There were plenty of signs of military activity in Sedan as the three friends passed along the streets, but no one interfered with them. To all intents and purposes they were precisely what they seemed—two German army officers and a civilian above the military age. And at last they came to the outskirts of the town.
"How much farther, Hal?" Stubbs wanted to know.
"Not much," was Hal's reply. "Perhaps a mile, Mr. Stubbs."
"Not far, eh?" said Stubbs with some sarcasm. "I hope you don't call that close."
"It's likely to be a whole lot farther to our lines than we have figured, if the plane is gone," Chester put in.
"And I'm willing to bet it'll be gone," declared Stubbs.
"There you go, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal. "Nobody could ever truthfully call you an optimist."
"I've lived too long and seen too much to be an optimist," was the little man's response. "Now, who wants to bet we won't have to hoof it back to the American lines?"
"I'll take that bet, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester, "just to show you that it pays to be an optimist. What'll it be?"
"Anything you say," replied Stubbs. "Make it a new pipe for me and a hat for you—when the war's over."