The Brighton Boys at Chateau-ThierryDriscoll, James R.
General
The Brighton Boys at Chateau-Thierry
Driscoll, James R.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- France -- Juvenile fiction
“He may become conscious later on. I’ll let you know. After you get
your car and bring in the next bunch you must run down to your base
and report. They must assign you another helper. I have sent your
description of the German signal man to headquarters and to the P. C.
at the front of the woods section--I think they’ll get him. And I’ll
send a note by you, telling what good work you did.”
With the idea uppermost that it was his first duty to play the part
of a good soldier in the work he had enlisted to do, Don got up to
join the army ambulance. Two hours later, in his own car and at its
best speed, he was returning from the Red Cross base. The man beside
him began to think himself most unlucky to have been assigned to
duty with this dare-devil of a driver, who spoke hardly a word and
seemed not to care if they were presently piled in a heap and both
killed. Around, past and in between lorries, trucks, ambulances, big
guns being hauled to the front and marching men they dashed. When the
evacuation hospital was again reached the young driver left the car
with but a word to the new man, requesting him to wait, and was gone
a long half hour.
“He has asked for you,” said the nurse to Don. “His mind seems to be
clear and he is not suffering, but the shock was too great. It has
caused some immediate heart trouble and with the loss of blood--the
Major can explain. Go right over and speak to the poor boy.”
Don did so, almost in despair, but he was determined not to show it.
Billy must get well; if there was anything in his thinking so, then
he must be given every chance. And so Don met his pal with a smile.
“Hello, Billy! Feeling better? Soon be all right, I--”
“No, no! Don, the--nurse told me all about it, what you did and what
you did for me, too. Don--we--we have only known each other--how
long, Don?”
“Why, three whole days, Billy. But we’ll know each other al---”
“Listen, Don. I know. Don’t try to fool me. No use. West--I’m
going--West. Pretty soon, too. A message, to my father and mother
and brother, Don. Will you write it? I got the nurse to write this
to introduce you to them, and to bid them good-bye. Then I only
want you to write him a letter about me--a little. Can you tell
them, Don, that I was not a coward--that I was not very much afraid
that--I tried to do my duty? Don’t tell them a lie--but--but if you
could truthfully say something like that it will please them. Do you
understand?”
Don could not trust his voice, but he nodded his head with very
evident determination and, unlike anything he had ever done before,
placed his hand over that of Billy’s and held it. It was not a
boylike act, but it seemed as though they were no longer boys, but
creatures of profound and heart-stirring sentiment. The soft, droning
voice of the dying youth ceased a little; then began again with
halting, sometimes difficult speech.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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