s
undeniably slow of comprehension. At first he smiled good-naturedly.

"Aw, youse run along home now," he said. "I'm onto youse!"

"But, look here," Dan protested, "this is serious. I'm not drunk--I'm
just excited and scared. Now listen. There's a man held prisoner back
yonder by a lot of Germans, and I shot one of them and knocked another
down--and we've got to get him free...."

"Tut, tut!" said the officer, and then he looked at Dan closely, and
then he looked at Kasia, and then he took off his helmet and scratched
his head. "See here, now," he said, finally, "I'll call headquarters, if
you say so--but if you are stringin' me...."

"I'm not stringing you!" Dan cried. "And for heaven's sake be quick!
Every minute we waste...."

The passers-by had begun to stop and stare curiously, and the thought
flashed through Dan's mind that he might collect a posse....

But the patrolman had made up his mind.

"Come along with me," he said, and led the way into the rear room of the
corner drugstore and telephoned to his station for instructions. He
enlarged somewhat upon the perils of the expedition, as Dan had
recounted them, and when he came out of the booth, it was with a
distinctly relieved air.

"The sergeant says for us to wait here," he said, "and he'll rush some
detectives up right away."

"But we can't stay here!" Dan cried. "We've got to get back!"

"When the sergeant tells me to do a thing, I do it," said the officer
composedly. "So I'm goin' to stay right here."

Dan glared at him for a moment, and started to speak his mind, but
thought better of it.

"Any objection to my waiting in front of the house?" he asked.

The officer pondered a moment.

"No, I guess not. Right down this street, you said?"

"Yes; I didn't notice the number, but it's about half-way of the block.
I'll be waiting."

"All right. Skip along."

"I'm going too," said Kasia.

Dan started to object--the danger was not over yet--but she was already
at the door.

"Take the other side of the street," he called.

She nodded, crossed the street, and sped along in the shadow. In a
moment they were opposite the house. Nothing apparently had changed
there. The front door stood open as they had left it, with the light
from the hall streaming out over the steps. The hall, so far as they
could see, was empty. There was no one on the stairs.

Dan gazed at all this; then he shivered a little; he did not understand
the emptiness and silen