Tom Slade with the Boys Over There | Page 7

in her pretty way. "Here Armand he climb. Here he hide to drop ze grapes down my neck--so. Bad boy! So zen it break--crash! He tumbled down. Ah--my pappa so angry. We must nevaire climb on ze trellis. You see? Here I sit and laugh--so much--when he tumble down!"
She smiled and for a moment seemed all happiness, but Tom Slade heard a sigh following close upon the smile. He did not know what to say so he simply said in his blunt way:
"I guess you had good times together."
"Now I will zhow you," she said, stooping to pull away the heavy tangle of vine.
Tom and Archer helped her and to their surprise there was revealed a trap-door about six feet in diameter with gigantic rusty hinges.
"Ziss is ze cave--you see?" she said, stooping to lift the door. Tom bent but she held him back. "Wait, I will tell you. Zen you can open it." For a moment pleasant recollections seemed to have the upper hand, and there was about her a touch of that buoyancy which had made her brother so attractive to sober Tom.
"Wait--zhest till I tell you. When I come back from ze school in England I have read ze story about 'Kidnap.' You know?"
"It's by Stevenson; I read it," said Archer.
"You know ze cave vere ze Scotch man live? So ziss is our cave. Now you lift."
The door did not stir at first and Florette, laughing softly, raised the big L band which bent over the top and lay in a rusted padlock eye.
"Now."
The boys raised the heavy door, to which many strands of the vine clung, and Florette placed a stick to hold it up at an angle. Peering within by the light of a match, they saw the interior of what appeared to be a mammoth hogshead from which emanated a stale, but pungent odor. It was, perhaps, seven feet in depth and the same in diameter and the bottom was covered with straw.
"It is ze vat--ze wine vat," whispered Florette, amused at their surprise. "Here we keep ze wine zat will cost so much.--But no more.--We make no wine ziss year," she sighed. "Ziss makes ze fine flavor--ze earth all around. You see?"
"It's a dandy place to hide," said Archer.
"So here you will stay and you will be safe. Tomorrow in ze night I shall bring you more food and some clothes. I am so sorry----"
"There ain't anything to be sorry about," said Tom. "There's lots of room in there--more than there is in a bivouac tent. And it'll be comfortable on that straw, that's one sure thing. If you knew the kind of place we slept in up there in the prison you'd say this was all right. We'll stay here and rest all day tomorrow and after you bring us the things at night we'll sneak out and hike it along."
"I will not dare to come in ze daytime," said Florette, "but after it is dark, zen I will come. You must have ze cover almost shut and I will pull ze vines over it."
"We'll tend to that," said Tom.
"We'll camouflage it, all right," Archer added.
For a moment she lingered as if thinking if there were anything more she might do for their comfort. Then against her protest, Tom accompanied her part way back and they paused for a moment under the thickly covered trellis, for she would not let him approach the house.
"I'm sorry we made you so much trouble," he said; "it's only because we want to get to where we can fight for you."
"Oh, yess, I know," she answered sadly. "My pappa, it break his heart because he cannot make you ze true welcome. But you do not know. We are--how you say--persecute--all ze time. Zey own Alsace, but zey do not love Alsace. It is like--it is like ze stepfather--you see?" she added, her voice breaking. "So zey have always treat us."
For a few seconds Tom stood, awkward and uncomfortable; then clumsily he reached out his hand and took hers.
"You don't mean they'll take you like they took the people from Belgium, do you?" he asked.
"Ziss is worse zan Belgium," Florette sobbed. "Zere ze people can escape to England."
"Where would they send you?" Tom asked.
"Maybe far north into Prussia. Maybe still in Alsace. All ze familees zey will separate so zey shall meex wiz ze Zhermans." Florette suddenly grasped his hand. "I am glad I see you. So now I can see all ze Americans come--hoondreds----
"Tomorrow in ze night I will bring you ze clothes," she whispered, "and more food, and zen you will be rested----"
"I feel sorry for you," Tom blurted out with simple honesty, "and I got to thank you. Both of us have--that's one sure thing. You're worse off than we are--and it makes me