Show offered for your reading enjoyment under the Sponsors sponsorship bip of the TELLURIDE TE L LU R I 1 D E PO POWER W ER COMPANY al 0 1 ee lere alere A private private P hargrove by marion hargrove BE RV I 1 C L SYNOPSIS I 1 edward thomas marl marion 0 a lawton hargrove feature editor adilor of at the charlotte N C news mews receives notice from his dr drat ft board that he Is to be inducted into the army be before fore he begins an accounting g of 1 hi bis e actual ta experiences in p training c camp m h he issues his quota ot 2 free advice advie to prospective inductees duc tees after hi his s induction hargrove gro e with his ne new w buddies leaves tor fort bragg where he Is to receive his basic training CHAPTER II 11 private hargrove te tells Us of the physical physic lal exam the fir farst st few days of army how he was outfitted with his uniform and how on the sixth day he received his first KP duty he is classified as a semiskilled cook CHAPTER III hargrove relates hi his s conversation with his sergeant who is trying to find out why he spends so much time on KP duty he also reports on the session the tra trainees nees are put through by the exercise sergeant he has trouble learning how bow to handle his rifle and Is given plenty of special attention by the sergeant and corporal r IV private hargrove ell r relates ates some of the incidents surrounding the advancement in rank by some of his friends why he falls fails to so advance is a puzzle to his sergeant ergeant who inquires about it A mess sergeant according to 0 o military legend Is a cook whose brains have been baked out this does not apply to the mess sergeant in our battery whose feelings are easily hurt by cruel remarks and who weeps weeps tears into the mashed potatoes when hes picked on this is simply the old army definition of a mess sergeant AU of us rising student cooks are eligible to become mess sergeants staff sergeant adams told us in pur our first cooking class yesterday morning then we can sit out in the cool dining rooms and yell back orders for the cooks to yell at the student cooks to yell at the kay pees beeb this is not the beautiful tul goldbrick ing life that it seems though the mess sergeant has to make requisition requisitions and keep records on all the rations he has to make out the rae menus raus see lee that the food is prepared properly and supervise the work of the cooks the student cooks and the kay pees besides this he be must listen to all the gripes about his food and to the threadbare jokes about cooks who get drunk from lemon and vanilla extract all ali this he must do with his brains baked out the cook lucky little rascal that he is also leads an ideal life he is allowed to believe that he knows more about cooking then the mess sergeant will ever know although he Is not supposed to tell the mess sergeant that he does he works one day and sleeps the next two if the cook is not feeling cheerful he can pick on at least one student coo cook kand and it at least five on da the battlefield he is in the safest safest position behind the lines since the food Is endowed with more sentimental value than the top sergeant the jokes about army cooks being shot at from both sides are not based upon tact fact however friend cook has to greet the morn before the morn gets there on the days when he works he has t to 0 get up between 3 00 and 3 30 in order to prepare a substantial breakfast tor for about two hundred healthy growing boys whose appetites are exceeded only bythe size of their mouths and aid the power ot of their lungs yesterday we started to school with cookbooks and manuals and loose leaf notebooks for our homework the only way in which it differed from public schools was that the naughty boys have to go and sit with the girls also the dunce seat instead of being in the corner comer of the classroom was said said to be behind a large sac sack k of potatoes in the battery kitchen the only hope tor for an easy time in class was gone in school theres no percentage in bringing a shiny red apple to a teacher who has the key to at least one well stocked pantry i tomorrow after lunch each of us will b be a taka taken to one of the sixty four replacement pent center kitchens there we will present ourselves to the mess sergeant who will sigh wearily at the sight of us and show us where to change our uniforms then W will proceed to prove in our respective spec tive kitchens the old saw about too many cooks we will be railed raile d at by the mess sergeant and the fir first t cook and if we lantto want to and know how to we can rail at the in turn lurn when the boys in line make sneer ing remarks about having spinach again already we clan can jaw back at them it will be vond wonderful erful to be able to jaw at someone again life bas ha loveliness to sell S r in the kitchen they tell us all al the cleaning up work Is to be done by the kay pees so that the cook may be doing more important things this unfortunately apply to the daily task of cleaning the stoves thoroughly the stoves it says here in the books are the cooks tools and he must do his own grinding it worth the time to wait for foi the stoves to get comfortably cool before you begin the twilight fi catlon cation 0 of these overgrown infernos in order to a avoid v old the rush at the theater and t to 0 let the off early start work now T the stoves must be cleaned inside ale and 0 out u t thoroughly first shake down the fire all the live coals must go into the under the grate that much is simple then remove the red coals and all it must be dumped into the ash can out on the garbage rack this entire procedure should be simple too it says here all you have to do is catch the front handle with a heavy glove and catch the little hook in the rear with the far end of your cap lifter here we gol 61 carry the well in front of you aint it hotl when you get to this the door simply open it with the toe of your shoe like this like seem to work try again try pushing the right screen so 50 that the left one will swing slightly toward you ready slightly push the right screen something