A QUICK CONVALESCENCE
Two days later. The scene had changed. The Allied front, leaving the
rippling stream some two miles or more in the rear, was now showing a
convex bend towards the foe instead of a concave hollow, as was the
case before the :fighting.
The little half-ruined cabin was in decidedly better shape than before.
A number of Red tents and temporary wooden shelters had risen if by
magic in the small open space around. Trenches stretched eastward,
communicating the new trenches now occupied by Americans French, with a
sprinkling of British forces.
That the new front was considered as something to be held permanently
was further indicated the rapid construction of a new road for
automobiles and motor-car traffic along this new line. Even ties,
lumber and rails were being piled here and there, as foretokening that
one more of the many short lines of railway was now being prepared for
use in the near future.
Still further back was another aerodrome, unfenced as yet, but nearly
completed. There was one reassuring sign of its ownership and
occupancy. As the light winds flared out its folds, so that all who
saw might read, there floated out our own national emblem, the Stars
and Stripes.
Inside the restored hut lay Buck Bangs on a white cot, while on another
reclined the stalwart form of Lafayette Blaine. Both of these spad
pilots, though pale and looking rather the worse for wear, showed such
evidence of comfort and bodily ease that one felt sure things must have
happened to both. On the lapel of each coat was military decoration,
evidently very recently bestowed.
Blaine at last threw down the magazine he was reading and glared at his
partner, who moved with more difficulty when he changed his reclining
position for one less unbearable.
"What's got into you, Buck?" said Blaine impatiently. "Why don't you
go to sleep? Afraid you'll dream of that pretty girl what picked you
up?"
"Little good I get dreaming of her, Lafe! But wasn't it queer? Just
as soon as you got straight and I was out of danger, off they
went-bang! Durn it! They was both here yesterday while the Doe and
Sawbones were at work. My, how that girl could smile -- and exclaim!"
"That was one thing she could do, Buck." Blaine grinned. "All her
exclaiming was in good Yankee English -- real United States."
"And what have we got waiting on us now? Ugh!" Buck made a painful
face, but whether caused by his thought or by having to change his
position again was not at first apparent.
A middle-aged, rather homely, yet kindly nurse entered and puttered
round them both. At last she inquired in rather lame English:
"Will Monseurs, so lately promoted for their gallantry -- will they
have anything more? I shall be delight to --"
"No, no, Madame," broke in Buck, while Blaine furtively grinned. "We
are doing finely-finely -- ouch!"
"Ees zat anew pain?" The elderly nurse was at once by his side. "We
must rest quiet, mon enfant. Quiet for joost one day more. Then you
will be moved to our nearest base -"
"Say, Madame!" Buck was interrupting eagerly, "what has become of the
girls that were here yesterday?"
"Ah-h! Yes, yes! They are grand Mesdemoiselles -- both. Reech! La,
la! I hear their
father owns r-railroads in your countree. Oui! Yiss, yiss, all right.
Zere! I am learning ze language. It cooms easy - adieu!" And she
vanished through the door.
"What do you think of that, Lafe? Why were those two young girls, both
Red Cross apprentices, why were they left here alone? Don't they know
the Boches would rather bomb a hospital than eat wienerwurst for lunch?
And then as soon as the place became really safe, off they go; but
where?"
"Say, Buck, you make me tired! Hush up! I guess we'll meet up with
them some day soon. If we don't -- what's the odds?"
"And their daddy -- so this blessed old mollycoddle says -- owns real
United States railroads. Makes me sick! But -- say, Lafe! Wasn't
that youngest one a beaut? If ever I get a furlough, I'm going to look
her up."
"And be a fool for your pains! Look here, you do have sense enough to
put up a good fight in the air. But on the ground, the real earth,
you're becoming a fool."
But Buck rolled, and grumbled, and so wore himself out fretting that on
the next day it was decided to send them both to the base hospital for
a week, which was duly done.
Three days more and Blaine, now an ensign, besides having his French
decoration) had so nearly regained his strength that he no longer lay
on a cot, but sat and walked about, a convalescent.
