When Mary and Scottie came zooming down on the hidden airfield, they found Sparky waiting for them. In a jeep he whisked them away to a little eating place where they had coffee and sandwiches and where Sparky listened to their rather amazing story.
“I wish I had been with you when you visited that hospital,” Sparky said when the story was told.
“Oh! I wish you could have been!” Mary exclaimed with real feeling. “It was sad but just wonderful. I’d go around the world three times just to do that much for our fine boys, who seem to feel that they are sort of forgotten over here.”
“You took a long chance?” Sparky said to Scottie.
“When we went for that Jap after our plane had been shot up?” Scottie spoke slowly. “Yes, that’s right, we did. But if you had seen that Jap in his plane with Uncle Sam’s face painted where it was and you knew what that rat of a monkey had done,—”
“That’s right,” Sparky grinned, “I’d have gone after him.”
“Of course you would,” Mary agreed. “Any real man would have done just that. There are some things in this war that can be passed up. Others are on the must-be-done list, and that was one of them.
“But Sparky,” she leaned forward eagerly, “what comes next? When do we cross the mountains?”
“Tomorrow morning if the mountain storm gods permit,” was his reply. “This afternoon, however, I have a little trip to make.” He turned to Scottie. “Do you know the road to a town called Gonagona?” he asked.
“Very well,” said Scottie, “I’ve been there several times.”