Ned, Bob and Jerry on the Firing Line Part 6

"And what are their names?" Bob demanded.

"And what do they look like?" asked Ned.

"That last question I can answer first," said the professor. "I happen to have recent pictures of them. They sent them to their uncle following the deaths of their parents, and after the reconciliation, and Professor Petersen left them to me, with certain other material, doc.u.ments and such, to aid me in the search. Here are the girls--their names are Gladys Petersen and Dorothy Gibbs."

He reached in his pocket and took out a folded paper. As he opened it he gave a start and hastily closed it again.

"That isn't it," he murmured. "Those are some dried specimens of _ameba_ that I wish to study under a microscope."

"What are _ameba_?" asked Jerry. "Fish?"

"Not exactly," answered the professor with a smile, "though I secured these from a little pond on the other side of the camp. _Ameba_ are microorganisms of the simplest structure--a protoplasm which is constantly changing in shape. Very interesting--very interesting indeed, but not the pictures of the girls. Ah, here they are," he added, as he replaced the first paper and took out a second. From the folds of that he produced two unmounted photographs at which the boys gazed with interest.

They saw the likenesses of two pretty girls in traveling costume, and the pictures had, obviously, been snapped by an amateur at some country place, for there was a barn and fields in the background.

"The girls took these pictures themselves, I understand," explained the professor. "They sent them to their uncle."

"Which is which?" asked Jerry. "I mean which is Gladys and which is Dorothy?"

"The names are on the reverse side of the photographs, I believe,"

said the professor, and so it proved.

"They are both pretty," observed Jerry.

"I rather fancy Gladys," murmured Ned.

"Dorothy seems real jolly," stated Bob.

"Here! None of that, young man, or I'll write to Helena Schaeffer, and tell her how you're carrying on!" warned Jerry, shaking a finger at his stout chum.

"Aw, you----" began Bob.

But at that moment there came an interruption. A small, very much excited lad came fairly bounding over the gra.s.s toward the figures of the three chums and Professor Snodgra.s.s.

"Oh, here you are!" cried the newcomer. "Found you at last--thought I never would--asked everybody--nearly got stabbed by a sentry--had to jump out of the way of a bullet--whoop--but here I am--Gosh! Say, it's good to see you again--I told 'em I could find you--awful hot, ain't it? Lots of things going on--never saw so many soldiers in all my life--here they are, girls! I found 'em!"

Ned, Bob and Jerry gazed in amazement at the small lad. Ned murmured his name--Andy Rush--and then Jerry, looking over the head of the excited little chap, descried three girls approaching.

"Girls! Girls!" murmured the tall lad. "More girls! What does it mean?"

CHAPTER VI

NODDY NIXON

Events were transpiring so rapidly for Ned, Bob and Jerry in the last few hours, that it was no wonder they were somewhat startled. Coming from strenuous bayonet practice to hear of a spy alarm, to have that augmented by excitement over the big snake, to learn that the "spy"

was none other than Professor Snodgra.s.s, and then to hear of his strange mission, would have been almost too much for any group of lads less sophisticated than this trio.

And hardly had they digested the news about the two missing girls, in a search for whom they mentally agreed they would join, than along came excitable Andy Rush and--more girls.

"There's Mollie Horton!" cried Ned, recognizing a girl who lived near him in Cresville, and with whom he was very friendly.

"Yes, and I see Alice Vines," added Jerry.

"And Helen Gale is with her," commented Bob. "I'm glad she came!

Helen's a great girl for sport and----"

"You'd better be careful how you talk," warned Jerry, as the girls continued to approach. "Helen and Helena are names very much alike, but if you get them mixed up--well, Helen isn't one to stand any nonsense."

"Aw, say----" began Bob, and then the nearer approach of the three girls, to whom Andy Rush was beckoning, put a stop to any further talk concerning them.

It might be added, to explain Jerry's reference, that Helena Schaeffer was a girl in whom Bob Baker felt more than ordinary interest. At first, because of the pro-German leanings of her father, she had been a bit cold toward Bob when he joined the army with his chums, to fight the Kaiser. But, as readers of the volume preceding this know, Helena changed her att.i.tude, much to Bob's relief.

"Well, of all the sights that are good for sore eyes!" cried Ned, as he hurried forward to greet the girls, an example followed by his chums. "What fine wind blew you here?"

"We didn't come in an airship!" burst out Andy Rush. "I wanted to, but they wouldn't--'fraid they'd fall--swoop up--swoop down--get here quicker--fall maybe--maybe not--lots of fun, anyhow. Gosh, it's great--I say, fellows, are you going----"

Jerry gently but firmly took hold of Andy by the ear, and, pointing to Professor Snodgra.s.s, who was wandering about a distant field in search of possible insects, said:

"Andy, you go and aid in the interests of science, and, incidentally, cool off. We'll see you later."

And Andy, whose rapid flow of words had been suddenly stopped, looked once at the tall, bronzed lad, and then followed the instructions to the letter. So, whether he wanted it or not, Professor Snodgra.s.s had the a.s.sistance of the small youth.

"Well! Well!" exclaimed Jerry, as he shook hands lingeringly with Alice. "How did you get here?"

"Going to enlist?" asked Ned.

"Maybe they're going to join the girls' motor corps," suggested Bob, who had attached himself to Helen.

"No, we just came on a visit," explained Mollie.

"To see us?" asked Ned.

"Of course!" was the mischievous answer. "We got lonesome back in Cresville, with all the nice boys gone, and so we got Andy to bring us down here."

"And if we believe that, I suppose you'll tell us another," laughed Jerry. "Seriously now, how did you happen to come, and how long are you going to stay? Fellows, we'll have to get furloughs and take the girls around. Not that there's much to see down here, but we'll do our best," he added.

"Cease! Cease!" commanded Ned, holding up his hand like a traffic officer in front of Jerry. "Let's hear how they happened to come."

"Oh, that is soon told," remarked Alice. "Mollie's aunt lives not far from here."

"And she invited Mollie down on a visit," added Helen. "And Mollie was good enough to ask us, so we all came together. We reached there yesterday, and, knowing you boys were at camp here, we decided to come out to see you, which we have done."

"And for which we are duly grateful," added Jerry. "But what about Andy Rush? I never was more surprised in my life when I heard his usual flow of language. How did he happen to be with you?"

"That was just an accident, a coincidence, or whatever you want to call it," said Mollie, with a laugh. "When Andy heard we were coming down this way he asked if he couldn't come with us. He says he is going to enlist. He isn't going to wait to be drafted. He said he'd sort of look after us on our way down."