"Five years ago, at Mouquin's," he replied, and then I did remember
him, and while the others stood about marveling at their "educated"
comrade who could actually converse with the American, we talked about
many of the old newspaper crowd in New York who frequented that
restaurant. He had sailed on Aug. 4 to rejoin his regiment.
The automobiles arrived, and I climbed aboard. He reached up his hand.
"Tell those folks back in America that we are all doing fine," he
said. Then his voice sank to an impressive whisper: "And take it from
me, you can say we are giving the Germans hell now."
As our automobile jerked suddenly away into the night I could hear my
ex-waiter excitedly introducing American journalism, particularly THE
NEW YORK TIMES, to his regiment on the battlefield.