“Yes, we want to talk to him ourselves, as soon as he's able to sit up,” said Jack. “We want to get a shot at the Boche who downed Harry.”
“So you are as fond of Harry as all that! I am glad!” exclaimed his sister. “Have you known him long?”
“We knew him slightly before we went to the flying school in Virginia with him,” said Tom. “But down there, when we started in at 'grass-cutting,' and worked our way up, we grew to know him better. Then Jack and I got our chance to come over. But Harry had a smash, and he had to wait a year.”
“Yes, I know. It almost broke his heart,” said Miss Leroy. “I was away at school at the time, which accounts for my not knowing more of you boys, since Harry always wrote me, or told me, about his chums. Then, when I came back after my graduation, I found that he had sailed for France.”
“And maybe we weren't glad to see him!” exclaimed Tom. “It was like getting letters from home.”
“Yes, I recall, now, his mentioning that he had met over here some students from the Virginia school,” said Miss Leroy. “Well, after Harry sailed I was wild to go, but father and mother would not hear of it at first. Then, when the war grew worse, and I showed them that I could do hard work for the Red Cross, they consented. So I sailed, but I never expected to get like this.”
“Oh, well, everything may come out all right,” said Tom, as cheerfully as he could. But, in very truth, he was not very hopeful in his heart.
For once an aviator succumbs to the hail of bullets from the German machine guns in an aircraft, and his own creature of steel and wings goes hurtling down, there is only a scant chance that the disabled airman will land alive.
Of course some have done it, and, even with their machines out of control and on fire, they have lived through the awful experience. But the chances were and are against them.
Harry Leroy had been seen to go down, apparently with his machine out of control, after a fusillade of Boche bullets. This much Du Boise had said before his collapse. As to what the fallen aviator's real fate was, time alone could disclose.