dron on a
bombing-expedition well within the enemy lines. The formation had
successfully accomplished its raid and was returning when it was taken
by surprise and surrounded by a greatly superior force of enemy
planes, which gave the Americans a running fight of thirty-nine
minutes to their lines. Lieutenant Fearing's was one of two planes
which failed to return to the aerodrome. When last seen, his machine
was in combat with four Hun planes over enemy territory.

"What did I tell you?" interrupted Tom. "He's a prisoner."

An airplane had been reported as falling in flames near this spot, but
whether it was Lieutenant Fearing's machine or another, no data was as
yet at hand to prove. The writer begged to remain, etc.

No, that letter only opened up fresh fields for Cameron imaginations
to torment Cameron hearts. Nobody had happened to think before of
Pete's machine catching fire.

"Gee!" said Henry, "if that plane was his--"

"There's no certainty that it was," said Bruce, quickly.

All the Camerons, you see, knew perfectly well what happens to an
aviator whose machine catches fire.

"If that machine was Pete's," Father Bob mused, "Hun aviators may drop
word of him within our lines. They have done that kind of thing
before."

"Wouldn't Bob cable, if he knew anything more than this letter says?"
Gertrude questioned.

"I expect Bob's waiting to find out something certain before he
cables," said Father Bob. "Doubtless he has written. We shall just
have to wait for his letter."

"Wait! Gee!" whispered Henry.

"Both the boys' letters were so awfully late, in the summer!" sighed
Gertrude. "However can we wait for a letter from Bob?"

Elliott said nothing at all. Her heart was aching with sympathy for
Bruce. When a person could do something, she thought, it helped
tremendously. Mother Jess and Laura had gone to Sidney and she had had
a chance to make Laura's going possible, but there didn't seem to be
anything she could do for Bruce. And she wished to do something for
Bruce; she found that she wished to tremendously. Thinking about
Mother Jess and Laura reminded her to look up and ask, "What _are_ we
going to write them at Camp Devens?"

Then she discovered that she and Bruce were alone in the room. He was
sitting at Mother Jess's desk, in as deep a brown study as she had
been. The girl's voice roused him.

"The kind of thing we've been writing--home news. Time enough to tell
them about Pete when they get he