face, still wearing
that happy-go-lucky look which there is no mistaking. His skin was
camouflaged by a generous coat of tan and those two strategic hills, his
cheeks, had not been reduced by the assaults of hunger. There was,
moreover, a look of mischief in his eyes, bespeaking a jaunty
acceptance of whatever peril and adventure might befall and when he
spoke he rolled his R's and screwed up his mouth accordingly.

"Maybe you've heard of the Catskills," said Tom. "That's where _he_
lives."

"My dad's got a big apple orrcharrd therre," added Archer.

Florette Leteur had not heard of the Catskills, but she had heard a good
deal about the Americans lately and she looked from one to the other of
this hapless pair, who seemed almost to have dropped from the clouds.

"You have been not wise to escape," she said sympathetically. "Ze
Prussians, zey are sure to catch you.--Tell me more of my bruzzer."

"The Prussians ain't so smarrt," said Archer. "They're good at some
things, but when it comes to tracking and trailing and all that, they're
no good. You neverr hearrd of any famous Gerrman scouts. They're clumsy.
They couldn't stalk a mud turrtle."

"You are not afraid of zem?"

"Surre, we ain't. Didn't we just put one overr on 'em?"

"We looped our trail," explained Tom to the puzzled girl. "If they're
after us at all they probably went north on a blind trail. We monkeyed
the trees all the way through this woods near here."

"He means we didn't touch the ground," explained Archer.

"We made seven footprints getting across the road to the fence and then
we washed 'em away by chucking sticks. And, anyway, we crossed the road
backwards so they'd think we were going the other way. There ain't much
danger--not tonight, anyway."

Again the girl looked from one to the other and then explained to her
father as best she could.

"You are wonderful," she said simply. "We shall win ze war now."

"I was working as a mess boy on a transport," said Tom; "we brought over
about five thousand soldiers. That's how I got acquainted with
Frenchy--I mean Armand----"

"Yes!" she cried, and at the mention of Armand old Pierre could scarcely
keep his seat.

"He came with some soldiers from Illinois. That's out west. He was
good-natured and all the soldiers jollied him. But he always said he
didn't mind that because they were all going to fight together to get
Alsace back. Jollying means making fun of somebody--kind of," Tom
added.