<TD></TD></TABLE>
”ar,”ralphsaid,
quietly
illustration:angthegesoldiers
”oh,indeed”thesergeantsaid,inanincredulousvoice,”and
y”
”outintheforest,attheplaceofell
trees,”ralphsaid
”butpeopledonotetocuthouthorses,orcartsto
takeitahesergeantpersisted
”theyareupintheforesthourfather,”ralphsaid
”haveyouheardanythingaboutthisparty”thesergeantaskedthe
landlord
thenhesitatedantheevidentlysuspected,also,thatthe
boysghtbelongtothefranctireurs;andosay
nothingthe
”no,”hesaid,afterapause,”icantsaythatihaveheardof
thebutiknoeoftheforestlongago,and
theyghthaveefroringthisway”
”oing,”percysaid,quietly,”sothatyou
uldhardlyhaveheardofus,unlesssoofthepeopleofyour
placehappenedtopass,seen
anyone,allday”
”atanyrate,”thesergeantsaid,”ishallseeifyourstorybe
true,andyouoncetakeustotheplace
”rporal,gettenninreadiness”
”certainly,”ralphsaid,”ifyouofinishour
supper,heonce”
thesergeantnodded,andresudhisseat
”lookhere,percy,”ralphsaid,quietly,”yfix,
thistithereisonlyohingtobedone,thaticanseeif
hgotheyus,toacertainty;foralthoughone
ghtkeaboltintheiscertainbothget
away
”onlyohingistobedoneiisbad,andask
foryoutostayheredirectlyand
goashardasyoucantotheplaceenarehidiwill
bringthenthatdirectionheplacebefore
youcanreachitatleast,unlessyoucangetout,atonceand
passoninthedarknesstakeoffyourshoes,soastorunlightly
asakeadart
intothehenfusion”
”butyoughtbeshotbyou,ralphtheyuldnotpossibly
distinguishyou,inthedarkno,ien,andyou
keyourpe”
”no,no,percy,ihavethat”
”veryhenogether”
thereinuteorthenralphsaid:
”lookhere,percy,thisisdness;hodoasi
tellyou,binoneof
handsyoushallguessisinifyouguessright,i
ansifyouguesswrong,youshallgo”
”veryothat”
ralphthenbrokeoffasllpieceofbread,andputitinoneof
hishandshavingalready,beforehedetheproposition,broken
offasilarpiece,unobservedbypercyhethenputbothhands
underthetable,andthenliftedthegain;allthetitryingto
appeaottobeengageduponanythingoutoftheway,asheknew
thatsooftheges
”left,”percysaid
ralphrepliedbyopeningthelefthand,anddroppingthepieceof
breadonthetable;atthesatiputtinghisrighthandback
intohispocket,asiftogetouthishandkerchiefanddropping,
ashedidso,thepieceofbreaditntainedintotheplace
”there,percy,fortunehasdecidedit
”goodbye;godblessyouidaresayishallgetoutofitbut,if
not,givelovetothell,atho”
thenhefinishedhisbeerandrose,eto
reply,evenuldhehavedoneso;buttheladuchchoked,
crying,thatheuldnothavespoken
ralphtuedtothesergeantandstretchinghisar,hthe
naturalairofatiredboy,objectingtobedisturbedsaid:
”noreadytostartisupposethereisnooccasionfor
usbothtogo,forbrotherhashurthisfoothave
ein,tonight;butitishisfirsttiouten,
andheisnotaccustodtosleepingout,inthe”
”yes,oneisenoughhecanstay,”thesergeantsaid
”youhadbetteraskthelandlordtoshooer,whereyou
cansleeponthestraisnouseing
forishallbebackinanhour”
hanodtopercy,ralphnoeadilytothedoorthe
sergeant,entoldofffortheduty,acpaniedhiwhen
theyreachedthestreet,itwasrainingheavily
”ieasack,
toputonshoulders”
”isthisplacefaroff,youngster”thesergeantasked,peeringout
intothedarkness
ralphsheartgaveaju;forhedetected,inthetone,acertain
hesitationastotakingthenoutinsuchanight,uponsuch
slightsuspicionheooshreoshoo
dissuadethesergeantfrot,sohereplied:
”no,itisnodistanile,atstweshould
bethereandbackinhalfanhour,ifit;butthereis
onlyapathangtheisdark
”ithinkelantes,foridonotthinki
uldfind,tonight;atanyrate,itake
uschlonger”
”there,boy,thathesergeantsaid,layinghishandon
hisshoulder”iaatisfied,nohthetruthofyourstoryi
thought,forabit,youhadsothingtodohthefranctireurs
istaken
”tuinagain,ladsitisnousetakingyououtonauseless
search,suchanightasthis,angtheseforests”
ralphlaughedaloud,astheytuedtogodohepassageagainto
theer
”fatherlaugh,”hesaid,”hatyouthoughti
aridont
thinkyouneedbeafraidoftheiftheyaintbiggerorolder
thania”
bythistitheyhadenteredtheroogain,andralphsahat
percy,indeed,he
hetuedround,uponhearing
thepartyeinagain,andgaveaslightstartofpleasure
”iaoonback,karl,andaladthatitissofor,frankly,i
tooaired;anditisnotanightforadogtobeoutiwillgo
inhyou”
”stay,landlord,”thesergeantsaid”givetheboysanotherglass,
each,beforetheygooff”
”thankyou,”ralphsaid”aglassofgoodbeeeveresass”
theboysstopped,helandlordfilledtheirglasses
”no”heresahealth,to
king”
”heresahealth,toking,”ralphrepeated”iaurei
nohar
”andnoission,iwillbeoff”
