y was conscious of something serious in the air. The faces that looked up as he entered were serious, and some of them frowning. Colonel Bright threw him a glance, then continued his restless tramp

rt," said

given a chance to explain his tardy arr

s the First Aid Station in trench D," he said. "He is uncon

eral, while Colonel Bright stopped hi

ir," sa

the wireless statio

r," sai

ed the officer with

, just outside the Germ

o his feet, then sett

ly. "Make it unofficially, in you

ed that he swayed, and involuntarily he caught at the

eat toward Porky, who gratefully sank into it.

ral kindly. "I am sorry. When you have finished you shall hav

one offered him a cup of hot tea and

d gratefully. "I guess I can tell the story

. I found the men all working over the instrument. One of the pins had come loose a

e had left the station just before I got there. I kept after him all afternoon. It seemed like every place he went, I got there just after he had gone on. He had that bunch of papers you gave him, General, and was leaving them all around at the different sect

the General, sm

d been seen walking that way, and it struck me that perhaps he had a few hours' leave, and was just roaming around for a rest. But I knew I had to collar him, so I went on looking, and pretty soon

ll, sir, that was pretty queer, it seemed to me! Some one in our uniform walking around out there and it made me forget all about Lieutenant Bogardus, and I commenced to follow. Only I got down and crawled. It was getting darker, but I could see perfectly plain. Then I guess somebody saw us, or a plane reported, or something. Anyhow, all at once both sides commenced to shoot. Well I thought I was a gone goose, sir. They hit everything but me, I should say. Then the Germans commenced to throw smoke bombs, and I near

g to hold and I was pretty glad I did afterwards. The man I had followed was lying there in the shell crater, on his back. I could see he was hurt pretty bad. A flare went up, and I saw it was Bogardus. He looked pretty bad. But what got my alleys, General, was that the German was beside him, and he was going through his pockets just like lightning. The German had a broken leg himself, but I didn't k

cket. Gee, he looked at me ugly! I said as polite as I could, 'You cut that out!' but he got it loose, and shot at me, and he just did

eneral. "All in the day

ed hard a cou

im report to you; and he was not in any condition to report to a

you were?" demanded the

ther is in trouble of any sort. So I knew he would find me, and I just sat

chuc

t. I was looking for him so hard that it scared me when I saw him. Anyhow

him?" asked

pretty thin," s

the German?" a

shell crater," sa

y valuable papers on h

f that, so I just went through him and took everything he had." He commenced to

a number of orders, and some codes. There was also a packet of blank paper

," he said, t

picked

g like this at home awhile ago. We came near m

ar the heat of the candle. On the instant

lamation and leaned back in his

I'm sorry it took me so long. I certainly did seem to miss him all around. I'm

can be relieved from all duty for forty-eight hours. You have earned a rest. We will have to go through these p

, distinctive handwriting. Porky, in the big chair opposite, watched him for a little, then he rested

of the General's pen and the steady tramp, tramp, tramp of the Colonel as he softly paced up

d but he felt that it wasn't solid. The man he had seen was not a ghost. He was certainly too solid to disappear into thin air. He had come from somewhere, and he had gone somewhere. Benny made up his mind that he would find out if it took all night. He stood thinking. Then he whistled in an offhand m

ainst the tiles waited patiently, his eyes fixed on the distant doorway. The hallway was lighted with a small and feeble kerosen

noiselessly over and a face looked out into the hall, Beany did not start; he did not feel surprised. A

rn, but not once did they drop to the floor where Beany's bright eyes watched every move. Beany had to smile, it was so funny. The unknown

clear, the man, (for it was a man), stepped out of the dark slit in the wall, carefully closed the panel, and once more stood listening at the d

ched brea

that Beany seriously thought of trying to creep up behind him, give the alarm, grab him and hang on, trusting to luck that the door would be opened soon enough to prevent the man from killing him. It was a crazy idea and Beany banished it. It was well that he did, for at that moment the panel, which had been left partly opened, slid wide and a second man appeared. He was a tall man, apparently in uniform. What his uniform was, Beany could not see. It was closely covered with a long,

n the two. One and then the other stooped to the keyhole. Then the second man n

saw what he so wanted to see-the secret of its opening. The man's hand sought something in the upper left corner, Beany could not see in the poor light just what it was, but the ma

t woman who pottered around the offices brushing up and

he shoulder and shook him violently, whispering a stream of comment in his ear. She waved her broom thr

uld manage to carry

e Beany felt his mouth sag open and his eyes bulge with amazement. Even in the midst of his surprise he could not help wondering just what personal remarks he and Porky had made about her on a dozen different occa

f the most brilliantly educated women of her time. Once there had been a day when her parlors in Berlin had been filled with the most renowned and high-born men and women in the world. Not only me

stood clutching in one hand a coarse home-made broom, while with the oth

him before her into the passage in the wall,

was

It was a huge old keyhole, made in the days when keys were large enough to almost take the places of trench billies. He could see most of the room. The General sat writing at the

as a crazy thought, but to Beany in

and then, just as he despaired, felt the heavy wood give under his touch. He pushed

ge was pi