“We’re going to make the push, Jack!” gasped Amos, as they found themselves in close touch with the cottages. “Yes, and I only hope we’ll find a friendly roof to shelter us,” added his chum.
The clouds hung heavy above them. One would almost imagine the day was far spent, and night about to close the curtains of darkness around them. Again did they feel drops of rain starting to fall, and this time it threatened to continue.
Looking around, Jack picked out a certain house as the most promising of all those near by. He never could exactly explain just why he selected that particular cottage, except that it was possibly a bit closer than any other, and the rain began to fall more and more heavily.
[195]
Hurrying under the shelter of the little porch that lay before the door, the boys found that they could immediately escape the increasing downpour. At the same time, as this was no mere summer shower, Jack did not intend to stay on the outside.
So he proceeded to knock with his knuckles on the closed door. There was no immediate reply, at which Amos suggested that possibly the cottage might be without a tenant.
“If you looked a little closer,” his comrade told him, “you’d never say that, for there is smoke coming from the top of the chimney. Besides, I saw a face at the window staring at us when we rushed under this little canopy that shields the door.”
“You don’t say!” ejaculated Amos.
“It was the face of an old woman, and white with fear I thought,” continued Jack, seriously. “Still, that shouldn’t surprise us, because in these terrible war-times all sorts of frightful things are constantly happening to make timid people shiver with dread.”
[196]
“But, Jack, surely two boys oughtn’t to make anybody afraid?” expostulated Amos.
“Sometimes the most innocent-looking things are the most dangerous,” his chum told him. “These poor Belgians must be seeing German secret agents everywhere about them. We have been suspected before now, and seen in this strange light even you might appear a regular ogre in her eyes.”
“But, my stars! Jack, are we going to stay out in the rain right along just because some silly person might think all strangers are German spies? Don’t you intend to knock again?”
For answer Jack once again brought his knuckles against the door with more vim than before. It might even be considered a knock of authority, for there is such a thing.
This time they plainly heard the shuffling of feet within. Then a bar seemed to be removed, which in itself was a mute evidence of the radical change that had come to this land since war stalked abroad; for in the good old days of peace[197] it was likely that no door had ever been fastened, since thievery was next to unknown.
As the door was partly opened they saw a man of middle age, whose sight was confined to one eye. He looked plainly worried, Amos could see; but being content to leave all matters to Jack, he held his peace.
It was the usual habit of the boys when desiring to communicate with any of the people whom they chanced to meet to test them first of all with English. There were a certain number of Belgians who could speak that language, having picked it up in trade, or by reason of having been across the Channel working in English factories during dull seasons in their own country.
Jack first of all pointed to that wonderful little flag which Amos bore in his buttonhole.
“We are Americans—from the United States—can you talk English?”
He saw the man’s face give a twitch, and even fancied that his worried face took on a partially relieved expression, though his hand resting upon the edge of the door still quivered.
[198]
“Yes, I can speak and understand English,” he immediately said in a quavering tone. “Both the wife and me, we have worked over in Birmingham in the days that are gone. What is it you want, m’sieu?”
Jack waved his hand as if to call his attention to the descending rain.
“Shelter from the storm,” he said. “We will be only too glad to take whatever accommodations you can spare, so long as we keep our coats dry, and get a bite to eat; and please understand we will pay for the service. I hope you will not refuse to accommodate us for one night, my friend!”
The old man looked puzzled. He acted as though while he would like to say no, policy compelled him to think twice before committing himself.
“Please wait a minute. I will talk with the good wife.”
He closed the door in their faces as he said this, softly, however, as though not wishing to offend them.
[199]
“Well, I like that,” said Amos. “We may have to go elsewhere to get out of the rain.”
“Give them a little time,” cautioned Jack. “It shows that the woman rules here, as she usually does in every home. Don’t you remember that story about the man who started out to learn whether the man or the woman of the house was the actual boss, and found to his satisfaction that it was always the lady?”
“I don’t remember hearing it, Jack,” commented Amos. “Suppose you tell me about it while we’re waiting for them to decide this matter.”
“Oh! I thought it was a chestnut,” laughed Jack. “It’s so good that it would bear repeating anyway. This man started out to please his father, taking ten chickens in the wagon and a pair of horses, one gray and the other a roan. If he found that the woman bossed the house he was to leave a fowl; and should he ever come across a home where the man was absolutely the ruler one of the horses was to be given to the happy couple!”
[200]
“That’s interesting. Honest, Jack, I’ve never heard the story before, either.”
“From house to house the man went. In every case he learned that woman ruled the ranch, and so by degrees his supply of fowls got down to a single specimen. Then he came to a place where there was a big burly man and a small sharp-eyed wife. When he stated his case he learned that in this home the man did just as he pleased. Both declared this, and it looked as though he had at last hit on an ideal couple, which would please his father very much.
“‘Since in this house the man is the sole boss,’ he told them, ‘I am empowered by my father to make you a present of a horse. Now choose which one of these two animals you would want to have.’
“‘The gray one strikes me as just about right,’ said the man.
“‘It’s a good horse,’ admitted the woman, ‘but don’t you think the roan a little the finer, John? It seems to me if there is any choice I’d take the roan.’
[201]
“At that the man told them to step aside and settle the matter; so after some talk the husband came forward a little sheepishly and said:
“‘Mister, if it’s all the same to you I think we’ll take the roan horse!’
“‘You’ll take a hen,’ said the traveler, as he chucked the last fowl out of the wagon, and drove back to tell his father that woman was supreme in every home.”
Amos laughed heartily at hearing the conclusion. Anxieties do not wholly suppress young blood, which is capable of throwing cares aside at will.
“Here they come to the door again,” he told Amos. “I wonder what they think of hearing me laugh so loud.”
This time the door was thrown wide open by the man.
“Enter, young messieurs. We will do the best we can to entertain you. But after such a terrible winter it is little any Belgian family possesses to keep body and soul together. Lucky are those who still have a roof over their heads.”
[202]
The old woman looked at them, and nodded her head as both boys saluted her respectfully. They were given chairs, and seemed glad to sit down to rest, being more or less tired after walking.
“What a wonderful day this has been for us, taken in all,” Amos was saying as they looked out of the small window and saw how steadily the rain was coming down.
“We’ll have to mark it with a white stone in our log of this trip abroad to t............