seems to be wrong here during this time you will become increasingly aware that the glove over the handle Is becoming hotter and hotter just juit as you get your toe into the door the heat penetrates the glove and you decide very suddenly that perhaps its best to drop the whole matter drop it slowly carefully tenderly if you can do not drop it upon the wooden floor look around if you think you have 1 ive time and locate an overturned boiler on which to set it whew that hands hotl hot no boil er then drop it anyway you will find that dropping the even though you did it gently has released a small amount of floating ash all of which will be absorbed into your mouth and nose patience brother see that the ash pan lying where it will bum anything such as a perfectly good wooden floor pour cold water on the glove wait for or the resulting steam to blow away prop open the door as you should have done in the first place and try try again this time you will almost reach the garbage rack before the glove again gets hot slide kelly slide you wont get there without dropping the whole pan into the clean road but at least you tried beat the pan against the ash can several times for or sound effect return to the kitchen where the mess sergeant who was watching you through the window oil all the time will direct you to return and clean it up when the job Is completed take hope and courage you have only two more to empty then you may get to work cleaning out all the soot which has gathered above and below belliv the ovens in this procedure a small solid sur face rake is inserted through a tiny door in front using the door as a base of operations wiggle that pesky little thing around inside the long wide low space pulling palling out load after load of soot the work will teach you muscular co ordina tion manual dexterity the art of contortion humility and several dozen new cuss words you even know you knew rake rake rake time marches on still more raking like tho magic pitcher in the old greek legend the more you take out the more there is inside the soot from all three oven jackets will fill one large at a double table spoonful the rake by the time you have finished fIni she and look about you the kappee kay pees have finished their work and are s sitting around gaping at you as if you were a steam shovel A ver very Y very black steam shovel gas a wonderful fuel private sher and I 1 were sitting OU out t on the back steps to dodge the c leaning cleaning work going on inside w when hen we saw the sergeant bearing down on Us from the 0 ther other end of the battery street its no use scooting inside har grove said sher hes already seen een us look tired as ai it if already done your part of the work private sher is the goldbricking gold bricking champion of battery A and always knows what to do in such an emergency we both draped expressions of fatigue dovec our faces and the sergeant skidded to a halt before us he reached into his hip pocket for the uttie black book bok and aimed a fin ie ger r at ai both of us bums Buni sl he pouted bums Burri sl I 1 worked my fingers to the bone yesterday berday morning getting this platoon to pretty up the barracks tyr inspection comes inspection and two privates have dirty shoes lying sprawled all over the floor under their bunks private hargrove and MISTER private sherl sheri report to corporal farmer in fatigue clothes we reported to corporal farmer who looked at his list of jobs As much as you dont deserve it he said you two gold goldbricks bricks are in line for canteen police mr private sher and 1 I walked up the battery street toward the canteen Is this canteen police business good or bad I 1 asked oh soso so so he said you have to clean up the papers and cigarette butts around the post exchange first thing in the morning then you come around and check u up P three or tour four times during the day I 1 stopped aghast wham do you do between times just be inconspicuous said sher all there is to it please pick up that candy wrapper over there my back aches we cleaned up the grounds round around aror the post exchange and sat tor a while in the shade watching a battery going through calisthenics with beautiful precision the soldiers swung their rifles u up P down to the r right ight to the left they went through the quarter half and full knee bends and the shoulder exercises and the rest of the routine those boys seem to be improving mr sher I 1 said result ot of hard work said maury personally I 1 get awfully tired watching this well wear ourselves out lets go over to my kitchen and handshake for a bottle of milk no 11 1 I protested we must go to my kitchen to avoid a tiring argument suggested private sher we will go to both our kitchens we cant be thrown out of both of them thein after successful forays on both kitchens private sher began to yawn with boredom my dear harlies 4 already seen us look tired AS lf if already done your part of the work grove he said we must stimulate our minds let us adjourn to my place tor for a game of checkers private place was only one flight of stairs removed from my squad room so we adjourned after two games of checkers private sher waved his arms thesis this Is folderol tol fol derol he said you are no checker player hargrove you have no idea of tactics let us sit bit by the window and watch our comrades drill there Is something stirring in the sight of fine young men men perfectly executing a marching order while we were sitting there being stirred another corporal disturbed us he wanted us to go with him to haul coal much as we would like to help you haul coal my good man said maury we are now actively engaged in the work of policing up the post exchange feel free to call upon us at any other time the corporal placed his hands on his hips and stared at us youre being punished he asked with canteen duty theres no need to be vulgar said sher if you will excuse us it Is time tor for us to go again to took look tor for cigarette butts around the post exchange coming mr hargrove coming mr sher and i a good day to you corporaal corp orall TO BE CONTINUED |