Charlie Bragg. "It's too late to help him now--if you
should ask me!"

Ruth had nobody to talk to about Tom Cameron save the young ambulance
driver. And him she could see but seldom.

For fear of having to explain to her chum, she could not write to Helen
Cameron, who was in Paris. Just now, too, she was too busy for letter
writing.

Mrs. Strang found a girl to help Ruth in the supply hut, one who was
willing and able to learn all about the merchandise under Ruth's care.
The latter was not asked to remain at this hospital outpost for long.
Her place was at Clair, and, until the Red Cross directors deliberately
changed her, Ruth must give her first thought to the Clair Supply
Headquarters.

She saw, however, that she would be several days at this field
hospital. She had been glad to come in hope of learning something
about Tom. Now she saw that she was doomed to disappointment.

This locality was the last place in which to search for news of the
lost lieutenant. Everybody here (everybody who spoke of the matter at
all) believed that Tom Cameron had played the traitor and, for money or
some other unexplained reason, had gone over to the enemy.

"As though poor Tom could even dream of such a thing!" she thought.

She must keep her opinion to herself. She was too wise to start any
argument on the affair. It might be, if she kept still, that she would
learn something of significance that would lead to an explanation of
the terrible event.

What she personally could do to save Tom's reputation she did not even
imagine at the time. Nevertheless, there might be some chance of doing
him a good turn.

As for his personal safety, she had lost all hope of that. She
believed he had been captured by the Germans, and she had heard too
many stories of their treatment of prisoners to hope that he would
escape injury and actual torture.

It was said that the enemy would treat the first Americans captured
with particular harshness, in hope of "frightening the Yankees." She
knew that the advancing Canadians had found their captured brothers
crucified on barn doors in the early months of the war. Why should the
Yankees expect better treatment from the Huns?

With this load of anxiety and fear upon her heart, Ruth still found
time for interest in what went on about her. She was an observant
girl. And, as ever, her sympathies were touched in behalf of the
wounded.

Although the American Red Cross had taken over