"Funny some of the other correspondents haven't heard of it," mumbled Stubbs to himself. "Some of them returned to Soissons with me."
"Well, you'd better get busy, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal, "or they will beat you to it."
"Then upon your advice," said Stubbs, "I'll get busy. Come with me, boys, and tell me what you can on the way. Hurry now."
Stubbs set out at a rapid pace for the nearest cable office, Hal and Chester at his heels.
Now, as it chanced, there was but one place in Soissons where, due to war conditions, a cable dispatch could be filed. The wire from there led direct to Versailles, where messages were relayed. It was the only possible means of communication with the outside world outside of military lines.
At the door of the cable office, Stubbs encountered Jennings, correspondent of The New York World, who had returned to Soissons at the same time Stubbs had.
"Hello, Stubbs," he grinned. "Armistice signed again? I see you're headed for the cable office."
"Never mind, Jennings," said Stubbs. "You think the laugh's on your side now. Maybe it won't be later."
"Perhaps not," Jennings admitted, "but if I were you, I'd be almighty careful of the next dispatch I sent The Gazette. Chances are your people will not relish being fooled a second time."
Now Stubbs was well aware of the fact that it would be possible for only one message to be sent out of Soissons at a time. So he said: