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Page 35
"What's this, Timmins, about Asa's going home to-morrow? You get
those fool notions out of Asa's head, and, Timmins, we will
appoint you head nurse for a while. The lad seems to like you."
Timmins smiled and bowed. "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" he said.
And at that moment the ice-cream came in. That Leffingwell cook!
The ice-cream was in the shape of little tents, with a silk flag
sticking gayly out of the ridge pole of each.
The boys noted with satisfaction that the tents were good-sized.
They gave their whole attention to the work in hand, and the
others seemed secretly to agree to put aside the day's
excitements for a space.
After dinner they followed Mr. Leffingwell to his den, where Mrs.
Potter took out her knitting. She had a very large knitting bag,
and it seemed full of balls of wool.
Colonel Bright noticed it. "Looks as though you were going into
the knitting game wholesale."
Mrs. Potter smiled. "Not quite," she said. "I am making two
complete sets for a couple of young men who are going into the
service."
Porky felt of the soft, light yarn. "I say--that's pretty good of
you, mom. Who are your lucky friends?"
"That reminds me of something," said the Colonel. "I know a
couple of lads, about like Porky and Beany here, who have been
crazy to go across. I have been watching them for some time, and
have about made up my mind that they would be a real help to me
over there, and not a hindrance. So I have been pulling wires,
and making plans, and I think it looks as though I can take them
with me. It's just about the job you boys were joking about
wanting."
"No joke at all!" said Porky bitterly. "Oh, gee; now some one
else has it!"
"Why, you don't mean that you really meant it?" said the Colonel.
"I wish you had made it clear!"
"We couldn't have tried harder to make it clear unless we had hit
you, Colonel," said Beany sadly.
"Well, that's too bad," said the Colonel. "These fellows are
just about your age. Perhaps they seem older to me because they
have had a lot of responsibility that has made them older. It's
too bad."
"Never mind, Colonel," said Porky. "If the other fellows have
fallen in luck, why, it's great for them. What, are you planning
for them?"
"It's like this," said Colonel Bright, squinting up his eye as he
puffed busily on his cigar.
"There's a lot of most important running around to do behind the
lines in what is really a zone of safety: messages, and plans,
and all that sort of thing, you understand, that have to be taken
from one officer to another, and it seemed to me that it was
better to have some one who knew that that was his whole job, and
could give every minute to it, rather than depend on petty
officers who were continually being ordered away. I thought it
would save a lot of time and anxiety if I could have aides that
were trained to just the service I required. So I reported the
case to some of the big fellows in Washington, and they told me
to go ahead. You see I've been in this army of ours so long that
I suppose I have a sort of pull. Well, at any rate, that's how
it is."
"And the fellows are going over with you?" asked Porky.
"It has the sort of look as though I was going with them, as it
stands now. Of course orders are secret; but I would not be
surprised if my men packed off in about a week. I have work in
Washington, however, that may keep me there for another week at
least, so I am to go over on a regular passenger boat, and the
chaps I have spoken of will go with me."
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