"Now, then, out with it," said Uncle Sam a few moments later.
"Que vooly-voo? What's up?"
Jim sat down beside him on the edge of the cot, and the two men
listened in amazement to the story the two children had to tell.
When they had finished, Uncle Sam wasted no words. "Come with me
to the Captain tooty sweet," he said. And Jim added, as he patted
the Twins tenderly on the head, "By George, mes enfants, you
ought to get the war cross for this day's work."
A few moments more, and the children and Uncle Sam were ushered
by an orderly into the presence of the Captain, who was just in
the act of shaving. Uncle Sam's message to him had been so
imperative that they were admitted at once to his presence, even
though his face was covered with lather and he was likely to fill
his mouth with soap if he opened it. Uncle Sam saluted, and the
Twins, wishing to be as polite as possible, saluted too. The
Captain returned the salute, and went on shaving as he listened
to their story, grunting now and then emphatically instead of
speaking, on account of the soap. When Pierre came to what the
soldier had said under the shed, he was so much interested that
he cut his chin.
"So that's their program, is it?" he sputtered, soap and all,
mopping his chin. "But how on earth did you happen to be in such
a place as that at such an hour in the morning?"
Pierre explained about the rabbits and the cress, and Uncle Sam
added: "They're from Fontanelle.
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