m all right. I'll be all right, won't I?"

"Sure thing," said Barry, "don't you fear. I won't alarm her, and I'll
tell her what good stuff you are, boy."

"All right, sir. Thank you, sir," said the boy quietly.

"And I'll tell her, too, that you are not worrying a bit, and that you
know that you are in the keeping of your Heavenly Father. How is that?"

"Yes, sir," said the boy in a low voice. "I will be glad to have you
tell her that. She taught me all that, sir. Poor mother, she'll worry
though, I know," he added with a little catch in his throat.

"Now you brace up," said Barry firmly. "You have got off mighty well.
You have got a nice little blighty there, and you are going to be all
right. I'll give your mother the best report about you, so that she
won't worry."

"Oh, thank you," said the boy, with fervent gratitude, "that will be
fine. And you are right," he added, a note of resolution coming into
his voice. "I got off mighty well, and it's only my left arm, thank
goodness. I'll brace up, sir, never fear," he added between his teeth,
choking back a groan.

Barry accompanied the stretcher-bearer back to the chateau and gave the
man over into the care of the C. A. M. C.

"Can you put a squad on to digging a grave?" he inquired of the officer
in charge. "If so, though I'm in an awful hurry, I'll stay to bury those
poor chaps."

"Sure thing, we can," said the officer. "We'll do the very best we can
to hurry it."

In about an hour and a half Barry was on his way again. He dodged
the shelling at the crossroads, and following a track across the open
fields, arrived at the Zillebeck Bund without adventure.

Here to his relief he found the battalion. He made his way at once to
Headquarters, and walked in upon a meeting of officers.

"Well, I'm--" exclaimed Colonel Leighton, checking himself hard, "who
have we here! What in hell are you doing here, Pilot? I thought you
would be safely in old Blighty by this time," he added, shaking him
warmly by the hand.

"Oh, you couldn't work that game on me, colonel," said Barry cheerily,
going round the group of men, who gave him an eager welcome. "You
thought you had shipped me off, just as the fun was starting, but I got
on to you."

"Well, I'll be darned," said Major Bayne. "How did you find out?"

Barry told him, adding, "You will have to train your man to lie more
cheerfully."

"That's what comes of a man's environment," said the major, disgustedly.
"I was al