with the greatest difficulty that Pierre could be torn away from
his new-found friends.

"Come again, old pal," said the tall man, slapping Pierre cordially on
the back as he said good-by. "Come again and see your Uncle Sam! Come
and bring your family!"

Pierre grinned, although he did not understand a word, shook hands, and
ran down the river-bank to join his parents and Pierrette, who were
already climbing into the boat.

"Jim" and "Uncle Sam" looked after them as the Ark swung out into the
stream. "Au revoir," shouted Pierre, waving his hand. "Vive la France!"
And back came the reply like an echo, "You bet your life, vive la
France!"

X. FONTANELLE

The shadows were beginning to lengthen across the valley as the Ark
rounded a bend in the stream and the little church spire of Fontanelle
came into view. "There it is--at last!" cried Mother Meraut. "Thank
God, something of the village still stands!" She gazed eagerly into the
distance. "And there is the Chateau," she added joyfully, pointing to a
large gray stone building half hidden by a fringe of trees. "Oh, surely
things are not going to be so bad as I had feared. Hurry! hurry! It
seems as though my heart must take wings and fly before my body, now
that we are so near!"

Father Meraut bent to the oars. "I will stay with the boat while you
and the children go to the village," he said, when, a few moments
later, he found a favorable spot to land.

Mother Meraut was out of the boat almost before it was beached, the
Twins sprang out after her, and the three started up the road to the
village on a run. Groves of trees just bursting into leaf lay between
them and the one street of the little town, and it was not until they
had passed it that they could tell how much damage had been done. The
sight that met their eyes as they entered the village was not
reassuring, but, hoping against hope, they ran on to the little house
which had been Mother Meraut's childhood home. At the threshold they
paused, and the tears which Mother Meraut had resolutely refused to
shed when she had said good-by to her own home in Rheims fell freely as
she gazed upon the ruins of the home of her parents. The house was
empty, the windows were gone, the door was wrenched from its hinges,
and the roof was open to the sky. The whole village was in much the
same condition. Every house was empty, the street deserted.

Neither Mother Meraut nor the Twins said a word. With heavy hearts they
t