of
the journey so that he might explain what had occurred.

"Yes, Mrs. Webster, your son is in our Red Cross hospital and everything
possible is being done for him. A doctor reached him almost at once. But
I wish I could tell you exactly what happened. As it is I can only
repeat the story the little chap told himself. No one knows anything
else, but he has been perfectly conscious all along and I am told is not
suffering a great deal," Lieutenant Carson faltered, wishing that the
task in which he was engaged had fallen to some one else.

"Please tell us everything you can," Peggy urged. "I feel my mother had
best know the truth before we reach Billy."

"As far as I could find out there have been two laborers employed at our
camp who are traitors. In spite of all the official red tape and
investigations, your son Billy seems to have been the only person who
discovered the fact. The little fellow apparently called himself a
pacifist and made friends with the men. Anyhow they must have believed
he sympathized with them, for he has been watching them for some time. I
don't know how long, I am having to guess a part of this. But they must
have finally decided he was one of them, as they allowed him to find out
their secrets. It is amazing. I don't see how he managed!"

"But you have not yet told us how Billy chanced to be at your camp
tonight and how he came to be hurt, Lieutenant Carson," Peggy pleaded,
knowing that the same thought was in all their minds.

"Billy knew there was mischief brewing without knowing exactly what the
ruffians were planning to do, at least, that is the way I understand
the facts," the young officer continued. "But it seems that when he had
followed them to their meeting place earlier in the evening, he found
out they had placed a bomb in one of our big buildings at camp which was
set to go off at a certain hour tonight. Billy says he made the men
believe he considered this a great idea, otherwise they would never have
allowed him to escape. He seems to have had the nerve to get up and
spout a little speech on pacifism before about half a dozen of them. I
believe he said that if only the men managed to destroy our war camps,
the United States would never be able to enter the war in Europe and so
peace would soon have to be declared as the Allies couldn't go on
without America's aid. Anyhow, after a while they let the little fellow
go and he pretended to be starting for home. But instead he mad