pain on Nellie's face, "Harry may be in a half-way decent camp. But,
even then, won't the Germans keep the package themselves?"

"I've thought of that," replied Tom. "We've got to take that chance
also. But I figure that, in the confusion, Harry, or some of his fellow
prisoners, may pick up the package, or packages, unobserved. Of course
there's only a slim chance that Harry himself will pick up the bundle.
But it will be addressed to him, and if any of the French, British, or
American prisoners get it, they'll see that it goes to Harry all right."

"Oh, of course," murmured Mrs. Gleason. "But what was that you said
about the 'confusion?'"

"That's something different," said Tom. "I'm counting on dropping a few
bombs on the German works outside the camp, to--er--well, to sort of
take their attention off the packages we'll try to drop inside the
stockade. Of course while we're doing this we may be and probably shall
be, under fire ourselves. But we've got to take that chance. It's a
mad scheme, Jack says, and I realize that it is. But we've got to do
something."

"Yes," said Nellie in a low voice, "we must do something. This suspense
is terrible. Oh, if I only could get word to Harry!"

"You write the letter and I'll take it!" declared Tom.

"And I'll help!" exclaimed Jack.

And then the letters--several of them, for each one wrote a few lines
and made triplicates of it, since three packages were to be dropped. The
letters, to begin again, were written and the bundles were made up.
They contained cigarettes, cakes of hard chocolate, soap and a few other
little comforts and luxuries that it was certain Harry would be glad to
get.

The rest of the plan would have to be left to Tom and Jack to work out,
and, having talked it over with their friends, they found it was time
for them to start to their station, since their leave was up at eleven
o'clock that night.

Getting permission for a week's absence was not as easy as securing
permission to go to Paris. But Tom and Jack waited until after a sharp
engagement, during which they distinguished themselves by bravery in.
the air, assisting in bringing down some Hun planes, and then their
petition was favorably acted on.

Behold them next, as a Frenchman might say, on their way to their former
squadron, where they were welcomed with open arms. They had to take the
commanding officer into their confidence, but he offered no objection
to their scheme. They must go al