"Tell Dunbar he went to the left," a voice was saying. "The left!
They'll lose him yet."
"Joey!"
"Hello," said Joey's voice. He considered that he was speaking very
loud, but it was hardly more than a whisper. "That wasn't your father,
was it? The old boy couldn't jump and run like that."
"Are you hurt?"
He coughed a little, a gurgling cough that rather startled himself. But
he was determined to be a man.
"No. I just lay down here for a nap. Who was it that jumped?"
"My cousin Rudolph. Do you think I can help you into the house?"
"I'll walk there myself in a minute. Unless your cousin Rudolph--" His
head dropped back on her arm. "I feel sort of all in." His voice trailed
off.
"Joey!"
"Lemme alone," he muttered. "I'm the first casualty in the American
army! I--" He made a desperate effort to speak in a man's voice, but the
higher boyish notes of sixteen conquered. "They certainly gave us hell
to-night. But we're going to build again; me and--Clayton Spen--"
All at once he was very still. Anna spoke to him and, that failing, gave
him a frantic little shake. But Joey had gone to another partnership
beyond the stars.