, and extended his hand.

The clerk's hand reached to his pocket, and he extended a key to Chester.

"Yes, Herr Captain," he said humbly.

"Now lead the way to our room," commanded Chester, "and in future know that when an officer of the emperor commands, it is for you to obey."

"Yes, Herr Captain," said the man as he led the way toward the rear of the hotel.

There he preceded Hal and Chester up a flight of stairs and turned to the left. They walked down a long hall until they reached a door at the extreme end. Here the guide stopped, turned to Chester and opened his mouth to speak.

"Silence!" said Chester sharply. "Open the door."

The hotel clerk shrugged his shoulders in a manner that meant he washed his hands of the outcome and tried the knob of the door. The door swung inward and the clerk stood aside to allow Hal and Chester to pass.

It was dark in the room as the lads stepped across to the threshold. But hardly had they set foot in the room when a brilliant light shot forth.

For a moment the lads were blinded, but they were conscious of a startled ejaculation from the hotel clerk, who still stood without.

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "I thought so. Now for it, my dear Herr Captain."

When the lights flared up, Hal and Chester both dropped their hands to their revolvers. But before either could produce a weapon, a shrill voice cried in German:

"Hands up, there!"

There was nothing for the lads to do but obey. They still had not had time to accustom their eyes to the sudden light so were unable to distinguish the owner of the voice. But gradually their vision cleared.

Chester glanced sharply at the man who had stopped them. He sat up in bed and in both hands he held a revolver squarely levelled at the two lads.

Chester gave a sudden start. At the same moment the man in the bed gave vent to a queer sound and his revolvers wavered.

Chester leaped forward and possessed himself of the two revolvers with several quick movements. One of these he levelled at the man in the bed.

"Hands up!" he commanded sharply. The man in the bed opened his mouth to speak. "Silence!" cried Chester. "Not a word." He turned to Hal, who for the moment had been staring in open-mouthed wonder. "Explain to the clerk, Hal," said Chester, "that we will take possession of this room, also of its occupant. It might be well to tell him that he should have informed us his room was occupied. We will discuss that later."

"But I tried to tell you, Herr Captain," declared the frightened clerk. "You would not listen, Herr Captain!"

"Silence!" commanded Chester. "Leave the room, and not one word about this matter as you value your life. We shall take charge of your other guest here. I've no doubt we shall all be good friends in the morning."

Still the clerk hesitated, but Hal settled the argument. He stepped quickly toward the clerk.

"Get out!" he commanded sharply.

The hotel clerk vanished.

In the meantime the man in the bed had been gazing at the two lads in astonishment. With his captured revolvers still in his hands, Chester approached him.

"Well," he said, "and what are you doing here, if I may ask?"

"By George! I don't see that it is any business of yours what I am doing here," was the reply in English. "I might ask the same of you."

"And you might get the same answer, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal. "Threatened to shoot us when we came in, didn't you?"

"And why shouldn't I?" demanded Anthony Stubbs, war correspondent of the New York Gazette and companion of Hal and Chester on many a perilous venture. "When a man breaks into another man's room the first thing the man in the room naturally thinks about is something with which to protect himself. I had those guns under my pillow and when I heard you come in, I pressed the electric light button and grabbed the guns."

"Well, it's fortunate you didn't use 'em, Stubbs," said Hal. "If you had shot me and I had found it out, I'd have had to lay you across my knee."

"You would, eh?" grumbled Stubbs. "I guess you would find that quite a job."

"Come, come, Stubbs," said Chester: "and you, too, Hal. We're in a ticklish position and there is no time for foolishness. What are you doing here, Stubbs?"

"Well," said Stubbs, "I'll tell you; but as you'll have to spend the night here, make yourselves comfortable. Sit down."

*CHAPTER IV*

*CHESTER IS INDISCREET*

"First," Stubbs began, when the boys had pulled their chairs close to his bed and he had propped himself up with a pair of pillows, "first I want to know what you mean, Chester, by jumping me the way you did a few minutes ago?"

"Well," said Chester, "you had a pair of guns wabbling in your hands and I was afraid one might accidentally go off. Safety first, Mr. Stubbs."

"That sounds all right," was Stubbs' dry comment, "or rather, I should say, it would sound all right if I didn't know you so well. It's my candid opinion you just jumped me because a good opportunity presented itself."

