”there,percy,fortunehasdecidedit.</p>
”goodbye;godblessyou.idaresayishallgetoutofitbut,if</p>
not,givelovetothell,atho.”</p>
thenhefinishedhisbeerandrose,eto</p>
reply,evenuldhehavedoneso;buttheladuhoked,</p>
g,thatheuldnothavespoken.</p>
ralphtuedtothesergeantandstretghisar,hthe</p>
naturalairofatiredboy,objegtobedisturbedsaid:</p>
”ostart.isupposethereisnooasionfor</p>
usbothtogo,forbrotherhashurthisfoot.have</p>
ein,tonight;butitishisfirsttiouten,</p>
andheisnotaustodtosleepingout,inthe.”</p>
”yes,oneisenough.hestay,”thesergeantsaid.</p>
”youhadbetteraskthelandlordtoshooer,whereyou</p>
sleeporaisnouseing</p>
for.ishallbebaanhour.”</p>
hanodtopercy,ralphnoeadilytothedoor.the</p>
sergeaoldofffortheduty,aiedhiwhen</p>
theyreachedthestreet,itwasrainingheavily.</p>
”ieasack,</p>
toputonshoulders.”</p>
”isthisplacefaroff,youhesergeantasked,peeringout</p>
intothedarkness.</p>
ralphsheartgaveaju;forhedetected,ione,acertain</p>
hesitationastotakiinsuight,uponsuch</p>
slightsuspi.heooshreoshoo</p>
dissuadethesergeantfrot,sohereplied:</p>
”no,itisnodistast.weshould</p>
bethereandbahalfanhour,ifit;butthereis</p>
onlyapathangtheisdark.</p>
”ithies,foridonotthinki</p>
uldfind,tonight;atanyrate,itake</p>
usger.”</p>
”there,boy,thathesergeantsaid,layinghishandon</p>
hisshoulder.”iaatisfied,nohthetruthofyourstory.i</p>
thought,forabit,youhadsothingtodohthefranctireurs</p>
istaken.</p>
”tuinagain,lads.itisakingyououtonauseless</p>
search,suightasthis,angtheseforests.”</p>
ralphlaughedaloud,astheytuedtogodohepassageagainto</p>
theer.</p>
”fatherlaugh,”hesaid,”hatyouthoughti</p>
ar.idont</p>
thinkyouneedbeafraidoftheiftheyaintbiggerorolder</p>
thania”</p>
bythistitheyhadeheroogain,andralphsahat</p>
perdeed,he</p>
.hetuedround,uponhearing</p>
thepartyeinagain,andgaveaslightstartofpleasure.</p>
”iaoonback,karl,andaladthatitissofor,frankly,i</p>
tooaired;anditisnotanightftobeout.iwillgo</p>
inhyou.”</p>
”stay,landlord,”thesergeantsaid.”givetheboysanlass,</p>
each,beforetheygooff.”</p>
”thankyou,”ralphsaid.”aglassofgoodbeeeveresass.”</p>
theboysstopped,helandlordfilledtheirglasses.</p>
”no.”heresahealth,to</p>
king.”</p>
”heresahealth,toking,”ralphrepeated.”iaurei</p>
nohar</p>
”andnoission,iwillbeoff.”</p>
...</p>