The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

152 THE The thought of being able to render such a service to one of the gallant heroes who was helping to make the world safe for democracy was ample compensation to her for the disagreeable experience she had been through and the money it had cost her to redeem the trinket. It was Nella’s intention to return imme- diately to the Van Cortlandt Park camp and hand in the locket at the headquarters tent with a request that the owner be ad- vertised for. The latter might have hesi- tated to come forward and claim the pawn- ticket, but he could now reveal himself without embarrassment. She did not carry out that plan, how- ever. As she arrived at the camp and, alighting from the runabout, approached the picket-lines, a column of infantrymen, just returning from a long hike, came marching past her. The girl’s pulses quickened as_ she watched that stirring sight. Perspiration was streaming down the faces of the brawny hikers, and their uniforms were stained with dust and mud, but their stride was aS jaunty and vigorous as if they had just been going out on parade, and there was not a man among them who was not grinning cheerfully despite the fact that they had been marching for hours under a hot sun and carried their full field equip- ment on their backs. ~ Suddenly a joyous exclamation came from Nella’s lips, and she started forward. A sentry brought down his rifle from his shoulder and stepped in front of her. ‘You can’t go any further, miss.” ‘But I want to talk to one of those soldiers who just came in,” the young woman exclaimed. ‘“ He’s the man I’ve been looking for, and—” ‘“‘ You can’t talk to him now,” the sentry cut in. ‘ But if you’ll tell me his name Ill see that word is sent to him as soon as they break ranks.” ‘““T don’t know his name, but he’s that tall one in the last row,” said Nella. ‘ Per- ‘thaps you can tell me who he is?” The sentry glanced at the man she indi- cated. “Sure I know him,” he _ declared. “‘That’s Howard Blandish of Company H. ARGOSY. If you'll let me have your card, miss, I'll take it to him myself presently. I’m due to be relieved here in a few minutes.” “T haven’t a card with me. And, any- way, my name wouldn’t mean anything to him. But if you’ll be good enough to tell him that I have something for him—some- thing that he dropped in my car last night, I think he’ll understand.” . Evidently Private Howard Blandish of Company H, when he received that mes- sage a little later, did understand, for as soon as he was at liberty he hurried toward the picket lines. “You have that—er—that paper I lost last night?” he greeted his visitor abruptly. ‘““T can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for bringing it to me. I discovered that it was missing from my wallet immediately after I returned to camp last night, but I didn’t know that I was fortunate enough to have dropped it in your car.” “You don’t deserve such good luck,” said Nella severely. ‘‘ The idea of a man pawning a keepsake from his sweetheart!” “It wasn’t I that pawned it,” he cut in, frowning. ‘“ Great Scott! Do you suppose I would do a rotten thing like that! I dropped the locket in camp, and one of the men in my company picked it up. Instead of returning it to me he pawned it and handed me the ticket. That was his idea of-a joke, but ”—he paused, and a grim smile curved his lips—‘‘ I guess he doesn’t think it quite so funny now.” “You thrashed him?” Private Blandish grinned deprecatingly. “It isn’t often that I lose my temper, but that was a little more than any man could stand. As you have guessed, the locket was a keepsake from my fiancée. It contained a lock of her hair. ‘You can imagine how worried I was when I thought that I had lost the pawn- ticket. She always insists on my showing her the locket every time we meet. I man- aged to head her off last night, but I couldn’t do that all the time. Sooner or later the truth would have come out and there would have been the deuce to pay. Now, thanks to you, I am saved!” He held out his hand expectantly. ‘ You have the ticket with you?” comicbool< CO