Part 12 (1/2)

”Oh, dear me!” she told herself at last, ”I am getting to be a regular sleuth. But my suspicions do point that way. If that woman in black and Legrand robbed the Red Cross treasury at Robinsburg, and covered their stealings by burning the records, would they be likely to leave the country in a Red Cross s.h.i.+p?

”That would seem preposterous. And yet, what more unlikely method of departure? It might be that such a course on the part of two criminals would be quite sure to cover their escape.”

She wondered about it much as the s.h.i.+p sailed majestically into the French port, safe at last from any peril of being torpedoed by the enemy. And Professor Perry had been quite sure that she was safe in any case!

Ruth saw the professor when they landed. The Italian chef she did not see at all. Nor did Ruth Fielding see anybody who looked like Mrs. Rose Mantel.

”I may be quite wrong in all my suspicions,” she thought. ”I would better say nothing about them. To cause the authorities to arrest entirely innocent people would be a very wicked thing, indeed.”

Besides, there was so much to do and to see that the girl of the Red Mill could not keep her suspicions alive. This unknown world she and her mates had come to quite filled their minds with new thoughts and interests.

Their first few hours in France was an experience long to be remembered.

Ruth might have been quite bewildered had it not been that her mind was so set upon the novel sights and sounds about her.

”I declare I don't know whether I am a-foot or a-horseback!” Clare Biggars said. ”Let me hang on to your coat-tail, Ruth. I know you are real and United Statesy. But these funny French folk--

”My! they are like people out of a story book, after all, aren't they? I thought I'd seen most every kind of folk at the San Francisco Fair; but just n.o.body seems familiar looking here!”

Before they were off the quay, several French women, who could not speak a word of English save ”'Ello!” welcomed the Red Cross workers with joy.

At this time Americans coming to help France against her enemies were a new and very wonderful thing. The first marching soldiers from America were acclaimed along the streets and country roads as heroes might have been.

An old woman in a close-fitting bonnet and ragged shawl-not an over-clean person-took Ruth's hand in both hers and patted it, and said something in her own tongue that brought the tears to the girl's eyes.

It was such a blessing as Aunt Alvirah had murmured over her when the girl had left the Red Mill.

She and Clare, with several of the other feminine members of the supply unit were quartered in an old hotel almost on the quay for their first night ash.o.r.e. It was said that some troop trains had the right-of-way; so the Red Cross workers could not go up to Paris for twenty-four hours.

Somebody made a mistake. It could not be expected that everything would go smoothly. The heads of the various Red Cross units were not infallible. Besides, this supply unit to which Ruth belonged really had no head as yet. The party at the seaside hotel was forgotten.

n.o.body came to the hotel to inform them when the unit was to entrain.

They were served very well by the hotel attendants and several chatty ladies, who could speak English, came to see them. But Ruth and the other girls had not come to France as tourists.

Finally, the girl of the Red Mill, with Clare Biggars, sallied forth to find the remainder of their unit. Fortunately, Ruth's knowledge of the language was not superficial. Madame Picolet, her French teacher at Briarwood Hall, had been most thorough in the drilling of her pupils; and Madame was a Parisienne.

But when Ruth discovered that she and her friends at the seaside hotel had been left behind by the rest of the Red Cross contingent, she was rather startled, and Clare was angered.

”What do they think we are?” demanded the Western girl. ”Of no account at all? Where's our transportation? What do they suppose we'll do, dumped down here in this fis.h.i.+ng town? What--”

”Whoa! Whoa!” Ruth laughed. ”Don't lose your temper, my dear,” she advised soothingly. ”If nothing worse than this happens to us--”

She immediately interviewed several railroad officials, arranged for transportation, got the pa.s.sports of all viseed, and, in the middle of the afternoon, they were off by slow train to the French capital.

”We can't really get lost, girls,” Ruth declared. ”For we are Americans, and Americans, at present, in France, are objects of considerable interest to everybody. We'll only be a day late getting to the city on the Seine.”

When they finally arrived in Paris, Ruth knew right where to go to reach the Red Cross supply department headquarters. She had it all written down in her notebook, and taxicabs brought the party in safety to the entrance to the building in question.

As the girls alighted from the taxis Clare seized Ruth's wrist, whispering: