om.

"Why--er--yes. Thought I'd go to call on Bessie Gleason. This is her
night off duty--hers and her mother's."

"How do you know?"

"Well--er--she said so. Want to come?"

"Nixy. Two's company and you know what three is."

"Oh, come on! Mrs. Gleason will be glad to see you."

"Well, I suppose I might," assented Tom, who, truth to tell, did not
relish spending the evening alone.

Bessie and her mother had, of late, been assigned as Red Cross workers
to a hospital in the environs of Paris, and ant times they could come
into the city for a rest. They maintained a modest apartment not far
from the hotel where Tom and Jack had put up, and soon the two lads
found themselves at the place where their friends lived.

"Oh, I'm so glad you both came!" exclaimed Bessie as she greeted them.
"We have company and--"

"Company!" exclaimed Jack, drawing back.

"Yes, the dearest, most delightful girl you ever--"

"Girl!" exclaimed Tom.

"Yes. But come on in and meet her. I'm sure you'll both fall in love
with her."

Jack was on the point of saying something, but thought better of it,
and a moment later, to the great surprise of himself and Torn, they were
facing Nellie Leroy.

CHAPTER VII. THE AMERICAN FRONT

Tom and Jack bowed. In fact, so great was their surprise at first that
this was all they could do. Then they stared first at Bessie and then at
the other girl--the sister of Harry, their chum, who was somewhere, dead
or alive, behind the German lines.

"Well, aren't you glad to see her?" demanded Bessie. "I thought I'd
surprise you."

"You have," said Jack. "Very much!"

"Glad to see her--why--of course. But--but--how--"

Tom found himself stuttering and stammering, so he stopped, and stared
so hard at Nellie Leroy that she smiled, though rather sadly, for it
was plain to be seen her grief over the possible death of her brother
weighed down on her. And then she went on:

"Well, I'm real--I'm not a dream, Mr. Raymond."

"So I see--I mean I'm glad to see it--I mean--oh, I don't know what I do
mean!" he finished desperately. "Did you know she was going to be here?
Was that the reason you asked me to come?" he inquired of Jack.

"Hadn't the least notion in the world," answered Jack. "I'm as much
surprised as you are."

"Well, we'll take pity on you and tell you all about it," said Bessie.
"Mother, here are the boys," she called; and Mrs. Gleason, who had
suffered so much since having been save