but also I saw a horrid mess of barbed wire. So I just ran forward a bit
and up to the wire and started clipping, while that machine gun stayed
jammed. Out of the corner of an eye I could see men rushing towards it
in the German trench, and I knew I had only a moment before they got it
firing again. Then, as I leaped far forward to reach a bit of
entanglement, my foot slipped in a puddle and as I sprawled I saw our
uniform and a dead American boy's face under me, and I fell headlong in
his blood over him and into a bunch of wire. And couldn't get up. The
wire held like the devil. I got more tied up at every pull. And my
clippers had fallen from my hand and landed out of reach.

"'It's good night for me,' I thought, and was aware of a sharp regret.
To be killed because of a nasty bit of wire! I had wanted to do a lot of
things yet. With that something leaped, and I saw clippers flashing
close by. A big man was cutting me loose, dragging me out, setting me on
my feet. Then the roar of an exploding shell; the man fell--fell into
the wire from which he had just saved me. There was no time to consider
that; somehow I was back and leading my men--and then we had the
trenches.

"The rest of that day was confusion, but we won a mile of earthworks,
and at night I remembered the incident of the wire and the man who
rescued me. By a miracle I found him in the field hospital. His head was
bandaged, for the bit of shell had scraped his cheek and jaw, but his
eyes were safe, and something in the glance out of them was familiar.
Yet I didn't know him till he drew me over and whispered painfully, for
it hurt him to talk:

"'Yester--day I did--give Mr. Sir somethings more than dollar. And he
did--take it.'

"Then I know the big young Russian of registration day who had tried to
tip me. Bless him! I got him transferred to my command and--" the Judge
hesitated a bit and glanced at his distinguished guest. One surmised
embarrassment in telling the story of the General's humble compatriot.

The General rose to his feet and stood before the fire facing the
handful of men. "I can continue this anecdote from the point that is
more easily than my friend the Judge," spoke the General. "I was in the
confidence of that countryman of mine. I know. It was so that after he
had been thus slightly useful to my friend the Judge, who was the
Captain McLane at that time--"

The Judge broke in with a shout of deep laughter worthy of a boy of
eightee