“Because it ain’t,” said the man. “That ain’t got the same feel as
my wrench. You can’t wish off any strange wrench on this guy! I
gotta have me own wrench! If General Pershing is goin’ to let youse
kids go stealin’ wrenches, I’ll--I’ll--well, you’ll _see_ what I’ll
do, discipline ner no discipline!” He glared at the boys and at the
unoffending wrench.
Beany sadly allowed himself to wake up.
“I had your old wrench,” he said, “and I guess I lost it. I will buy
you a new one if I can’t find it.”
“You find it!” said the man. “I don’t want no new one! I know the
feel of me own tools, and no others need apply!”
He went off grumbling, and the boys, now wide awake, watched him.
“I told you how it would be,” groaned Beany. “He’ll never let up on
me. Wonder where I could have dropped it. In No-Man’s-Land probably,
where it would be as easy to find as a needle in a haystack, and
where we can’t go anyhow, now it’s light. Look there! Oh praise be,
I believe _he_ has found it himself!”
It was so. The man suddenly pounced on an object lying on the
ground, took it up, examined it with a tenderer care than would
usually be bestowed on a tool, and with a scornful look turned and
waved it at the watching boys. “Got it!” he called.
“Good!” said Beany affably.
“No thanks to you!” called the chauffeur. He stalked away.
“I would never let myself get so wrapped up in a little thing like
that,” said Beany. He threw himself back on his bed.
“Don’t do that,” said Porky. “We are going to the General’s tent at
seven, you know, to hear what the Fritz person is going to say for
himself. I bet he tells the truth anyhow. If the General fixes his
gimlet eye on him once, he will tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth.”
“I would in his place,” said Beany. “It wouldn’t seem just healthy
to lie to the General.” He commenced the simple process of dressing
as practiced by soldiers in the field. It consisted of very brief
bathing in a couple of teacups of water in a collapsible, and
usually collapsing washpan, made of canvas waterproofed, and after
that the simple drawing on of breeches, canvas puttees and shirt. A
soldier sleeps in his underwear, but sleeping in his outer garments
is very strictly forbidden, no matter how cold the weather may be.
The boys reached the General’s tent at ten minutes to seven, and
although they knew that the great man had been up for a couple of
hours, they sat quietly outside until their watches told off the
very tick of the expected hour. Then, just as they saw the guard
bringing up the prisoner, they tapped on the tent flap, and at a
word of summons entered.
The General, looking as though he had never stirred since the night
before, sat in his accustomed place at the head of the table, over
which a number of papers were strewn. He bade the boys good morning
and nodded them to seats. In another moment the prisoner entered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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