Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-09
Continued From Yesterdays starr
CHAPTER XIV.

y TANHOPE Strengthened himself
and struggled to get the straps
OF his pack over his shoulders.
~ He caught it as 1t slipped to the
ground, and heaved it YEARLY
into a corner of the dugout. Then he
took off his helmet and threw it on
to the bed. The light from the candles
in their bottles showed Raleigh a
changed, a new, Stanhope, and yet 1t
was hard to tell in what way there
had been change. He still wore his
parting ug-run" as it was politely
called at Barford-down the side, and
his dark hair, slightly curly, was brush
ed back carefully as of old. His uniform
was worn and stained, and yet, as al
ways, he was more neatly dressed than
any one else. Raleigh'S own uniform
of course was newer and cleaner, but
he Immediately had the feeling that II
did not fit properly. Stanhope's face
was a little thinner, perhaps, but he
had always had those rather hollow
cheeks and deep-Set eyes. OF course,
he looked terribly tired-not at all as
though he had just been resting" in
billets; but he had looked tired before
after the match against the Trojans,
for example, when he had rallied a
despairing Is and, by sheer force OF
his personality, had made his team
score tries and win the match, when it
seemed that no try could be scored and
that the match was lost. He was brown
and weather beaten, and yet it seemed
to Raleigh, who was not generally i'm
aginative, as though he were pale, I'M
healthily pale, under this top layer OF
sun-and Weather-burn.
Dennis Stanhope stared blankly at
the Pickering candles. while he slowly
of hi
buckle of his webbing equipment, which
he allowed to drop to the ground at his
feet.
Has Hardy gomez" he asked sharply.
Osborne nodded. Cleared of a few
minutes ago."
Lucky for him he did. I'd a few
words to say to Master Hardy. You
never saw such a blasted mess as those
fellows left the trenches in. Dugouts
smell like cesspits-rusty bombs, damp
rifle grenades-it's perfectly foul"
Raleigh still remained unnoticed in
the background. It would be such fun
to give Dennis surprise. His memory
flashed back to day when Madge and
he had hidden at the station at Lynd-
hurst, so that Dennis, looking round
vainly for friendly faces on the plat
form, had walked little diSconsolately
toward the ticket barrier, and had been
so bucked when they had suddenly
sprung out of the waiting room at him.
And he'd never expect meeting here
in this dugout hundred yards away
from the Germans.
"Masonw summoned Stanhope sharply.
Just coming, sir" came back Mason's
voice from his dark cavern. "Just
bringing the soup, sir. It's piping 'ot."
Damn the soup! Bring some
whisky"
Osborne made a little movement as
though he were going to protest. He
thought better of it, and said, instead:
Here's new officer, Stanhope-just
arrived"
"Oh. sorry. I didn't see you in this
miserable light"
And he stood there, the same old
Dennis, with that frank, honest smile
of welcome on his face. This was the
moment Jimmy had been waiting for,
thinking about, wondering about, ever
since he'd received Uncle VincentS
orders to join this battalion. He came
out of the shadow. ''Hullo, Stanhope,"
he said.
Stanhope started at the sound of his
voice. He stared intently at the new
conner, concentrating all his attention
on him. He did not notice Raleigh
half raise his hand, and then let it drop
to his side as he saw the others ex-
preston.
why, Stanhope, what's the"
Raleigh began, but his question petered
out lamely.
How did you-get here?" asked
Stanhope in a low voice
Il was told at battalion headquarters
to report to you"