“Dizzy?” asked Jo.
“No, but happy enough to die,” gasped Judy. “If I wasn’t going to be married, I’d be a bird man.”
When the landing was finally made and Judy stepped out, the world seemed very stale, flat and unprofitable. She was glad Kent was there waiting for her. If she could not be a bird man, she could at least be a very happy war bride. The great leather coat she had worn in her flight was very ugly and unbecoming, and she was thankful for one thing that she did not have to wear such frightful looking clothes all the time.
On the way back to Paris she asked cousin Sally how she had recognized Jo Williams so readily.
“By her feet, of course! Why, no man on earth ever had such eternally feminine feet.” That good lady promised to find out immediately something about Polly and let his spunky wife know where and how he was. “She will have the Cross of Honour before she gets through, Philippe says.”
“You don’t feel as though it were your duty to tell she is a woman, do you?” asked Judy.
“Duty to tell! Heavens, child! I feel it is my duty to help France in every way I can, and surely to get that girl out of the aviation corps would be a hindrance to la Patrie. I doubt even Philippe’s thinking it his duty to tell, and,” with a twinkle in her eye that the horrors of war could not altogether dim, “Philippe has a very stern idea of his duty. He felt maybe it was his duty to get in a flying machine and go after you and Mr. Williams so he could chaperone you. He felt that the dignity of the family was at stake,—so soon to be the bride of his cousin and flying with another man! Terrible!”
“Why, of course! I never thought of how it looked. There I went and hugged and kissed Jo right before everybody. I bet you a sou this minute Philippe and all the rest of them are feeling sorry for you, Kent.”
“Well, they needn’t be,” declared that young man as he found Judy’s hand under the robe. “I’m satisfied—but I did feel a little funny for half a minute when you went and kissed Jo so warmly. It took me a moment longer to recognize her. Why didn’t you put me on?”
“Put you on? How could I, with all the people around?”