Buck Bangs, now a sergeant, still fretted and grumbled, improving more
slowly. The new stripes on his arm cheered him somewhat, yet he
eagerly eyed each group of visitors who strolled through the wards, the
reading rooms, and other parts of the big base hospital where the two
were convalescing. But, so far, his longings were ungratified.
A few hundred yards further back, on the edge of a French village that
now quartered a brigade of our Sammies, was the new aerodrome where
(quite a number of Uncle Sam's new aviators were on duty, day and
night. Most of those we have met before were there, all except poor
Finzer and a few others that had fallen in the various raids that had
taken place from time to time. There was Erwin, now a corporal; Lex
Brodno, His American Pole, and others . Byers was in charge, with Anson
and one or two other British aviators detailed to help the new American
airmen get into thorough shape and training.
This recent transfer from the other station had taken place while
Blaine and Bangs were absent raiding and subsequently in the hospital.
Bauer, the fellow who had made the signal to the enemy the night that
raid started, had been tried by court-martial and was to have been shot
but on the night before the intended execution he managed to escape,
probably by connivance of somebody. It was afterward heard that he had
gotten back to Germany by some hook or crook. Would he ever pay the
penalty he had so richly deserved? That remains yet to be seen.
On the day when Byers himself escorted Blaine and Bangs from the
hospital to the aviation camp, there were many visitors. Amid the
cordial welcomes given them by their old comrades and also many new
ones, Buck anxiously scanned each group of visitors as they passed.
Lafe joked him about this.
"Why, you poor stiff," said the new ensign, "where are you looking?
What's wrong, anyhow? Gee! Isn't it jolly to be back among the boys
-- well, well!"
Blaine interrupted himself when Buck, his eyes roving, suddenly espied
two young women, garbed as Red Cross nurses - novitiates -- wandering
amid the new hangars in which were a score or more of the American
machines. Straightway Buck had bolted.
Blaine, following him with his eyes, saw Buck doff his aviator's cap as
he reached the group that also included an elderly man and lady, and
another matronly form which was easily recognized by many as the head
nurse in charge of the new Red Cross stations within the American
sector.
"Durn me if he isn't shaking hands with those girls!" soliloquized
Lafe. "The cheek of him! If he wasn't such a mighty good fellow, I'd
call him down!"
But Blaine was a pretty good chap himself. He and Erwin had come
together and were exchanging cordial small talk concerning what had
happened to each recently, when he again saw Buck with these visitors
strolling leisurely by towards the nearest landing stage. Towards this
place a pair of swift scouts were making, on their return from the
German front somewhere east.
"Know those folks?" he idly queried of Orris, now a corporal.
"Bet your life! Say, Lafe, who doesn't know of Senator Knute Walsen of
Idaho? He's a big man, over here to supervise our rail transportation
in France. See those two Red Cross girls? They're his daughters.
Taking courses in nursing, I hear, and right at the front too.
Wouldn't that get you? Who is that showing them round?"
"That is Buck Bangs, from Butte, Montana -- Our old Buck! What d'ye
think of that, bo?"
"He seems quite intimate with 'em, don't he? Where'd he meet up with
that crowd, Lafe?"
"Well, he and I sort o' dropped in on the girls just before we were in
the relief station. Remember, don't you? It was while we were
returning home from that raid where poor Finzer got his."
"Don't say! Yes, of course, we've all heard how you and Buck piloted
our fellows after you two had been out all night. Had a hell of a time
-- didn't you?" Suddenly Erwin looked his amazement. "Look here,
Lafe. Honest Injun! Were those two daughters of old Walsen in that
hut when you and Bangs just managed to make your landing there?
Whoopee!"
Blaine had nodded, then looked after the receding group half
regretfully. Orris gripped the Ensign's arm, and began telling things.
"They must be plucky girls, all right. It so happened that the older
nurse -- the one you and I saw later -- had gone away with a
desperately wounded man in an ambulance to the next base. After you
and Buck landed, you were both bad off, he worse than you. Well, sir,
the Boches shelled that hut before any one got back, and before our
boys had driven the Boches clear off. What do you reckon those two
girls did? They didn't holler: nary a squeal! But they stuck to you
two and to business, and nursed you both, so that by the time aid
arrived, you were all pretty comfortable. Some girls, those two! I
hear that the younger, Miss Andra Walsen, is going to remain. Maybe
they both are. And as for money, there's wads of it in the family,
believe me! No wonder Bucky is bucking up to 'em a bit!"
