that the window wasn't very
high up he made up his mind to drop. The ropes were in his hand and he
simply threw them out of the window as the easiest way of getting rid
of them."

"That sounds reasonable," said Billy. "But, oh boy! if poor Tom had
only known that all he had to do was to walk downstairs and bag the
whole blooming bunch!"

"I wish he had," said Frank mournfully.

"If he had, that lieutenant wouldn't have got off so easily as he did,"
declared Bart. "Do you know what would have happened? Of course the
first thing Tom would have done would have been to untie the farmer and
his son. Can you picture, then, what would have happened to that
lieutenant and probably to his men, too? The United States wouldn't
have been put to any expense for feeding them."

"That rope by the well would probably have been put to work," agreed
Frank. "But poor Tom didn't know and there's no use of our
speculating."

Encouraged by the information they had gained, they looked still
further. But nothing more was found, and they at last said good-by to
the girl and made their way back to their quarters with their hearts
lighter than they had been for days. In a sense they had got in touch
with their missing comrade, had seemed near to him, and their hopes
were high that before long they would have him with them again.

"It's disposed of one thing that was worrying me anyway," remarked
Frank. "We know that Rabig had nothing to do with making away with
Tom."

"Yes," said Bart, "that's one thing the fellow can't be charged with.
But I'm still mighty curious to know what he was hanging around that
farmhouse for."

"It sure was a mighty strange coincidence that he should be there at
the time the Germans were," declared Billy. "But Rabig is the only one
who knows why and you can bet that he won't tell."

The comparative lull that had occurred in the fighting was only
temporary, and the next day the drive was resumed in all its fury.

This time the use of gas was greater than it had been at any previous
time in the battle. And the Germans had made still greater strides in
this diabolical contrivance which they were the first to inflict upon
an outraged world.

At first the gas had been light and volatile. It caused terrible
suffering to those caught by it, but it did not hover long over any
given place and a gust of wind was sufficient to drive it away.

But that was not vile enough to satisfy the infernal ingenu