lready at the hospital," put in Mrs. Gleason. "I couldn't
write to Nellie just when we were coming, for that depended on when we
could get transportation. But she had told me she could put us up
temporarily until we found quarters with the Y. M. C. A. outfit. She
will be surprised to see us, and I hope pleased, too."

"I warrant you she will be delighted," asserted Jack confidently.

Great was the surprise of Nellie and Tom when Jack and the Gleasons
burst upon them. Harry was at another part of the temporary makeshift
building talking to an orderly at the time.

Such subdued chattering as followed. Jack, seeing that Bessie and Mrs.
Gleason were very tired, did not mean to linger long. Bessie would
probably speedily take up her duties at the hut, and consequently he
could see her every evening if he chose.

So the three boys a little later on once more turned their faces in the
direction of the camp. As they walked along they found much to talk
about, although it might have been noticed that Tom and Harry did most
of the exchanging of opinions, Jack seemingly being too much engrossed
with his thoughts, a fact that caused the others to pass many a
significant glance back and forth.

It chanced that some question arose, bringing out quite a warm
discussion concerning a certain appliance which Harry was trying out on
his battleplane, and of which a friend was the inventor.

"I've tested it twice now, Tom, and no matter what you say I believe it
will do the business," Harry stoutly affirmed.

"That may be," Tom answered him. "Mind I'm not stubborn enough to
condemn a thing I don't quite understand; but I'd want to be shown
before I owned up beaten in the argument. Somehow, it doesn't seem
possible to me that it can work."

"That's what they all told Columbus before he started on his trip into
that unknown western sea," jeered Harry. "Poor old Fulton, too, was
laughed at when he said he could make a boat go through the water
without sails or oars. And what of Morse sending telegrams hundreds of
miles by using a wire and a battery?"

"Oh, I know that's so," retorted Tom, unwilling to back down. "But I
refuse to believe this will work automatically without ever a hitch. An
air pilot's life hangs in the balance, and if it fails to make
connections it's good-night for him."

"I warrant I can convince you inside of five minutes after you've
examined the contrivance!"

"All right then, I'll take you up on that."

"W