After this lengthy exordium, Orris discreetly, changed the subject by
wanting to know when he and Buck would be assigned again to duty.
"I'm ready right now. Whether Buck is or not I can't say. As for me,
I've got the old flying fever, big and hot. I suppose it rests with
Byers."
Later on as the group whom they had been discussing approached, Blaine
and his friend were introduced. Andra, it was plain to see, had ready
given poor Buck a deal to think about later on. She was handsome,
dark-eyed, light-haired with a peachy complexion -- a combination hard
indeed for a susceptible youth to resist. Avella, her sister,
blue-eyed, dark-haired, a year older than her sister, was equally
fascinating, yet in a different way.
Both were kindly, earnest, in love with their new work, and ready to go
anywhere or do anything that would serve the good cause.
As a matter of course, when Erwin excused himself on plea of other
business and the Senator, looking at his watch, found he had an
appointment with Byers, the four young people were left alone. By
couples they strolled through the aerodrome, inspecting this,
commenting on that, while other fliers regarded the boys with more or
less envy.
After a while several specks were seen in the eastern sky that
approached rather more rapidly than was usual with friendly planes at
such time of day. Blaine had his glasses out, while listening to the
comments of the girls on the difficulties they bad in bringing both
boys into that hut and dressing their wounds.
"We had to go for water," said Avella.
"You see we hadn't been there but a day or so. I went, and nearly got
lost among the old shell craters before I got to the spring that was an
awful distance off. It was dark, and so smoky! I was afraid something
might happen while I was away."
"You sure were mighty good to us," remarked Blaine. "What luck! To
come way over here and be saved by two lovely girls right from our own
part of the world. Can you beat it, Buck?"
"Don't want to beat it! Say, you ladies are our own kind of folks.
I'll be homesick when you two leave."
"Perhaps we won't leave -- yet." Avella smiled enigmatically. "Papa
is willing for us to stay. At first I was going with him; but he says
Andra and I would need each other to keep from getting homesick."
"Look, look!" Andra was gazing through Buck's glasses at the
approaching planes, which had a strange look as they flew at tremendous
speed in V formation. "What if they should not be friendly?"
Just then Blaine closed his own glass for he saw flyers coming on the
run.
"Are you two all right?" he called to the boys. "All our best men are
off on the daily run over the Boche trenches. I cannot think how these
fellows got by. Get down to the hangars, if you feel strong enough. I
may have to go up myself . They're making straight for us."
The girls were looking on in wonder, whereat Byers turned to them.
"You better get into the bomb-proofs," he said. "Your father's yonder."
The Senator was seen hurrying from one of the buildings towards them.
Both the aviators, seeing, Erwin and Brodno on the run, joined them and
hastened on down to where mechanics were trundling out a number of
machines upon the smooth level that was the starting point nearest.
With a word to the Senator, Byers followed, while the girls both waved
their handkerchiefs. Said Andra to her sister:
"Let us go on down. I want to see them start. Do you think Mr. Bangs
is strong enough? Look at him run!"
"I guess he is as strong as Mr. Blaine. But they both really ought to
have a few days' leave, don't you think?"
Arrived on the driveway, half a dozen men, all in the leather uniforms
with caps and goggles to match, were mounting the machines nearest.
Blaine, having donned his rig on the run, as it were, was already in a
triplane much like the one he had last used. Turning to the mechanic,
he asked:
"It cannot be my own machine, is it?"
"Sure thing!" the man replied. "It was sent to us the day after you
got in. We fixed her up, thinking you might need it. Glad you are out
so soon, Ensign."
"Thanks for that! I reckon we'll need all we got by the looks of that
squad that's coming. They're dropping bombs already."
"Yes, sir," said another mechanic, using his glass. "And right over
where you and Sergeant Bangs came down."