"What is the latest news, Major?"
"The town is ours, sir," replied Hal quietly. "Colonel Johnson has just informed me of the fact."
Colonel English got to his feet.
"Good," he exclaimed. "I was certain Colonel Johnson was the man for the job. Now if you will wait half an hour, Major, until I have talked with Colonel Johnson, I will ask you to carry my report back to General Rhodes."
"Very well, sir," replied Hal.
Colonel English got into his automobile and was whirled away to the village, where he consulted for perhaps ten minutes with Colonel Johnson. Then he returned to where he had left Hal, and still sitting in his car, wrote his report briefly. This he passed to Hal.
"I want to say," he said, "that Colonel Johnson has informed me that it was really you who made possible the capture of the village; also that you saved his life in the midst of battle earlier in the day."
"Well, he saved mine, too, sir," muttered Hal, flushing slightly.
"It's all in a day's work, Major, I know that," said Colonel English. "At the same time, I have seen fit to mention your name in my report to General Rhodes."
"Thank you, sir," said Hal.
"And I hope," Colonel English continued, "that I may have the pleasure of being associated with you further before this war has come to an end."
"Thank you, sir," said Hal again.
Colonel English extended a hand, which Hal grasped.
"Good luck," said the colonel.
"The same to you, sir. By the way, sir, may I have a car in which to make my return trip?"
"Of course," exclaimed the colonel. "I was thoughtless not to have provided it before now. Lieutenant Smith!"
A young officer approached.
"A car for Major Paine, Lieutenant, at once."
Ten minutes later the machine was at Hal's disposal.
"Do you want a driver?" asked Colonel English.
"Guess I can handle it myself, sir," replied Hal, taking the wheel. "Good-bye, sir."
A moment later he was speeding along the road which he had covered the night before.
Less than two hours later, Hal reported to General Rhodes in the latter's quarters, which had been established a mile closer to Sedan than when Hal had left his general the night before.
"You have done well," said General Rhodes, after reading Colonel English's report. "Colonel English speaks well of you here. It shall be my pleasure to include your name in my next report to the commander-in-chief."
And all that Hal could say was:
"Thank you, sir."
"Now," said General Rhodes, "you shall be free for the remainder of the day. Your friend, Major Crawford, is at this minute with General Duncan, but he should be back within a few hours. I shall have quarters placed at your disposal immediately and my advice is that you turn in for the day."
"I believe I could stand a little sleep, thank you, sir," said Hal with a grin. "I shall follow your advice at once."
"Very well. And report to me this evening at 6 o'clock."
"Yes, sir."
General Rhodes summoned an orderly, whom he directed to find quarters for Hal and to show Chester to them when the latter returned from his mission. Then Hal saluted the general and followed the orderly.
Fifteen minutes later he was fast asleep.
Hal did not know when Chester returned, but when the lad opened his eyes he saw Chester sleeping on a cot across the room. Hal dressed quickly, then aroused his chum.
"Hello," said Chester.
"Why didn't you wake me when you came in?" demanded Hal.
"Because I thought you were entitled to a little rest," replied Chester. "The same as I am now, although I notice you were not as considerate as I was."
"The only reason I aroused you," said Hal, "was because I thought you might possibly have been ordered to report to the general this evening.
"And so I have," returned Chester. "What time is it?"
"Five o'clock."
"Whew! Then I'll have to hurry. I had no idea it was so late. I'm to report at 6 o'clock."
"Same here," said Hal. "But where have you been, Chester?"
"Carried dispatches to General Duncan. Seems that there is some fresh plan afoot that General Rhodes expects will take us into Sedan within a few days. I don't know what it is, though. Now, where have you been and what have you been doing?"
Hal explained as briefly as possible while Chester hurried into his clothes.
"So you have been fighting again, eh?" said Chester when Hal had concluded. "What would your mother say?"
Hal grinned.
"About the same that yours would, I guess," he replied. "But hurry, I feel like a bite to eat before I report to the general."
"Same here. I'll be with you in a jiffy."
Chester was true to his word, and the two sauntered forth five minutes later. After they had rounded up what Chester called a feast at one of the mess tents, they strolled toward the general's quarters.
As they walked along, they saw a familiar figure come dashing toward them.
"By George!" said Hal, "it's Stubbs. Now I wonder what he can be in such an all-fired hurry; about."
"We'll stop him and see," said Chester briefly.
The lads stepped forward and accosted Stubbs, who seemed to have no idea of stopping for a word with them.
"What's the hurry, Mr. Stubbs?" asked Chester.
Stubbs waved them away.
"Don't bother me," he explained, "I'm busy."
"But—" began Hal.
"I said I'm busy," declared Stubbs. "Can't you see I'm in a hurry?"
"Well, all right, if that's the way you feel about it," said Chester.
Stubbs seemed as if about to pass on, then hesitated.
"I'll tell you," he said. "I am in an awful hurry, but I've time to tell you the news if you promise to keep it to yourself."
"I promise," said Chester. "Let's have it, Mr. Stubbs."
"Austria has sued for peace," said Stubbs briefly.
"What!" said Hal. "Again?"
Stubbs glared at the lad.
"I tell you Austria has sued for peace," he said, emphasizing each word. "This time there is no doubt about it. I have it straight."
Chester's heart beat high.
"By Jove! I hope you're right, Mr. Stubbs," he exclaimed, "but I'm afraid to believe it."
"You needn't be," declared Stubbs. "It's perfectly true, this time."
"And I suppose you're hurrying off to flash the news to The New York Gazette?" asked Hal.
"Exactly," said Stubbs.
"Don't let us detain you, then," said Hal. "But if I were you, Mr. Stubbs, I'd go rather easy on that stuff. You know if you flashed a report like that and it wasn't true, you'd probably have to hunt a new job."
"I don't flash reports I know are not true," said Stubbs.
"Well," said Hal, "what I'd like to know is how you have gained your information when no one else seems to know anything about it?"
"In the newspaper game," said Stubbs, "a man learns to provide his news sources. I provided mine for this very thing some time ago. Now I have been justified."
"All right," said Hal. "I don't want to argue with you about it, but all the same I'd go easy."
"I tell you I've got the dope," declared Stubbs.
"Then you'd better hurry along and file it to The Gazette," Chester put in.
"By Jove, I will!" said Stubbs. "And after this, you'll get no more information from me. But remember your promises. Not a word about this."
"Don't worry, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester. "We're as mum as a couple of oysters."
"Then me for the cable wire," said Stubbs. He turned and hurried off.
"You know, Hal," said Chester, "it would be quite a feather in the little man's cap if he could get something like that ahead of every other newspaper in America."
"I should imagine it would," Hal agreed, "but I'm afraid he's all wrong. At the same time, however, I hope he's right."
"Same here. And by the way, speaking of Stubbs and his efforts, there is only one other thing, to my mind, that would be greater luck for him."
"And that?" asked Hal.
"That would be to get first word to his paper of the ending of war."
"By Jove! That would be something to talk about," Hal agreed.
"I should say so. But come, we have delayed long enough. It lacks only a few minutes of six o'clock, and we're due in General Rhodes' quarters at that hour, you know."
"Didn't think I had forgotten it, did you?" demanded Hal.
"Well, I didn't know. Your memory isn't as good as it used to be."
"Is that so? Why isn't it?"
"Well, I don't know why," said Chester, "but it's a fact."
Hal was about to make a warm retort, but at that moment they came to the entrance to General Rhodes' quarters.
"Here we are," said Chester. "I hope he has something worth while for us to do."
"Same here," agreed Hal.
They went in.