e people on the face of the earth than these same
French. They've done more and suffered more for their country than we
dream of. And it's only natural that they should say 'much obliged,' in
their own particular way, to any one they think is helping to free them
from the Germans."

"I suppose you're right. But advancing us to sergeants would have been
enough, without pinning the decorations on us and mentioning us in the
order of the day, as well as giving us as fine a citation as ever was
signed by a commanding general. However, it's all in the day's work,
though when we flew over the German super cannons, and did our bit in
helping demolish them so they couldn't shell Paris any more, we didn't
think--or, at least, I didn't--that we'd be sitting here talking about
it."

"Me either," agreed Tom. "But, to get down to brass tacks, what have you
been doing to get into such a mess? You look like a chauffeur of the
old days they tell of when they had to climb under the car to see if it
needed oiling--"

"That's just about what I have been doing," admitted Jack. "When I heard
the rumor that our escadrille might get orders to move at any hour, I
decided that it was up to me to look MY machine over. It didn't make
that nose dive just the way I wanted it to the last time I was up, and
I'm not taking any chances. So I've been crawling in and around and
under it--"

"While I've been lying here I taking it easy!" broke in Tom. "I don't
call that fair of you, Jack," and he seemed genuinely hurt.

"Go easy now, my pickled onion!" laughed his chum. "I wasn't going to
leave you out in the cold. I just came to tell you that you'd better
stop looking like a moving picture of an airman, and put on some old
duds to look over your own craft. And here you go and--"

"All right, old ham sandwich!" laughed Tom.

"I'll forgive you. I'm going to do the same as you, and tinker
with my machine. If, as you say, we're likely to be on the job again
soon, I don't want too take any chances either. Where's that mechanician
of mine? There was something wrong with my joy stick, he said, the last
time I came down out of the clouds to take an enforced rest, and I might
as well start with that, if there's any repairing to be done--"

Tom flung off his uniform jacket, with the two silver wings, denoting
that he was a full-fledged airman, and sent an orderly to summon his
chief mechanician, for each aviator had several helpers to run messages
for