“It’s about two miles from here. Say, take me in and show me where to go. This wrist of mine is beginning to hurt again,” went on Nat Poole.
Had it been anybody but the money lender’s son, Dave might have felt more sympathy for him. But as it was, he knew that when Nat was hurt he was inclined to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Though Dave aided as much as he could, the money lender’s son had to wait until the more serious cases had been disposed of by the surgeons in attendance. Then a rather elderly man, the same who had attended Dave, took hold of Nat.
“I can’t find any bones broken,” said the surgeon, after a careful examination. “The wrist is bruised a little and probably feels somewhat lame. We’ll put some liniment on it and bind it up well, and I think you will find it as well as ever in a day or two.”
“Don’t you think I’d better stay at the hospital for a few days and make sure of it?” questioned Nat, eagerly.
“What! Stay? Not at all! This place is only for those who are more or less seriously wounded. That isn’t a hospital case at all. In fact, I can hardly understand why you took the trouble to come here to have it attended to. Many of the men get hurts much worse than that and say nothing about them;” and then the surgeon turned his back on Nat to show that the interview was at an end. Evidently he had met such slackers as the money lender’s son before and knew exactly how to handle them.
“I knew just how it would be,” growled Nat, as he walked out, followed by Dave. “As long as there isn’t any extra money in it for them they don’t care how they treat a fellow! I know how my wrist hurts, even if he doesn’t. I’ll go back to camp and take care of it myself. But I am not going on duty yet awhile, and I’ll tell the top sergeant so. By the way, I see you are a sergeant.”
“Yes.”
“It’s funny how some fellows just tumble into luck,” went on Nat, more sourly than ever. “I came pretty near becoming a sergeant myself, but a big bruiser of a fellow from up the State did me out of it.”
“Well, you’ll have a good chance to work your way up, Nat, now you are over in France. They are promoting fellows every day for duties well done and for bravery under fire.”