“Yes. But it’s wonderful to hear from somebody who’s seen him that recently.”
“Go on. What else did she say?” urged Mabel.
“‘He asked me to write you’,” continued Nancy. “‘He knew you would be delighted to hear from someone who’s seen him over here. You’d really be proud of this brother of yours, Nancy. What a responsibility it is to be a pilot on a bomber! Already his chest is gay with decorations, but to me he’s the same dear boy he used to be when I visited your home. He told me to tell you not to worry about him, that if the Nips get on his trail he’ll play the same trick on them he used to play on you. He said you’d remember his childhood prank that always brought you to tears.’”
By this time all four nurses in the tent were listening and Ida Hall asked, “What was that, Nancy?”
Nancy was trembling between tears and laughter as she explained, “He used to play dead! And he trained our old dog, Bozo, to do it, too. I used to tag him around something awful, and just to get even he’d sometimes sprawl on the ground, looking dead as Hector. And Bozo would be near by, his old legs flopped over. Many times I thought Tommy wasn’t breathing. I’d shake him and begin to cry, then he’d jump up and grab me. Then I’d be mad sure enough!”
“Not a bad idea—that playing dead,” commented Mabel. “One of the fellows we had in the hospital back yonder said he tried it once, and the Japs just passed right over him in the field. If he’d batted an eyelash they would have jabbed one of their awful bayonets right through his vitals.”
Nancy Couldn’t Keep Back the Tears