And her brother, that
wonderful man of the air, who was almost a demi-god to her, had spoken
so well of him, had praised so much his skill, his courage, and his
honesty. And he had received his wound fighting so gallantly for France,
her country. Her beautiful color deepened a little as she walked away.
John awoke again in the afternoon, and the first sound he heard was that
same far rumble of the guns, now apparently a part of nature, but he did
not linger in any twilight land between dark and light. All the mists of
sleep cleared away at once and he sat up, healthy, strong and hungry.
Demanding food from an orderly he received it, and when he had eaten it
he asked for Surgeon Delorme.
The surgeon did not come for a half hour and then he demanded brusquely
what John wanted.
"None of your drugs," replied happy young Scott, "but my uniform and my
arms. I don't know your procedure here, but I want you to certify to the
whole world that I'm entirely well and ready to return to the ranks."
Surgeon Delorme critically examined the bandage which he had changed
that morning, and then felt of John's head at various points.
"A fine strong skull," he said, smiling, "and quite undamaged. When this
war is over I shall go to America and make an exhaustive study of the
Yankee skull. Has bone, through the influence of climate or of more
plentiful food, acquired a more tenacious quality there than it has
here? It is a most interesting and complicated question.
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