"Come, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester, "you know I wouldn't----"

"Oh, I do, do I?" exclaimed Stubbs sarcastically. "I know all about you, Chester, you can bet on that."

"Then maybe you can tell me what Hal and I are doing here," replied Chester.

"No, I can't do that exactly, but its a safe assertion that you are up to your old snooping tricks again."

"Then why are you here, Mr. Stubbs?" Chester wanted to know.

Stubbs smiled wryly.

"I guess you have me there, my boy," he said good-naturedly. "I'm here to snoop a little myself."

"As I thought," Hal put in. "By any chance, Mr. Stubbs, have you heard rumors that Austria has or is about to sue for peace?"

Stubbs sat up straight in bed.

"Now where did you get that idea?" he demanded.

"Because we're here in an attempt to verify that rumor," was Hal's reply.

Stubbs sighed.

"Well, there is no use trying to conceal my mission," he said; "and yet I was in hopes I was the possessor of information that would give me a 'scoop' for my paper; or an exclusive 'beat,' if you like that better."

"But surely you didn't hope to have such information if it were not known to the military authorities," protested Chester.

"And why didn't I?" demanded Stubbs, with some heat. "Let me tell you something, my boy. It's no infrequent thing for a newspaper man to gain knowledge of a certain thing long before it comes to the ears of the proper authorities."

"Then it is up to you to acquaint the proper authorities with your information," said Hal.

"Not a bit of it. Not a bit of it. My duty is to get the facts to my paper ahead of the correspondents of the other papers. That's what I'm paid for; and you can bet I'll do it if I get a chance."

"That's all beside the question right now, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester. "It seems that you are here on a mission similar to ours. Now the question is, shall we join forces or shall we work separately?"

"I don't know," said Stubbs. "You see, I've been on the ground longer than you have and have already made considerable progress. Looks to me like I'd be giving you my information in return for nothing."

"Oh, of course if that's the way you feel about it," said Chester, considerably nettled.

"Hold on, now!" protested Stubbs. "Not so fast, if you please. I didn't say I wouldn't throw in with you, did I?"

"No, you didn't say it," returned Chester significantly.

"Then don't cry until you're hurt," enjoined Stubbs. "At the same time there is another reason that tells me to let you go at this thing in your own way."

"And that, Mr. Stubbs?" asked Hal.

"That," returned Stubbs, "is because every time I get mixed up with you fellows I get in trouble. Either I'm moving forward a couple of leaps ahead of a bayonet, or I'm all snarled up in a knot of struggling Germans; and I don't like that, I tell you. I'm a peaceable man."

Hal and Chester laughed.

"Oh, yes, we know how peaceable you are," said Hal. "We're perfectly willing to bank on your courage, Mr. Stubbs."

"Well, I'm not exactly willing to bank on it myself," replied Stubbs grumblingly, but he was plainly pleased.

"Whatever you think best, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester.

"Surely, Chester," said Stubbs, "you didn't take me seriously? Surely you knew that I am willing to do whatever I can to further the cause of America and her allies. I was simply joking."

"Maybe you were," returned Chester, not at all convinced, "but all I've got to say is that you have a mighty poor way of showing it."

"Then I'll do better," said Stubbs. "Listen." He proceeded in a low tone. "I've been here for two days. I heard rumors some time ago that Austria and Germany were at the breaking point. Bulgaria, out of the war, as she has been for several weeks, it became apparent that Germany's other two allies would soon leave her in the lurch. Now Turkey doesn't matter so much, although with the Ottomans out of the war the strain on the allies will be lessened considerably. But with Austria--the kaiser's most important and powerful ally, ready to quit--the moment seems auspicious. Now, I wanted to be on the ground floor when the news broke. That's why I took a chance and sneaked through the German lines; that's why I'm here.

"That's why we're here, too," said Hal quietly.

"Now, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester, "you inferred that you had already learned something. What is it, if I may ask?"

"I didn't exactly say that," protested Stubbs. "However, I have found what in the newspaper business is called a 'leak' and I have hopes it will produce some news before many hours have passed."

"And what is this leak, Mr. Stubbs?"

