life they is!" exclaimed Iggy. "I home a letter
will write saying not to read the other what I sent."

"What other?" asked Bob.

"Oh, he wrote one saying you had been captured and that he was going
to hike into German territory and find you the first chance he had,"
explained Franz.

"Sure I would go, but now not," declared Iggy. "I home write annudder
letter soon."

"It was good of you to think of us," said Jimmy. "And now tell us
about yourselves. Are you all right? Have you done any fighting, and
have you heard anything of Maxwell and our missing money?"

"Oh, have a heart!" laughed Franz. "You're worse than an intelligence
officer wanting to know the results of a trench raid. But we're all
right, as far as that goes."

"Except we wos of broken hearted yes for fears of you," put in Iggy.

"Sure we were worried to death," agreed Franz. "There didn't seem
to be a chance for you. As for fighting, well we haven't done much,
though I hear there's a big battle about to come off. And as for
Maxwell, we haven't heard a word."

It was one afternoon when the five Brothers were in a dugout, awaiting
orders to go on duty for the night, that Jimmy bethought himself of
the sight they had had of the mysterious captain.

"We didn't tell Franz and Iggy about him," he remarked to Roger and
Bob.

"No. Go ahead with the story," said Bob. "Maybe they can throw some
light on it."

But Franz and Iggy--though the latter did not say much--could offer no
explanation save that put forth by Jimmy and the two lads who had seen
what he had seen--that Captain Frank Dickerson was a German spy.

The night passed without incident of moment, except for two false
alarms that the Germans were starting a general engagement. And in the
morning, after breakfast, the long-looked-for word came.

"It's the advance!" was the general cry. "We're going forward and
pinch out the German salient!"

There was one on this sector--a salient, or wedge, driven into the
American line, or, rather, one that had existed since the Americans
had taken over this particular part of the country.

"Now for the big battle!" cried Bob.

"And may it soon bring the end of the war!" added Roger.

Jimmy marched along with his chums, going to take charge of a squad
that would be among the leaders of the advance. And, as he passed a
group of American officers, saluting as he did so, his heart almost
stopped beating. For standing in their midst, and conversing earnes