CHAPTER XXIVTHE CELLAR
A burstof laughter greeted the climax of Tom’s story.
“And now,” said Bart, “I propose that we wander over to the canteen and proceed to wrap ourselves around some apple pie and a few large and succulent doughnuts.”
The proposition met with instant acclaim, and without further debate the boys streamed off to the canteen where were sold the delicacies that made a special appeal to the soldiers after the regulation “chow.” They found the place crowded, but there was always room for more, and they squeezed their way in and demanded that the man behind the counter “shake a mean foot” and place before them the required “eats.” This was done, and big chunks of pie disappeared in magical fashion.
“Wow!” exclaimed Billy, with a deep sigh of satisfaction. “If I ever get back home again, I’m going to enter myself in a pie-eating contest. I’ll probably become champion of the world, buteven if I’m not, it will be an awful lot of fun trying.”
“The rest of us would run you a pretty good race,” grinned Tom.
“You think so, eh?” Billy came back at him. “All right, I’ll challenge you all as soon as we get back to the States and may the best man win.”
“The loser of course to pay the bill,” laughed Bart.
“Agreed,” replied Billy, “and now just to keep in training I’ll take another piece of that pie. Shoot it over, waiter, and make it snappy.”
At last even Billy’s voracious appetite was satisfied.
“Come along now, you cormorant,” said Tom. “You know we’ve got that appointment in Coblenz this afternoon and we haven’t got any too much time.”
“Are you fellows going across the river this afternoon?” asked Frank in some surprise.
“Why, yes,” said Tom, with a slight tinge of embarrassment. “Don’t you want to come along?”
Frank looked from Tom to Billy and a light broke in upon him.
“Not I,” he laughed. “I’m next to you fellows. Trot along and give my regards to Helen and Alice. I didn’t know the family had reachedCoblenz yet. But trust you fellows to find that out.”
Billy and Tom smiled a little sheepishly.
“They got there yesterday,” Billy explained.
“Bless you, my children, bless you,” said Frank mockingly. “Run along now and don’t keep the girls waiting. But all the same, fellows,” he added more seriously, “don’t get in too deep until you know that they’re loyal to the old U. S. A.”
“I’d stake my life on it,” replied Billy warmly.
“No doubt,” laughed Frank, “but just now, old man, you may not be a very good judge. Only be careful, that’s all.”
Two days later there was a grand review of the Army of Occupation. General Pershing himself had come to Coblenz for that purpose and the marching and countermarching of that great array of troops on a plain outside the city was a magnificent spectacle.
But the great feature of the day to the Army Boys was when they and a number of others were called out in front of the entire division and decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross. Frank got his for “extraordinary heroism,” as the citation called it, in capturing the machine gun and its crew single-handed. Tom and Billy were honored for their exploit in the tunnel affair while Bart was decorated for the occasion when in company with Frank he had rowed out intothe river and blown up the bridge over which the Germans were charging. The General himself pinned on the medals, and it was a proud group of Army Boys who trudged back to their quarters with the honors on their breasts after the review was ended.
They had done these things without the slightest thought of reward and simply because they loved their country. But it was good all the same to feel that Uncle Sam was not ungrateful.
Before they left the field, Frank had another pleasure. Colonel Pavet came over to him and congratulated him on his honors which, he declared, had never been better deserved.
“And at last I have the news that I have been hoping for for weeks,” he said. “I heard from Andre this morning that your mother’s property has at last been awarded to her. The last formality is settled, and if she were here she could take possession tomorrow.”
Frank wrung the colonel’s hand and thanked him with all his heart.
“I shall write my mother tonight,” he said. “I’ll do better than that! I’ll cable. She will be relieved and delighted beyond measure.”
“And tell her when you write,” smiled the colonel, “that when she is able to come over, I would be delighted to have both you and her spend as much time as possible on my estate.”
Frank promised and they parted with warm expressions of mutual regard. And that same night a cable message sped across the Atlantic bearing the good news that Frank was too impatient to wait for a letter to tell her.
A week or two later, the American authorities at Coblenz found it necessary to institute stricter measures. It was found that a large amount of material that should have been left to the American army by the terms of the armistice had been sold to unscrupulous buyers who had purchased it for a song and stored it away to be sold at a large profit later on.
A search was made throughout the city and many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of the goods were recovered. In looking about for a temporary place to store it, the authorities had commandeered a warehouse which was partly empty. Here they placed the goods and put them under guard of American soldiers.
One night the Army Boys were sent over to relieve the squad then on duty. As they reached the place, Tom and Billy gave an involuntary exclamation.
“What’s the matter?” asked Frank.
“Why,” replied Billy, “this is the warehouse of Mrs. Edsall’s father. Their dwelling house is right next door and connects with this.”
“You ought to know,” grinned Frank.“You’ve been here often enough. But it’s rather a queer coincidence that we should be sent to guard it.”
They entered the cellar where the bulk of the goods was stored.
“So this is the famous ‘cellar’ that the old man was always muttering about,” remarked Frank, as he looked curiously about him.
“The identical place,” replied Tom.
It was a long and wide cellar with many bales and barrels stored in it. The only light was from a lantern which had been lighted by the squad they had just relieved, and which hung from a beam at one end, leaving most of the place in darkness.