Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/210

136 bending over him he struck match after match in the strong wind that was then blowing before he succeeded in lighting the cigar. With a long-drawn-out sigh of satisfaction, the wounded man inhaled a draft of the soothing smoke, and then closed his eyes in quiet contentment to await the arrival of the surgeons and the ambulance.



Thus it came about that a few minutes later one of the king’s aides-de-camp found the Prime Minister walking slowly away from the wounded soldier, every now and then looking back with a mingled expression of sorrow for his wounds and sympathy with his enjoyment of the only cigar that could be found on that battle-field.