Presently, still unheard and unnoticed by the boys, they turned away.
"And there are those," said General Pershing solemnly, "who do not believe that a special Providence watches over children! The boys shall take those two orphans home to that good mother of theirs, if it takes an Act of Congress. You say," he continued, talking to the French officer in his own musical tongue, "you say that poor woman said that all her people were gone?"
"All dead, all lost in this war," answered the Frenchman.
"Well, if this was only in a movie show," said the great General, "we would presently see a car headed for the rear, coming around that bend ahead, and we would be able to—well, I declare," he exclaimed, as one of the officers laughed and pointed. "That's positively too much!" as the group laughed with him.
A large car was coming along around the bend, it was headed for the rear, and in the tonneau sat a couple of nurses in their snug caps and dark capes!
The General himself halted it, and in a few words explained the situation. A couple of the officers, accompanied by the nurses, went over to the boys and at once the children, still sleeping the heavy sleep of exhaustion, were transferred to arms more accustomed to holding them, and carried back to the car. Almost before they realized it, the car was off and Porky turned to the General, saluting.
"Out with it, young man," said the kindly General, smiling down into the eager and troubled face.
"We will get 'em back, won't we, sir?" he asked. "They can't work some game on us, so we will lose 'em?"
"We lost a pup that way once," said Beany dolefully, also coming to salute.
"Well, you won't lose your orphans," the General promised. "I wish I could see your mother's face when your little party appears."