ses just then: enemies and friends; and all who did
not have German blood in their veins she looked upon as naturally
favoring the Allies.

The old man became quite solicitous concerning the safety of the
splendid motorcycles. He even led the boys to where they might store
them for the night. This receptacle turned out to be a sort of dry cave
dug into the side of a mound. It was evidently a frost-proof receptacle
for the potatoes and other vegetables raised for winter use, and had a
good stout door, secured with a hasp.

"There doesn't seem to be any sign of a lock here, boys," announced
Josh, after they had carefully deposited their machines inside and
closed the door.

"Well," replied Rod, "these people around here are so honest themselves
that they never dream of anybody ever stealing a single thing. Chances
are you'll not find a lock or even a chain or a bar in all the house."

"Sounds all very nice," grumbled the suspicious Josh, "but I'd sleep
better, I'm thinking, if I knew the machines were under lock and key."

"We could manage to make you a shake-down here in the potato bin if so
be you felt disposed that way," suggested Hanky Panky blandly; but
somehow the idea did not appear to appeal strongly to the other, for he
snickered.

"If the rest can stand it I oughtn't to worry," he grunted, and thus
dismissed the subject apparently from his mind.

Later on they sat down to a pretty fine supper, which the good woman
prepared for them. The hungry boys were ready to declare that while they
had sampled all sorts of cookery since landing on European soil, from
English and German to Flemish, they really believed that the French
excelled all others when it came to getting up tasteful dishes out of
next to nothing.

"No wonder they save so much money, and could pay off that billion
dollars the Germans exacted after the war of Seventy-one," said Josh
confidentially.

"They always say that a French family can live comfortably on what an
American family would waste," added Hanky Panky; "and for one I believe
it."

Rod, of course, started in to do the talking, but it was soon discovered
that the woman could speak pretty fair English. Great was the surprise
of Josh and Hanky Panky when she told them she had lived in the French
Quarter of New York as long as three years, some time back, before she
was married.

She proudly confessed that her two boys, as well as her husband, were in
the ranks of the republic's p