A Maid and a Million Men

e of Le C

1

rouble to get Ben transferred, we were inform

y a word, just vanished in order to digest this information. I couldn't decide whether to tell the General and ask his help or what to do. Finally I marched back to the clerk and told hi

he said. And that was all I

man ought to be here to-da

as "Yes, sir" and

2

ansfer at once and that he was on prison detail, serving

what he had

an wild one night not long ago and wreck

was on

3

y, the result was that I didn't have two minutes alone with the new arrival until evening, and I was dying to ask him for an explanation of his fall from grace. So as so

look and said, "Don't kid

I insisted. "It's right on y

of his hand, "is that any way to

?" I demanded, at a loss to d

s lammin' hell outa ya. What the hell you been doin' to his wife? I gave yo

as talking about at all

ou gettin' down on yer knees to thank me fer rescuin' ya! Instead o' which you got the g

razy as hell!

He laughed again, that same unhealthy ha-ha. "All I gotta say is ya musta been pretty hard up to be sidl

ion. I didn't see how Ben had got mixed into Pierre's jealousy. He had neve

too, if I was you,

," I told him seriously. "What bar

me seriously, but I finall

eased into a buvette in Le Mans one evenin' an' saw before me nobody but my old bunkee, Sergeant Leon Canwick himself, an' he was bei

eplied, beginning now to sus

hangin' that frog on the chandyleer and givin' him back-stretchin' exercises over a cognac keg, my old friend picks himself up an

ed." I insisted,

what I was fightin' for besides, so I just told the boys I'd go alo

at all tha

rog interpreter tellin' that bartender's tale o' woe, an' in the end they decided, without my consent, that I had to pay fer the damage done to his damn old buvette by givin' up most o' my pay for four months. Course that struck me as one o' the funniest things that ever happened.

stand it at al

es on ya and if you was a little bigger than the shrimp ya are, I

know anything about the jam at all. "Honest to God, Ben-I haven't been in Le Mans for a couple of months-not since I

ve me, I guess, but it didn't seem possible that he could be wrong. "If it wasn't you, who wa

him about Leon, for if we should ever bump into him, Ben would be sure to wonder why his name was Leonard Lane. There was only one thing for me to say

" he admitted. "I didn't stop to look. But he loo

ou last." I insisted, and was gratified to see that he was impressed. "Anyway, I'm much obliged to you for sa

demanded. "If it wasn't you, wh

not me at Le Mans, but that's the truth and can be proved. However, I do insist upon making up to you for the pay you're

kinda fishy to m

wenty dollars on account and I determined he'd tak

ough loose ends to this affair already. I didn't know where Leon was or when I was liable to meet him. And Jay-Jay was liab

ul job on him. And to think that it was all my fault.... I wondered if Lisa saw Leon. Maybe it had

4

s ago a strong-arm Frankish hero by the name of Charles Martel turned back the invading hordes of Arab Moors that had swept up through Spain and was threatening all Western Europe. That

rs, and the center of this tremendous S.O.S. which constituted in itself one of the most expansive battles of the war-for it required three men to keep one man at the Front, and thousands times that three were warriors of the S.O.S. It was amazing-like a nation within a nat

ed along in tremendous quantities. And every ship that landed meant that much more work for us, because as the camps grew larger and the workings of this

bewildered by the stupendous sweep of it all. On one occasion he observed that, "Perhaps there is someone somewhere who knows what all is happening in this organization, but there are moments when I seriously question the existence of any such person.... At times it presents

sar or somebody once said that an army travels on its stomach and if that is the case G.H.Q. must have been p

mands would get the credit-"but it will be these laboring d

red that he might break under the strain. He said that there was no limit to a man's capacity for endurance during a time of tension, but I had my doubts about anyone's being able to go on and on under an uninterrupted strain. I knew I was beginning

5

enemy and for the time being, at least, he was mine, although I

en was beside me. When I saw him I was panic-stricken and wanted to turn and run-but I coul

ght look very suspicious to him. I grabbed Ben's arm and told him to ch

greeted me, while his eyes ma

l minutes. He asked me why I hadn't answered his letter and I told him I lost it without copying the address. Said he hadn't

just saw here with you?

sked dumbl

with you a moment ago?" he insiste

fellow's the chauffeur and I'm the General's special clerk, so the p

for Esky, did you?" he

e's Leona's and I do

Finally he told me about meeting Vyvy and that she had said I did

me go. She forgot what day it was, I guess.... Anyway, you ought to kn

did see me. I just wondered, though, when Vyv

old him. "And you can report to my aunt that I'm

said something about "fighting the battle

the excuse to break away. Not, however, before he had informed me tha

ion men in Le Mans that he could see without hurting me at all, the chances would still be a million to one he

reas. He was less of a hero than Leon: the latter, at least had finally come through with a vengeance-though without regard for my safety. Well, I could only pray t