"That's him," says she. "Looks kind of swell in the uniform, don't he?" It was a fact. Stubby not only looks swell63but swelling. And it's lucky them army buttons are sewed on tight or else a good snappy salute would wreck him from the chin down. He's a sturdy, bulgy party, 'specially about the leggins. 63 "That's right, too," says Miss Casey. "Know what I tell him? If he can fight like he can eat, good-night Kaiser Bill. But at that they've pared fifteen pounds off him since he's been in the service." "It's a great life," says I. "Maybe," sighs Miss Casey, "but I wisht they'd let me have a close-up of him before they risk loadin' him on a transport. That's all I got against the Government. You ain't thought of any way it might be worked, have you?" I had to admit that I hadn't, not addin' I didn't expect to. And I must have been stallin' along that line for a week or more until the forenoon when Vee blows in unexpected durin' a shoppin' trip and announces that I may take her out to luncheon. "Fine!" says I. "Just as soon as I give two more letters to Miss Casey." In the middle of the second one though, there's a call for me to go into the private office, and when I comes back from a ten-minute interview with Old Hickory I finds Vee and Miss Casey chattin' away like old friends. Vee is being told all about Stubby and the hard-boiled eggs he has for company officers.64 64 "Three months without a furlough!" says Vee. "Isn't that a shame, Torchy? What is the number of his regiment?" Miss Casey reels it off, addin' the company and division. "Really!" says Vee. "Why, that's the company Captain Woodhouse commands. You remember him, Torchy?" "Oh, yes! Woodie," says I. "I'd most forgotten him." "I am going to call him up on the long distance right now," says Vee. And in spite of all my lay-off signals she does it. Gets the captain, too. Yes, Woodie knows the case and he regrets to report that Private Mears's record isn't a good one; three times in the guardhouse and another week of K. P. coming to him. Under these circumstances he don't quite see how——
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