Maxwell's mess.

"Maxwell? No, I haven't seen him lately. Didn't you hear about him?"

"Hear what about him? What do you mean?" asked Jimmy, and he was
conscious of a strange foreboding.

"Why, Sergeant Maxwell has been missing since just about the time we
got word to go over the top at the zero hour," stated Corporal Blake,
to whom Jimmy had applied. "I thought you knew that."

"No, I didn't," said Jimmy quietly. Then he whistled.

"What's the matter?" asked Blake.

"If Maxwell is missing then it's a double loss," was the answer.

"A double loss? What do you mean?"

"I mean my five thousand francs are gone, too. Whew! Well, it can't be
helped, I suppose. I'll go tell the boys!"

CHAPTER V

WHAT'S TO BE DONE?

"What's the matter. Blazes?" cried Bob, as he saw his friend coming
back.

"You look as if we'd lost the war!"

"Well, I've lost part of something I won in it, anyhow," declared
Jimmy.

"Is Iggy dead?" Franz wanted to know. "Did you hear any word from
him?"

"No, but we must make some inquiries. This is about something else.
Fellows, I guess I'll have to wait until I get a remittance from
home before I give you your shares of the thousand dollars reward."

"Wait for a remittance!" exclaimed Roger. "Not that I'm altogether
sure I'm going to take what you call my 'share' of that; but why do
you have to wait?"

"Because the money's gone," said Jimmy, tragically. In France, three
thousand miles away from home, with their army pay uncertain, ready
cash meant much to our doughboys.

"Gone! Did you lose it?" asked Bob, with a reportorial instinct.

"No, but Maxwell is gone and the money's gone with him. He's missing,"
Jimmy hastened to explain. "Been missing since just before we went
into action."

"Where was the sergeant stationed?" asked Roger.

"In that big concrete dugout we captured from the Germans in the
scrap just before this," Jimmy explained. "He was in command of a hand
grenade squad there, and just before the fight, or at least soon after
the signal to advance was given, that was the last seen of Sergeant
Maxwell and my money," added the owner of it ruefully.

His companions received the news in silence. Then Franz spoke up and
asked:

"What's to be done? I don't so much mean about the money," he added
quickly, as he saw the others look curiously at him. "That doesn't
matter, though, of course, I'll be glad of my share, and it's mighty
generous of you, Blazes, to offer