"Why," said Mr. Stubbs, "its none other than our friend the night clerk whom you so unceremoniously ordered from the room a few minutes ago. He thinks I'm a pretty regular fellow. The reason is plain enough. I've been supplying him with tobacco for the last two days."

Both lads smiled.

"It's no wonder then," said Chester. "Tobacco is one of the luxuries in Germany to-day. But who are you supposed to be, Mr. Stubbs?"

"Me?" said Stubbs, "why I'm nothing more than a German-American who was caught in Germany by the war, who is in sympathy with the German cause and not at all anxious to get back to the States. In fact, the clerk is positive I'd be wearing a German uniform if I were not above military age."

"But you're not above the German military age, Mr. Stubbs," Hal protested.

"Well, the clerk doesn't know that," said Stubbs significantly.

"You're a pretty shrewd customer, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester. "I guess if you've managed to fool the clerk this long you'll get by, all right."

"I will, unless you get me mixed up in some of your scrapes," declared Stubbs. "But you boys must be tired. Ring the bell there for the clerk. I'll tell him that we have found we have mutual friends and that I will permit you to spend the night in my room."

The clerk returned in response to the summons and Stubbs outlined the situation. The clerk offered no protest; in fact, he offered to supply cots for Mr. Stubbs' visitors.

These arrived directly and as soon as the clerk withdrew, Hal and Chester tumbled into their beds. "There is nothing that may be done to-night," said Stubbs. "Get a good rest, boys."

In spite of the fact that it was late when they retired, all three were up bright and early in the morning and went to breakfast in the small dining room of the hotel.

As they were finishing their coffee--without sugar or cream, by the way, these being other verboten luxuries in Germany--Chester's attention was arrested by the entrance of a tall, stately German woman, accompanied by a girl of perhaps eighteen years. They sat down at a table but three removed from where the friends were seated.

Hal followed the direction of Chester's eyes and smiled.

"Don't play the gallant now," he whispered in a low voice.

Chester flushed.

"By Jove!" he said. "You're the limit. Can't a fellow look at a pretty girl without drawing some such remark from you?"

"But I know you so well," laughed Hal.

"Rats!" Chester ejaculated.

At that moment two young German officers entered the room and strode toward the table where mother and daughter--as Chester had surmised the two to be--sat. They stopped suddenly, noticing apparently for the first time that the table was occupied.

"Himmel!" one exclaimed. "Conditions are pretty bad when a man cannot find a seat at his own table."

The words were plainly audible to the mother, and daughter, and their faces turned red. The elder made as though to rise, but the girl restrained her.

"We have as much right here as they have, Mother," she said.

Chester grinned to himself. It did him good to hear the girl talk like that, for he had not been favorably impressed with the appearance of the officers--both in the uniform of captains--in the first place.

"We shall have to ask you to leave our table," said the German officer who had spoken before.

It was the girl who protested.

"We'll stay where we are," she said.

The German grew angry.

"Is this the manner in which to treat one of his majesty's officers?" he demanded.

The girl deigned no reply.

"Did you hear me?" demanded the German again.

Still no reply.

The German stepped quickly forward, and laying his hand on the back of the girl's chair, jerked it back from the table. As he did so, the girl leaped to her feet. Her hand shot out and the German staggered back, his face red where the girl's open palm had struck.

"Himmel!" he cried angrily.

He stepped forward and seized the girl by the wrist.

Now Chester had been watching these proceedings with rising indignation. When the man seized the girl's wrist, for the moment Chester lost all thought of his surroundings, threw caution to the winds and rose quickly. As quickly he stepped across the room.

"Let the girl alone," he growled angrily.

The German wheeled on him, and recognizing in the lad no superior officer, stood his ground.

"And who are you?" he demanded.

"I'll show you," said Chester angrily.

He struck out with his right fist. "Smack." The German staggered back.

*CHAPTER V*

*AN ENEMY PLOT BARED*

Hal and Stubbs were on their feet immediately. Both hurried to Chester's side. Seeing these reinforcements, the friend of the first German officer, who had advanced apparently to aid his companion, stepped back. So did the man who had gripped the girl's wrist.

For a moment the latter glared angrily at Chester. Then his hand dropped to his holster. But before he could draw a weapon, Chester whipped out his own automatic and covered him.

"None of that," the lad said angrily.

Realizing that he had been caught in a position, not to his credit, the first German sought to temporize.

