Part 58 (1/2)
The deft fingers twirled out and pocketed the cartridge-packed chambers, and put the harmless weapon into the childish hands.
”It's veway heavy,” Hammy said dolefully, as the s.h.i.+ning Army Smith & Wesson wobbled in his feeble clutches, then wavered and sank ingloriously down upon his lap.
”If you had drunk the milk you might have found it lighter. Suppose we try now. Attention!”
--”'Tention!” piped Hammy.
”Hands, catch hold. Mouth, do your duty. And if Private Tummy disobeys, he'll have to take the consequences.”
”Please, what are ve confequences?”
”Drink down the milk, and then I'll tell you.”
The gay little china cup was slowly emptied. Hammy blinked eyes that were already growing sleepy, and sucked the moustache of white from his upper-lip with relish, remarking:
”I dwinked it all, and my tummy never shut. Now tell me what are ve confequences?”
”A mother without a son, for one thing.” The keen, hawk-eyes were gentle.
”But drink plenty of milk and eat plenty of bread and porridge and minced meat, and you'll live to see the Relief marching into Gueldersdorp one fine morning, boy.”
”Unless I get deaded like Berta. And that weminds me what I wanted to tell so bad.” The lips began to quiver, and the eyes brimmed. ”Soldiers mustn't cwy, must vey?”
”Not while there's work to be done, Hammy. Would you like to wait now and tell me another day?” For the little round head was nodding against the row of medal-ribbons st.i.tched on the khaki jacket, and the big round eyes kept open with difficulty.
”No, please. It's about the beasts--my beasts what you gived me.
Winocewus, an' Lion, an' Tawantula, an' Tsetse, an' Black Bee--just like a weal Bee, only not so sharp at ve end.... Don't you wemember, Mister Colonel?”
”Of course I remember. The toy beasts I brought down from Rhodesia and gave to a little boy.”
”I was the boy. And--you saided I was to let Berta have her share wof dem.
And I did let her play wif all ve ovvers. But Winocewus had to be tooked such care wof for fear of bweaking his horn--an' Berta was such a little fing, vat--vat----”
”That you wouldn't let her play with Rhinoceros. And you think it wasn't quite fair, or quite kind, and now you're sorry?”
Hammy sniffed dolorously, and two large tears splashed down.
”I'm sowwy. An' I fought if I was deaded too, like Berta, I could go an'
tell her I never meaned to be gweedy. An' I wouldn't eat my bweakfust, nor my dinner, nor nothing--and at last my tummy shut, and I didn't want nuffing more.”
The Mother-Superior and the Colonel Commanding exchanged a glance over the little round head before the man's voice answered the child.
”That wouldn't have made Bertha happy. She might have thought you a little coward for running away and leaving your mother and all the other ladies behind, shut up in Gueldersdorp. For an officer and a gentleman must go on living and fighting while he has anything left to fight for, Hammy.
Remember that.”
”Yes, Mister Colonel....” The drowsy eyes closed, the little head nodded off into slumber against the kind, strong shoulder. The Mother-Superior wheeled the perambulator near, and the Colonel, rising, laid the now soundly-sleeping boy back upon his cus.h.i.+ons.
”What mysteries children are!” he said, as the Mother replaced the light covering, screening the sleeping face with tender, careful hands from sun and flies. ”Imagine remorse for an act of selfishness leading a boy of six to such a determination--and a normal, healthy boy, if ever I met one.”