... </P></TD>
”ar,”ralphsaid,
quietly
illustration:angthegesoldiers
”oh,indeed”thesergeantsaid,inanincredulousvoice,”and
y”
”outintheforest,attheplaceofell
trees,”ralphsaid
”butpeopledonotetocuthouthorses,orcartsto
takeitahesergeantpersisted
”theyareupintheforesthourfather,”ralphsaid
”haveyouheardanythingaboutthisparty”thesergeantaskedthe
landlord
thenhesitatedantheevidentlysuspected,also,thatthe
boysghtbelongtothefranctireurs;andosay
nothingthe
”no,”hesaid,afterapause,”icantsaythatihaveheardof
thebutiknoeoftheforestlongago,and
theyghthaveefroringthisway”
”oing,”percysaid,quietly,”sothatyou
uldhardlyhaveheardofus,unlesssoofthepeopleofyour
placehappenedtopass,seen
anyone,allday”
”atanyrate,”thesergeantsaid,”ishallseeifyourstorybe
true,andyouoncetakeustotheplace
”rporal,gettenninreadiness”
”certainly,”ralphsaid,”ifyouofinishour
supper,heonce”
thesergeantnodded,andresudhisseat
”lookhere,percy,”ralphsaid,quietly,”yfix,
thistithereisonlyohingtobedone,thaticanseeif
hgotheyus,toacertainty;foralthoughone
ghtkeaboltintheiscertainbothget
away
”onlyohingistobedoneiisbad,andask
foryoutostayheredirectlyand
goashardasyoucantotheplaceenarehidiwill
bringthenthatdirectionheplacebefore
youcanreachitatleast,unlessyoucangetout,atonceand
passoninthedarknesstakeoffyourshoes,soastorunlightly
asakeadart
intothehenfusion”
”butyoughtbeshotbyou,ralphtheyuldnotpossibly
distinguishyou,inthedarkno,ien,andyou
keyourpe”
”no,no,percy,ihavethat”
”veryhenogether”
thereinuteorthenralphsaid:
”lookhere,percy,thisisdness;hodoasi
tellyou,binoneof
handsyoushallguessisinifyouguessright,i
ansifyouguesswrong,youshallgo”
”veryothat”
ralphthenbrokeoffasllpieceofbread,andputitinoneof
hishandshavingalready,beforehedetheproposition,broken
offasilarpiece,unobservedbypercyhethenputbothhands
underthetable,andthenliftedthegain;allthetitryingto
appeaottobeengageduponanythingoutoftheway,asheknew
thatsooftheges
”left,”percysaid
ralphrepliedbyopeningthelefthand,anddroppingthepieceof
breadonthetable;atthesatiputtinghisrighthandback
intohispocket,asiftogetouthishandkerchiefanddropping,
ashedidso,thepieceofbreaditntainedintotheplace
”there,percy,fortunehasdecidedit
”goodbye;godblessyouidaresayishallgetoutofitbut,if
not,givelovetothell,atho”
thenhefinishedhisbeerandrose,eto
reply,evenuldhehavedoneso;buttheladuchchoked,
crying,thatheuldnothavespoken
ralphtuedtothesergeantandstretchinghisar,hthe
naturalairofatiredboy,objectingtobedisturbedsaid:
”noreadytostartisupposethereisnooccasionfor
usbothtogo,forbrotherhashurthisfoothave
ein,tonight;butitishisfirsttiouten,
andheisnotaccustodtosleepingout,inthe”
”yes,oneisenoughhecanstay,”thesergeantsaid
”youhadbetteraskthelandlordtoshooer,whereyou
cansleeponthestraisnouseing
forishallbebackinanhour”
hanodtopercy,ralphnoeadilytothedoorthe
sergeant,entoldofffortheduty,acpaniedhiwhen
theyreachedthestreet,itwasrainingheavily
”ieasack,
toputonshoulders”
”isthisplacefaroff,youngster”thesergeantasked,peeringout
intothedarkness
ralphsheartgaveaju;forhedetected,inthetone,acertain
hesitationastotakingthenoutinsuchanight,uponsuch
slightsuspicionheooshreoshoo
dissuadethesergeantfrot,sohereplied:
”no,itisnodistanile,atstweshould
bethereandbackinhalfanhour,ifit;butthereis
onlyapathangtheisdark
”ithinkelantes,foridonotthinki
uldfind,tonight;atanyrate,itake
uschlonger”
”there,boy,thathesergeantsaid,layinghishandon
hisshoulder”iaatisfied,nohthetruthofyourstoryi
thought,forabit,youhadsothingtodohthefranctireurs
istaken
”tuinagain,ladsitisnousetakingyououtonauseless
search,suchanightasthis,angtheseforests”
ralphlaughedaloud,astheytuedtogodohepassageagainto
theer
”fatherlaugh,”hesaid,”hatyouthoughti
aridont
thinkyouneedbeafraidoftheiftheyaintbiggerorolder
thania”
bythistitheyhadenteredtheroogain,andralphsahat
percy,indeed,he
hetuedround,uponhearing
thepartyeinagain,andgaveaslightstartofpleasure
”iaoonback,karl,andaladthatitissofor,frankly,i
tooaired;anditisnotanightforadogtobeoutiwillgo
inhyou”
”stay,landlord,”thesergeantsaid”givetheboysanotherglass,
each,beforetheygooff”
”thankyou,”ralphsaid”aglassofgoodbeeeveresass”
theboysstopped,helandlordfilledtheirglasses
”no”heresahealth,to
king”
”heresahealth,toking,”ralphrepeated”iaurei
nohar
”andnoission,iwillbeoff”
... </P></TD>