But then she knew she could coax all the details from Tom at various
times in the future. So she just bent down and opened her arms.

"Come here, Helene, and love me," she told the little girl. "I've held
your sister Jeanne in my arms, and I want to hug you too, my dear."

"Go to it, Helene," urged Tom, looking as though he thought the child a
very fortunate youngster.

As Nellie had a very charming way about her, and Helene was gifted, as
many children are, with a faculty for discerning a heart filled with
true affection, they immediately became fast friends. It did Jack good
to see the child so happy, with only one cloud to cause an occasional
sigh, and that the memory of her mother's recent death.

But Jack and Tom both meant to see that the orphans were taken care of,
and their interests safeguarded. In case the war soon came to an end he
was determined that the scheming uncle, General von Berthold, should not
profit as much as a single franc in connection with those hills in
Lorraine, where the undeveloped iron deposits lay awaiting the magical
touch of modern mining methods to bring a fortune to the Anstey
children.

The air service boys and the two girls were having a very happy visit
when who should come down upon them but Harry, also off on leave for the
half-day, and naturally desirous of seeing his sister. So they had a
really delightful time of it, and the three young air pilots found it
most difficult to break away when the last minute of their leave had
expired.

It was two days later when the thrilling news sped along the whole line
that at several places the Americans were through the Argonne, with the
beaten enemy retiring sullenly to newly arranged defenses. The rejoicing
was general, for no matter how furiously the enemy might try to hold
them in check from that time on, the fighting Yankees knew they had the
Germans on the run.

More days of fighting followed, with the advance being continually and
visibly quickened. Sedan was in sight one afternoon, and beyond that lay
Belgium, with Germany almost unprotected further on quite up to the
fortresses along the Rhine.

Enthusiasm in the army was rife. The worst was over, and never again
would those gallant sons of Uncle Sam have to attempt such a frightful
task as the clearing up of the vast Argonne Forest had proved to be.

The complete destruction of that last German stronghold during the big
bombing raid, seemed to have utterly discouraged