“Lucky thing you pulled yourself together, old man, for you’re booked to take part in a ceremony to-morrow. A famous French general is going to kiss you on both cheeks and pin a doodad of some sort on your nightie.” Dimples was amazed. “Me? Why, the idea!” “Sure!” Shipp nodded vigorously. “Ridiculous, isn’t it? And think of me standing at attention while he does it. Pretty soft for you Y fellows. Here you are going home with a decoration before I’ve even smelled powder.” “Oh, I’m not going home,” the other declared. “Not yet, anyhow. A one-legged man can sell cigarettes and sew on buttons and make doughnuts just as well as a centipede.” A smiling nurse paused at the bed to say: “You’re awfully thin, Mr. Dalrymple, but we’ll soon have you nice and fat again. The doctor says you’re to have the most nourishing food—anything you want, in fact.” “‘_Anything?_’” “Anything within reason.” Dimples grinned wistfully, yet happily. “Gee!” said he. “I’d like some cornstarch pudding.” THE END ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Transcriber’s note: Cover, full stop inserted after ‘D,’ “T. D. SKIDMORE” Page 23, ‘pi’ changed to ‘pin,’ “striving to pin the man’s hateful” End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Too Fat to Fight, by Rex Beach