"I'm sorry if I was a bit hasty," he apologized to the German girl and her mother. "The truth is, I have had little rest lately, my nerves are bad and I am easily disturbed. I apologize."

The girl accepted the apology with a slight inclination of her head. Her mother said nothing.

The German turned to Chester.

"You struck me, sir," he said, "and under different conditions I would demand satisfaction. But in this case, you acted very properly. I would have done the same in your place."

He bowed to Chester, who lowered his revolver and slowly returned it to its holster.

This was the moment for which the treacherous German had been waiting. Suddenly he whipped out his own revolver.

But Hal, too, had been on the alert. A peculiar look in the German's eye had warned the lad that the man was bent on mischief. Therefore, Hal's revolver flashed forth a second sooner than that of Chester's enemy.

"Drop that!" called Hal sharply.

The German obeyed. There was nothing else for him to do. His head dropped, and a guilty flush crept over his face. Hal stepped forward and picked up the man's revolver, which he stowed safely in his own pocket.

"I thought you betrayed your true characteristics when you insulted these ladies," said Hal. "I am sure of it now. I shall make it my business to see that this matter is reported to the proper authorities. You may go now."

Without a word, and followed by his companion, the German turned and strode toward the door. As he would have passed out, he stopped suddenly and brought his heels together and saluted sharply. His companion did likewise.

A moment later a figure in the uniform of a German general of infantry stepped into the room. He halted just inside the door, as he took in the situation about him. The others still stood as they had when Chester's opponent had left them, and the general realized instantly that something was amiss. Hal and Chester saluted as the general strode across the room without so much as a glance at them, and addressed the mother.

"What is the matter?" he asked.

It was the girl again who replied.

"That man insulted me, father," she said, indicating Chester's erstwhile foe, and in a few brief words she told how Chester had come to her assistance.

The general saluted Chester, then Hal in turn.

"I will talk with you later, sirs," he said. "Right now I have other business."

He strode across the room to where the young German officers stood, awaiting permission to take their departure. Straight the general went to the man who had accosted his daughter, stopped close to him, raised his right arm and brought his open palm stingingly across the other's face.

"Let that teach you," he said, "that a German officer does not insult women of his own race."

The German captain staggered back, but said nothing.

"You may go now," said the general. "You will hear more from me later."

The young officers left the room hurriedly.

General Knoff, for as such the general now introduced himself to Hal, Chester and Stubbs, addressed Chester quietly.

"You have befriended my wife and my daughter," he said. "I thank you, sir."

Chester saluted again, but made no reply.

"It is my wish that you all join us at breakfast," continued the general.

"We should be pleased, your excellency," said Chester politely, "save for the fact that we have just breakfasted."

"Then you shall at least have another cup of coffee with us," said General Knoff.

Chester bowed his assent, for he realized there was nothing else to do. A mere German captain did not refuse an invitation from a general--not under the iron discipline that still ruled in the armies of the kaiser.

Accordingly, the three friends seated themselves at the table with the others. Coffee was soon before them, and Chester presently found himself in animated conversation with the general's daughter, Kathryn. Stubbs conversed mostly to Frau Knoff, while the general kept Hal engaged.

For some time they talked on general topics, touching only briefly on the war. But as always with soldiers, the conversation at last turned into that channel.

Suddenly Hal's heart gave a quick thump. Here, the lad told himself, was an opportunity that was not to be overlooked. Undoubtedly, if he would, General Knoff could verify or set at naught the rumor that Austria had, or was about to, sue for peace. Hal drew a long breath, then said:

"I understand, your excellency, that our enemies are regaling themselves with a report that Austria is about to desert the emperor and sue for peace."

General Knoff set his cup down abruptly, and gazed closely at Hal.

"And do you believe that?" he asked at last.

Hal shook his head and smiled slightly.

"Why should Austria desert?" he asked. "We have the advantage at this moment, in spite of the fact that we have suffered some reverses lately. No; if the war were to end now, Germany is victorious."

"Good!" said General Knoff. "I like that talk, for it is becoming rare these days. These light reverses you speak of seem to have affected others more strongly--to have shaken their confidence. However, it is well that our foes think the slight difference of opinion between his majesty and the emperor of Austria may result in a complete breach; yes, it is well."

