Page:Cather--One of ours.djvu/293

Rh out of bed yet. I reckon he’s been liquouring up pretty steady. The place smells like a bar. The room steward was just coming out, and he winked at me. He was slipping something in his pocket, looked like a banknote.”

Claude was curious, and went down to the cabin. As he entered, the air-man, lying half-dressed in his upper berth, raised himself on one elbow and looked down at him. His blue eyes were contracted and hard, his curly hair disordered, but his cheeks were as pink as a girl’s, and the little yellow humming-bird moustache on his upper lip was twisted sharp.

“You’re missing fine weather,” said Claude affably.

“Oh, there’ll be a great deal of weather before we get over, and damned little of anything else!” He drew a bottle from under his pillow. “Have a nip?”

“I don’t mind if I do,” Claude put out his hand.

The other laughed and sank back on his pillow, drawling lazily, “Brave boy! Go ahead; drink to the Kaiser.”

“Why to him in particular?”

“It’s not particular. Drink to Hindenburg, or the High Command, or anything else that got you out of the cornfield. That’s where they did get you, didn’t they?”

“Well, it’s a good guess, anyhow. Where did they get you?”

“Crystal Lake, Iowa. I think that was the place.” He yawned and folded his hands over his stomach.

“Why, we thought you were an Englishman.”

“Not quite. I’ve served in His Majesty’s army two years, though.”

“Have you been flying in France?”

“Yes. I’ve been back and forth all the time, England and France. Now I’ve wasted two months at Fort Worth. Instructor. That’s not my line. I may have been sent over