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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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was perhaps that they dreaded to be killed in insignificant ways after the times for proper military deaths had passed. Or, perhaps, they thought it would be too ironical to get killed at 199 the portals of safety. With backward looks of perturbation, they hastened. As they approached their own lines there was some sarcasm exhibited on the part of a gaunt and bronzed regiment that lay resting in the shade of trees. Questions were wafted to them. "Where th' hell yeh been?" "What yeh comin' back fer?" "Why didn't yeh stay there?" "Was it warm out there, sonny?" "Goin' home now, boys?" One shouted in taunting mimicry: "Oh, mother, come quick an' look at th' sojers!" There was no reply from the bruised and bat- tered regiment, save that one man made broad- cast challenges to fist fights and the red-bearded officer walked rather near and glared in great swashbuckler style at a tall captain in the other regiment. But the lieutenant suppressed the man who wished to fist fight, and the tall cap- tain, flushing at the little fanfare of the red- bearded one, was obliged to look intently at some trees. The youth's tender flesh was deeply stung by these remarks. From under his creased brows he glowered with hate at the mockers. He meditated upon a few revenges. Still, many in the regiment hung their heads in criminal fashion, so that it came to pass that the men trudged with sudden heaviness, as if they bore upon their |
