The Boy Allies in the Trenches Part 18

"Pretty good fit, isn't it?" he asked.

"Well, it's not so awfully good," replied Stubbs, concealing a grin, "but I guess it will answer the purpose. Now throw that shawl over your head and you'll be fixed."

Hal, by this time, had climbed into the second costume, and now strode about.

"Hold on a minute," said Stubbs. "You'll have to roll up your trousers'

legs, or a puff of wind is likely to come along and give you away."

Both lads obeyed this injunction.

"That's better," said the war correspondent, after eying them critically.

"Now, let's see if there is anything else."

He stood back a few paces and surveyed them carefully.

"How do we look?" asked Hal.

"It would be a shame to tell you," said Stubbs cheerfully. "However, I guess you will pa.s.s muster. Wait a minute, though, there is another thing. You stand too erect. Stoop over a little bit. That's better. Now you have it," he exclaimed, as the lads dropped into the proper pose.

"Now, rub your hands in the dirt a bit and streak your faces."

The lads obeyed, and once more Stubbs stood off and surveyed them long and carefully.

"I guess that will do all right," he murmured.

"What are we supposed to be, anyway?" demanded Chester.

"Apple-women," replied Stubbs.

"Then where are the apples and baskets?" asked Hal.

"Well, you are shy on them right now," said Stubbs. "So you will have to do the best you can without 'em. If you are questioned, which I don't believe you will be, say that you have sold out; that you have thrown your baskets away and that you are going to try to get to a place of safety."

"But I didn't know there were any apple-women near here," said Chester.

"Well, there aren't any," replied Stubbs. "However, if there had not been two, I wouldn't have been able to get these clothes for you."

"How did you get them?"

"Bought 'em."

"Then why didn't you get the baskets and apples, too?" asked Hal.

The little man sniffed his contempt.

"I would have looked nice lugging two big baskets about, wouldn't I?" he asked. "If I had tried that I'd have been shot a long while ago. I had trouble enough getting here with the bundle without being seen."

"But why--" began Hal.

"Great Scott!" exclaimed Stubbs. "You fellows should have been newspaper men. You can ask more fool questions to the minute than anyone I ever heard."

The little man's feelings were considerably ruffled, and Hal hastened to a.s.suage them.

"Don't think for a minute we are not grateful," he said. "If we succeed in getting safely away we'll owe you a deep debt of thanks."

"Rats!" exclaimed Stubbs. "I don't want any thanks. All I want is to get you fellows out of here."

"But how are you going to get away?"

"Don't you worry about me. I'll get away, all right--a newspaper man can go any place, any way and any time."

"Except in times of war."

"Well, perhaps so," admitted Stubbs. "However, I have my pa.s.s. I'll get away, all right, but not until I have found some news for the Gazette."

"But you are not paid to get killed," said Hal.

"No," was the reply, "but I am paid to get news. Now, I'll go out under the tent first, and if the coast is clear, I'll whistle twice, like this." He whistled softly.

The boys signified that they understood. Stubbs held out his hands, and both lads grasped them.

"Good-by, and good luck," said Stubbs quietly.

He crossed the tent quickly, dropped down, and wormed his way out slowly and silently.

CHAPTER XIV.

THROUGH THE NIGHT.

Hal and Chester listened intently.

One minute pa.s.sed, then two, then three, and then a low whistle broke the stillness. Once, twice, it came.

The boys sprang into action.

"You go first, Hal," whispered Chester.

Hal nodded, and, dropping to his knees, crawled beneath the tent. In a few seconds, he was on the outside, where Chester joined him a moment later.

They looked around for Stubbs, but he was not there. The little war correspondent, his work done, had sought safety in flight. He realized that, should anything go wrong and the three be recaptured together, it would go hard with all of them.

The lads could hear the footsteps of the guard, as he paced to and fro in front of the tent they had just left. While to the rear and on both sides, farther away, they could also hear the tramp of other sentries, as they made their rounds.

A sentry came into view to the rear, but pa.s.sed on without seeing them.

Immediately the lads made their way whence he had come, and soon had put considerable distance between them and their late prison. Here, sure that they were far enough from their recent quarters not to cast suspicion upon themselves should they be seen, they walked boldly forward.