"You mean, your excellency," said Hal, taking another long chance, "that such rumors have been circulated intentionally--that the enemy may be taken off their guard?"

General Knoff glanced around cautiously. He waited a moment, then said:

"You will understand, of course, that it is impossible for me to answer yes to your question; at the same time, I cannot deny it."

"I understand, your excellency," replied Hal, "and you may be sure that I shall say nothing of what I know."

"You know nothing!" said the general sharply.

"Very well, your excellency," said Hal quietly. "I know nothing."

General Knoff turned the conversation into other channels. Directly he asked the name and position of Hal's and Chester's regiments. Fortunately, both lads had posted themselves in advance and their answers did not rouse the general's suspicions.

At last breakfast came to an end. The three friends made their adieus to their new friends, and retired at once to Stubbs' room.

"Well," said that worthy, when they were settled comfortably and secure against intrusion, "we've learned something, Hal. But I'll tell you, you took my breath away when you began to pump the general."

"And mine, agreed Chester.

"Well, it looked like the best way to me," declared Hal. "I figured it wasn't wise to pass up an opportunity like that."

"It worked, anyway," said Stubbs. "But the general must have been in a particularly good humor. Otherwise such a question might have meant prison, at least, for all of us."

"As it chanced," said Hal, "the general was in a particularly good humor. Chester had just put him there; and by the way, Chester, it's all right to be gallant and all that, but it strikes me you should have used a little more discretion."

"I didn't hurt anything," Chester grumbled. "On the contrary, if I hadn't interfered as I did we wouldn't know what we do now."

"That's true enough," Stubbs admitted. "But I stand with Hal. It's not wise to rush to the aid of every fair damsel in distress, especially when you're masquerading in the uniform of the enemy. It might bring a firing squad, and I have no particular fondness for firing squads."

"All the same," said Chester, "you couldn't stand by and see a boor of a Dutchman pick on a couple of helpless women."

"Careful on that Dutchman stuff, Chester," Stubbs cautioned. "Remember the Hollander has no more use for a German than you have."

"Well, all right," returned Chester sulkily, "but Hal always starts picking on me if I look at a girl."

"It's no time to be looking at girls when you are on business," declared Hal grimly. "You're altogether too susceptible to the charms of the fairer sex, Chester."

"Rats!" said Chester. "You make me tired, both of you."

"Well, we'll pass all that up," said Anthony Stubbs. "The question to consider now is whether we shall take the general's statement as sufficient to brand the Austrian peace rumor as a German plot."

"It's enough for me," declared Hal.

"Same here," agreed Chester.

"I'm perfectly satisfied myself," said Stubbs. "I am afraid the New York Gazette will lose a good story as a result, but I can't help that. I'm not going to yell peace when there is no peace. Now the thing to do, to my mind, is to get back to our own lines."

"Right," said Hal briefly. "We'll make the attempt to-night, if you are both agreeable."

The others nodded their agreement. Hal told Stubbs of the hidden airplane, and it was decided to make the return trip in that craft if the Germans had not discovered it.

"In the meantime," said Stubbs, "we'll just stick close to this room; it's safer."

And so they spent the day in the quiet little hotel of historic Sedan.

*CHAPTER VI*

*AN ENCOUNTER*

It was after dark when Hal, Chester and Stubbs left the seclusion of the hotel and started toward the spot where the lads had hidden their airplane the morning before.

There were plenty of signs of military activity in Sedan as the three friends passed along the streets, but no one interfered with them. To all intents and purposes they were precisely what they seemed--two German army officers and a civilian above the military age. And at last they came to the outskirts of the town.

"How much farther, Hal?" Stubbs wanted to know.

"Not much," was Hal's reply. "Perhaps a mile, Mr. Stubbs."

"Not far, eh?" said Stubbs with some sarcasm. "I hope you don't call that close."

"It's likely to be a whole lot farther to our lines than we have figured, if the plane is gone," Chester put in.

"And I'm willing to bet it'll be gone," declared Stubbs.

"There you go, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal. "Nobody could ever truthfully call you an optimist."

"I've lived too long and seen too much to be an optimist," was the little man's response. "Now, who wants to bet we won't have to hoof it back to the American lines?"

"I'll take that bet, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester, "just to show you that it pays to be an optimist. What'll it be?"