The Opposite House: A Novel — page 197: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

192 The Opposite House. “Were you forced to cut your way through the enemy’ Have you had a skirmish ’” The young officer made an involuntary effort to raise the wounded limb. “We met the men in blouses!’ he muttered be- tween his set teeth, with flashing eyes. ‘We were obliged to leave two fine fellows yonder in the mountains. Corporal Hécker has received a severe wound in the head, and three horses are injured ; but the darkness prevented my determining to what extent. Sergeant Meissner’s little bay limps badly. I received aslashin the arm as a memento; it’s a mere trifle, but it makes it useless.” He turned and held out his sound hand to Hal- dern and his other comrades. “How are you, gentlemen! I almost thought, up yonder in the woods, that we should never say good evening to one another again !” His voice sounded blithe and cordial. “So there was a sharp skirmish?” cried a young officer, springing across a bundle of straw to offer his field flask. ‘‘ By Jove, Gerrald, you are a lucky fellow! JI am quite sure any one of us would have bit the dust, and you alone, as Fortune’s favorite child, escaped with barely a scratch. ‘There he stands now as quietly as though nothing of the least importance had happened, and yet he as good as has the iron cross in his pocket. The major ComicbooOoks.c© S|