CHAPTER XXI

DISTINGUISHED

“Not killed, are you, Don?”

No answer.

“Done for! And just when we had become friends,” Clem murmured. But

upon the instant an arm that he had been unconsciously lying across

gave a twitch. Clem lifted himself and looked into the other boy’s

face.

“Hey, Don! You’re not dead, are you?”

Don Richards opened his eyes. “If I am, it’s right comfortable,

except something’s the matter with my shoulder. Was I hit? Oh yes;

sure, I know. I came over to help you; didn’t I? Then I got mine.

Head feels queer. Must have gone to sleep. Knocked out, eh?”

“Something like that. But, glory, I’m glad you weren’t killed! I

thought you were.”

“The Huns haven’t got a real bullet with my number on it. This was

only a fake one made of corn pith. Say, let’s make the ambulance and

get out of here.”

It was now a still slower and sorrier procession than before, but

pluck and mutual helpfulness got the two boys over most of the way

until _brancardiers_ came to them. One of these latter could drive a

car, and he offered to run the ambulance to the dressing station.

Two hours later the two boys, both swathed in bandages, lay on

adjoining cots, following operations. Two days later the big, roomy

Red Cross base, with its abundant light, comforts, attentive nurses

and absence of flies, received them. As they left the evacuation tent

for this delightful place, Major Little, still on duty, said to Don:

“I always believed you’d get hit, my boy. You took too much risk.

Came pretty near ending you. Just missed the lung by about one inch.

But you’ll be all right and so will your friend, the corporal, here.

Well, I want to say your work has been admirable and I think they

will have something to say about that at the base. Good-bye and good

luck!”

And at the base they did have something to say about it, but not

alone to Don. A month later some French and American officers

visited the hospital and they came direct to the easy chairs occupied

by Clem and Don on the wide veranda of the old château which had been

turned into a convalescent ward.

The American general spoke first, taking the right hand of each lad.

“Well, I suppose you two young scamps know what we do over here to

show our appreciation, eh?”

Both boys were silent and much embarrassed.

“Well, one American way, like that of the British, is to mention

names in dispatches. You fellows won’t object to that when you hear

what is going to be said of you. Corporal, there has been no braver

part taken than that by you in the charge on the Bois de Belleau.

And we have it that you did some fine work in Bouresches, and on

Hill 165. And you--Master Red Cross driver--we have heard some great

stories of you. But better than dispatches will be the Medals of

Honor for both of you. Here is another matter: We have received data

about the arrest of some spies. This, it seems, started back in

the States and ended here. Well, that was notably fine work--fine

work! But our friend here, _Monsieur le Général_ Marcier, also has

something to say.”

Mister the General, twirling his pointed mustache with a beaming

smile, spoke what he had to say quite briefly and it was just as

well that he did so, between very bad English and very nasal French,

rapidly delivered, the boys could hardly get head or tail of it. They

did, however, both get the well-known words at the end of the speech.

These delightful syllables were _Croix de Guerre_. And then again the

American commander spoke:

“It is by just such lads as you have proved yourselves to be that the

enemy was stopped and turned back at Château-Thierry. And by many

such as you this war will soon be won. You boys will be invalided

home and sent across shortly. Be as good citizens as you have been

brave men here. Good-bye and good luck!”

The officers went their way, making welcome little speeches to

others. Don leaned over and slapped his friend gently on the back.

“Medal of Honor! and the _Croix de Guerre_!”

* * * * *

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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

The original text had large drop-capitals at the start of each

chapter, and omitted the initial quotation mark in an opening

sentence of a conversation. That missing quotation mark has been

inserted in this etext.

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been

corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within

the text and consultation of external sources.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,

and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example,

shell hole, shell-hole; farm house, farmhouse; boylike, boy-like;

jailors; combatting; intrenched.

Pg 53, ‘mightly independent’ replaced by ‘mightily independent’.

Pg 54, ‘will be going, to’ replaced by ‘will be going, too’.

Pg 56, ‘to he satisfied’ replaced by ‘to be satisfied’.

Pg 59, ‘amply satisified’ replaced by ‘amply satisfied’.

Pg 71, ‘not checked not’ replaced by ‘not checked nor’.

Pg 76, ‘handorgan’ replaced by ‘hand organ’.

Pg 82, ‘muderous Hun’ replaced by ‘murderous Hun’.

Pg 95, ‘cumulous clouds’ replaced by ‘cumulus clouds’.

Pg 96, ‘the while thing’ replaced by ‘the white thing’.

Pg 102, ‘fer a veteran’ replaced by ‘for a veteran’.

Pg 108, ‘and you--Don’ replaced by ‘And you--Don’.

Pg 114, ‘the work an so’ replaced by ‘the work and so’.

Pg 116, ‘They’s have you’ replaced by ‘They’d have you’.

Pg 123, ‘hideous meledy’ replaced by ‘hideous melody’.

Pg 125, ‘and said Don’ replaced by ‘and said to Don’.

Pg 135, ‘camion contigent’ replaced by ‘camion contingent’.

Pg 141, ‘real while folks’ replaced by ‘real white folks’.

Pg 151, ‘does it carry then’ replaced by ‘does it carry them’.

Pg 158, ‘the day everhauling’ replaced by ‘the day overhauling’.

Pg 159, ‘certain and reggular’ replaced by ‘certain and regular’.

Pg 166, ‘though homlier’ replaced by ‘though homelier’.

Pg 171, ‘similiar shouts’ replaced by ‘similar shouts’.

Pg 211, ‘short shift’ replaced by ‘short shrift’.

Pg 219, ‘jumped up an’ replaced by ‘jumped up and’.

Pg 232, ‘well-know words’ replaced by ‘well-known words’.

The Brighton Boys at Chateau-Thierry · 第 21 / 21 章