"I wish they were all like him," Potter said.
"I want to go--worse than I've ever wanted anything.... Watts is gone and so are La Mothe and Randall. Three of the old crowd."
"If there's anything I can do--or father can do--" Potter said.
"It's damn hard for a fellow to have to prove he's not a traitor.... How would you feel?"
"Maybe I can help.... Training-camps for aviators are being opened up. I think I can give you a fair start there. How would you like that?"
Kraemer's eyes glowed. "Potter," he said, "if you can get me past I'll--give you my right arm when the country gets through using it."
A club attendant approached the table. "A man named Givens is asking to see you, sir.... Says he works for you, and it's important, sir."
"Tell him I'll be right down," Potter said. Then to Kraemer, "I'll get the papers from the Signal Corps for you so you can apply for admission. Let you know as soon as they show up."
Standing awkwardly just inside the entrance, uneasy in surroundings of luxury and manifestly apprehensive of club servants in livery, stood a young man with a knee quite torn from his trousers, with a hat that would never again be fit for service, with a face that appeared to have come into contact with emery-paper, and with a general accumulation of dirt on his clothes.
"Why, Givens," said Potter, "what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"No, sir," said Givens, "not hurt to speak of, but shook up. I--I knew you would be here, Mr. Waite, so I busted right in. I thought you ought to know right off."
"I'm one of the office messengers," Givens said. "We use motor-cycles--"
"I was to stop at twelve o'clock to get a package of drawin's or somethin' from Hammond and Green, the engineers. I got them all right, and started for the plant. Went up Woodward to the Boulevard and across. You know where the Boulevard goes under the railroad? Well, right there a machine came up behind me and bumped me. I went down pretty hard. Sort of knocked out for a minute. When I scrambled up I looked all over for that package, but I couldn't find it any place. It couldn't have fell anywhere out of sight, for I was right under the railroad. There wasn't any sewer openin's or anythin'.... Somebody must 'a' swiped it. I hunted good, and then I come down here as fast as I could. The motor-cycle wasn't hurt any."