“Are you hurt?”
He coughed a little, a gurgling cough that rather startled himself. But he was determined to be a man.
“No. I just lay down here for a nap. Who was it that jumped?”
“My cousin Rudolph. Do you think I can help you into the house?”
“I'll walk there myself in a minute. Unless your cousin Rudolph—” His head dropped back on her arm. “I feel sort of all in.” His voice trailed off.
“Joey!”
“Lemme alone,” he muttered. “I'm the first casualty in the American army! I—” He made a desperate effort to speak in a man's voice, but the higher boyish notes of sixteen conquered. “They certainly gave us hell to-night. But we're going to build again; me and—Clayton Spen—”
All at once he was very still. Anna spoke to him and, that failing, gave him a frantic little shake. But Joey had gone to another partnership beyond the stars.