"If we're going to try to find her," he said rather hesitatingly, "we ought to hit it west so's we can take a pike across the river. But if we keep straight south we'll strike the river after it bends, if that old weaver knew what he was talking about, and when we cross it we'll be in Switzerland. We'll do whatever you say. Going straight south would be easier and safer," he added, with his usual blunt honesty; "and if we cross back into Alsace we'll have to go past houses and people and we'll be taking chances.--I admit it's like things in a book--I mean rescuing girls," he said, with his characteristic awkward frankness, "and maybe some people would say it was crazy, kind of----" What he meant was _romantic_, but he didn't exactly know how to say that. "As long as we've been lucky so far maybe we ought to get across the frontier and over to France as quick as we can. I s'pose that's where we belong--most of all----" "Is that what you think?" said Archer. "I ain't sayin' what I think, but----" "Well, then, I'll say what _I_ think," retorted Archer. "You're always telling about thoughts you've had. I don't claim I'm as good as you arre at having thoughts, but if therre's a soldierr wounded they send two or three soldierrs to carry the stretcherr, don't they? Maybe those soldierrs ought to be fighting, but saving a person comes firrst. You've hearrd about giving all you have to the Red Cross. All _we_ got is the _chance_ to get away. We've got morre chance than we had when we starrted, 'cause you'rre a good scout----" "I don't claim----" "Shut up," said Archer; "so it's like saving up ourr chances and adding to 'em, till now we're 'most in Switzerland and we got a good big chance saved up. I'll tell you what I'm going to do with mine--I'm going to give it to the Red Cross--_kind of_--as you'd say. If that girrl is worrkin' on that road and I can find herr, I'm goin' to. If I get pinched, all right. So it ain't a question of what _we'rre_ goin' to do; it's a question of: Are _you_ with me? You're always tellin' when yourr thoughts come to you. Well, I got that one just before I dived for the glass. So that's the way I'm going to invest _my_ chance, 'cause I haven't got anything else to give.... I heard in prison about the Liberty Bond buttons they give you to wearr back home. I'd like to have one of those blamed things to wearr for a souveneerr." Tom Slade had stood silent throughout this harangue, and now he laughed a little awkwardly. "It's better than investing money," he said, "and what I'm laughing at--kind of," he added with infinite relief and satisfaction showing through the emotion he was trying to repress; "what I'm laughing at is how you're always thinking about souvenirs." * * * * *