THE IRON HAND
Captain Rowland sat at a table that had seen more prosperous days, and
the camp chair that he was using creaked ominously. Elfreda Briggs
feared that it was about to collapse under him, for the captain was not
a slight man by any means.
Neither Overton girl had ever before met Captain Rowland, but they had
heard of him as a severe man, cold and not always as just as were most
of his fellow officers, so rumor had said.
Mrs. Smythe was seated on a camp stool just back of the captain, and
with her was a young woman that Grace had never seen before, though she
afterwards learned that the girl was Marie Debussy, a French woman,
who, it appeared, was acting as the supervisor’s maid. Except for the
lieutenant who had assisted Mrs. Smythe on the occasion of her rescue
from the river, there were no others present.
“Are you Mrs. Grace Gray?” demanded the captain, fixing a stern look on
Grace Harlowe.
“I am, sir.”
“What right have you to those decorations?” he demanded, pointing an
accusing finger at her.
Grace for the instant was staggered. She found herself at a loss to
answer.
“Sir?”
He repeated the question, but more sharply accentuated than before.
“With all respect, sir, your question carries with it an inference not
at all creditable to me.”
Elfreda Briggs was proud of Grace. She could not have said it better
herself, and being a lawyer, Elfreda ordinarily was quite equal to
making the retort courteous.
The face of the army officer hardened, but before he could reply, Grace
continued.
“The decorations, sir, were awarded to me, one by the
commander-in-chief and the other by the French Government.”
“For what?”
“I have frequently asked myself that very same question, sir,” replied
the Overton girl.
“This is a military inquiry, Mrs. Gray. You will answer my questions
directly. Why were you awarded the decorations you are wearing?”
Grace’s face hardened ever so little, and Elfreda looked for an
explosion, but none came.
“If you will pardon me, I must be excused from answering. The records
will show why I am wearing them. General Gordon knows something of this
matter. May I ask why you are pressing me on this point, sir?”
“You may. It has been said that you were wearing decorations to which
you had no right. This is a very serious accusation, Madame.”
Grace caught her breath sharply.
“Then the person who told you that either was misinformed or was
telling a malicious falsehood,” she declared with some heat, fixing a
steady look on Mrs. Chadsey Smythe.
“You see, Captain! The woman is an impertinent creature,” interjected
Mrs. Smythe.
The captain waved a hand for her to be silent.
“I will attend to that phase of the matter later on. You wrecked an
automobile to-day and imperilled the lives of your passengers. I am
informed that previous to the accident you had been driving recklessly,
doing so with the intent to intimidate your passenger, and at the same
time endangering other lives. Is this true?”
“I was driving rather fast, I will admit, sir.”
“Why?”
“Mrs. Smythe ordered me to do so, and accused me of being afraid to
speed up, so I speeded up. That, however, had nothing to do with the
accident. At the time of the crash I was following an officer’s car. A
truck crowded me against the bridge railing. Understand, sir, I am not
excusing myself. In a way I was not wholly blameless for the accident,
because I was driving too fast for the crowded condition of the road.
So far as intent was concerned, it is foolish to assume that there
could have been anything of that sort. I had my own neck to consider as
well as those of my passengers.”
“How fast were you driving?”
“About thirty-five miles an hour, I should say.”
“What experience have you had in driving a car?”
“I have been driving an ambulance on the western front for many months,
sir. Previously to coming overseas I had been driving for several
years. I consider myself a fairly successful driver.”
“I understand that you have had accidents before this one?”
“Naturally, sir. One cannot drive an ambulance at the front in wartime
without having more or less trouble, as you know, and I cannot
understand why so much should have been made of this accident by my
superior. It was an accident, I was driving fast, but I deny most
emphatically that I was careless or that a slower rate of speed would
have prevented the collision.”
“Others will be the judge of that, Mrs. Gray,” rebuked the officer.
“Mrs. Smythe makes a further charge against you. She asserts that,
after you all fell into the river, you handled her roughly. Not only
that but that you tried to drown her.”
“Mrs. Smythe is in error.”
“You held my head under water!” cried the supervisor.
“I was trying to rescue you, Mrs. Smythe, but you fought me, and
to save you I was obliged first to subdue you. The accusation is
preposterous. I am not a Hun. Are there any other charges, Captain?”
“I believe not. Those already named are quite sufficient. Mrs. Smythe,
is there anything you wish to add to the statement you have already
made?” questioned the captain.
“Yes, there is. I demand that this woman be dismissed from the service.
She is unfit for our purposes, and I refuse to have anything further to
do with her,” declared the supervisor heatedly.
Grace smiled down on her superior, but made no comment.
“That I cannot do,” answered the captain. “The most that I am empowered
to do is to request her organization to withdraw her from your service.
I should say, however, that such a request had best come from you.
However, I agree with you that Mrs. Gray should be punished for what
verges on criminal carelessness.”
“I should say it was criminal carelessness,” muttered the angry woman.
“What I can do is to relieve her from duty until--”
“Sir,” interjected Grace Harlowe in an even tone, “as I understand
the military law in the case, you have no authority to do even
that. You can recommend, but you have no authority to go further. I
shall be obliged to stand on my rights. I say this in no spirit of
insubordination, and with full knowledge that I am responsible to
the military authorities for my conduct. If it is your belief that I
should be relieved from duty, I hope you will make the recommendation
to your superior, who, in turn, can pass the recommendation on to a
higher authority. By the time these formalities have been observed
we undoubtedly shall have arrived at the Rhine, where a more formal
hearing may be more conveniently held. I hope I have made myself
perfectly clear both as to meaning and intent, sir.”
“Perfectly,” observed the captain sarcastically. “I agree with you in
your interpretation of your rights in the case, and I shall, as you
suggest, make my recommendations to my superior officer.”
“Thank you.”
“My recommendation will be that you be dismissed from service with the
Army of Occupation and returned to your organization in Paris. That
is all, Mrs. Gray. In the meantime you will proceed with your work as
before. A car will be turned over to you to-morrow morning. That’s all!”