Dorothy was given a military uniform by Clifford Kent. At first Dorothy was worried that the size was too big for her. But when she tried it on, it fit perfectly. The hat was too baggy, but it was able to cover her long hair.
Clifford Kent even prepared a fake order to move Giles elsewhere. It was a fine crime.
"Do you blame me?" asked Clifford Kent to Dorothy.
"No, but I was surprised."
"When I was a hobo, I did even worse things, except for killing people."
"Hobo rides the train for free, right?"
"Yes. Unlike ships, trains are risky. I've been attacked by the conductor with an ax, and I've been thrown from trains that were running at great speed."
Dorothy envied Clifford Kent, who could turn mortal struggles into joyful adventures. Someday she hoped to write about her experience in that way.
They pretended to be soldiers and entered the Washington Arsenal. Clifford Kent was conversing with the guard, and Dorothy was looking down with her hat pulled down over her eyes.
They headed for the military hospital barracks.
Dorothy was trembling not with anxiety, but with excitement. She wasn't the quiet literary girl she used to be. She was brave enough to meet harpies, a giant eagle, and a Titan. "Que sera sera," she said to herself.
"Stop," said Clifford Kent.
"What happened?"
"Shut up and hide!"
They hid behind a nearby building and listened. People in the hospital were shouting loudly.
"Gone!"
"Find it!"
Soldiers with guns rushed out of the hospital and scattered around the facility.
"What happened?" Dorothy whispered to Clifford Kent.
"We were late."
"What do you mean?"
"Somebody got Giles out before us."
"Who?"
"I want to know who it is. Let's find out who it is and rescue Giles."
YOU ARE READING
The Argo Goes West
Bilim KurguIn 1900, creatures from Greek myth began to invade America, where the frontier line had disappeared. Theodore Roosevelt builds the Argo, a battle train and heads to the west where monsters await!
