| Show 1 see ee here ere private vatic AF hargrove 0 la marion arton Hur horgrove grove iw S S M V I 1 ti Q 11 CHAPTER XI its enough to drive a man to drink you get a ten day furlough and head for new york you mooch a dug due bill on an ultra swank hotel you say to ta yourself that tor for those ten days you sou will be an all out cut civilian an you will squander your substance in rlou tous living you will forget altogether the fact act that you are arela a soldier and then what happens you wake up at six no matter how late lata you stay out the night before then you QU cant go back to sleep you have to buy enormous quantities of civilian food to keen up with your army appetite you look lookin in shop windows and see books give your wisdom teeth jor tor but you yo think of your purse in terms of 38 36 a month and the inner iman I 1 man convinces you that you cant afford them like very much to put on your yo u r civilian clothes just tor for a I 1 ib change an ge but your friends think you r v M aft 14 you ton wake up dp at 6 no matter how late you went to bed then you yon cant go back to sleep look so pretty in your uniform that they wont lot let you pull the old blue serge out of mothballs moth balls it bad au all the way key through though for instance I 1 walked out of the hotel the other day and ran into one of the boys from my own barracks in new york on a three day spass pass we exchanged the prescribed comments on the smallness of the i world and I 1 saw a sparkling opportunity to spread a thick layer of hokum I 1 could make the lad think I 1 was one of these filthy rich privates you so often read about in the papers the kind that go about flashing dashing 1000 bills before unsuspecting headwaiters head waiters walters wont vont you have lunch with me I 1 asked then I 1 added quite casually im stopping slopping here at the astor me his eyes popped faintly but a goodsoldier good soldier never passes up a free meal we went back into the hotel and into the terrifyingly smart dining ang room room I 1 smiled condescendingly at the headwaiter he ad walter to make him think iwas I 1 was a cash customer at the hotel and he led us to a table t im afraid I 1 find the food here bere depressingly dull I 1 told my comrade coade ln in arms aej s no ort olans or hummingbird ingbard tongues they seem i to go goin in tor for plain but wholesome whole broast me foods wont you try the breast ot of guinea hen ben with a sip sib ol of onion soup heine beirle Re Irle I 1 1 1 I dont care it if I 1 do he said 1 I aint particularly particular about what leat I 1 eat axy my nerves are all shot I 1 remarked airily new york tires me driad dreadfully fully I 1 have to run about bolens volens latin for willy nilly from oni one night club to another lb brushing rushing up tip on old friendships and im getting so tired of shows and cocktail part parties lest I 1 wont you have a slug of hootch with me ive got to have one orie he gulped griped nervously and replied that he care it if he did I 1 no tic edwith satisfaction that he was taking in all the propaganda about ight clubs shows and cocktail paries eight les im a man of simple tastes my elf 1 I said lifting both eyebrows to give my face that bored expression 1 I cant stand these silly mixed abi ed drinks alike I 1 like my liquor straight 1 im partial to scotch im drye a rye man myself he said the waiter who had been standing by with kith a disgusted face shrugged his shoulders and fetched twos two tiny flagons flagens of the old enemy his face sank a little at the sight but I 1 managed to keep ap up a sophisticated front I 1 took a lipof sip of soda and lifted the e glass well heres looking at you and going down me f corn on the corn he said wincing at the toast I 1 down downed edthe the yellow poison and so sd did he I 1 bungled the 1 lob 0 b though and had to i 0 use two lah gulps p I 1 shuddered violently but be see he had juned his face and was coughing wath ith rear reaf fervor I 1 we managed to get through the meal all right weakened though we were by the fire firewater ter I 1 continued to impress him T the e only ob obstacle facie I 1 hit was his reminder that I 1 would be spending thanksgiving on kitchen p police olice we parted when I 1 told him I 1 get out of 0 a reception I 1 had to attend at 1 I had su him film and with the aid of 0 providence I 1 might be able to lorrow money from him occasionally sio nally back at fort bragg the meal cost me nothing but tho the fifty cent tip was staggering II if worst should corte come to worst I 1 could always hock my watch if I 1 had a watch pa thanksgiving day with au all its roast vermont turkey its pies and fruits its candies and free cigarettes was just another day to me phooey chooey to it our mess sergeant one orville D pope was disgustingly cheerful when he awoke me in the morning IC come 0 me private hargrove he yelled gleefully the day is herel boy o boy are we going to give those hash hounds a holiday breatt please go away I 1 said just go away and let me gently curse oh private hargrove he crowed we have so much lo 10 be thankful for so very very much we have food and warmth and freedom freedo ml food weve got I 1 growled including potatoes with peelings pe elings to peel this is aty ay pota potato to this morning I 1 dont need coal for warmth when im bathing myself in sweat and freedom see I 1 am laughing bitter bitterly lyl it Is thanksgiving day and I 1 am peeling potatoes and washing dishes tor for the orgy phooey chooey to thanksgiving sollie buchman the cook who was a student with me in battery batter y A strode up humming that maudlin old grammar school song about over the river and through the woods to grandfathers house we go it is a glorious day drooled arl private buchman it does my old heart good to think ol of the expression on those boys faces when they see that thanksgiving dinner repress yourself pappy I 1 asked him it is not to think of the dinner I 1 am thinking of the sinks overflowing with dirty dishes left by those gluttonous hogs it was not enough that we had trays to wash now we have to have improvements improved ants now we have to have china plates and cups and soup bowls and silverware I 1 hate progress I 1 better leave the lad alone pappy sighed sergeant pope he Is pouting and wll wil not enter into the spirit of the day he has done wrong and Is paying for it now private buchman slid and the mess sergeant busied themselves at the ovens I 1 sat there ferociously jabbing at potatoes and muttering wildly three times I 1 scowled at the tha sergeant but he looking maury sher my bosom companion from the cooks battery came racing in through the back door maury was slated to be transferred to it a cooks job at madison barracks new york and would be leaving the following day if you have come to extend the seasons greetings comrade I 1 told j him wearily kindly do not trouble yourself to paraphrase dickens any fool col who goes about with happy thanksgiving on ob his lips should be boiled in his bis own and burled buried with a GI breadstick bread stick in his heart bohot attempt to cheer me rm im not going to madison MadiS ba barracks i r he shouted im staying here right here in the replacement center 1 im going to be a mess sergeant in the antitank battery A mess mesa serge sergeant antl IQ ca I 1 was dawdling over a huge choco lite late nut sundae the other night at the service club cafeteria when johnny lisk walked to in with someone who was a dead ringer for simmons jones of the charlotte news staff anyone who is a dead ringer tor for simmons jones cant be anybody bay are shot I 1 remarked airily im telling getting so tired a 0 shows parties par lies but simmons jones jucs f I 1 decided so I 1 gave the jow whistle the two jwo saw me and came over it was simmons all right lie he looked as it if the two iwo things he needed most at the were a haircut and a kind word of sympathy i he had th elook 0 of utter utility futility known only to those who have been in the army armayor for less than ten days poor Simmons was in bad shape well boy I 1 asked him how do cju you like the army and you dont need tolle to He about it 1 I dont think ril ill ever get used to it he said ive been pushed and crowded and yelled at foi or a week now and it get any better maybe r was just born to be a civilian civi an you should have seen johnny and me when we got in I 1 told him been bee only four our months ago an and dhere here we are arc being condescending and al herly already them were the days they johnny 11 lisk sighed deeply simmons dont know the trouble at all he e said when hargrove and I 1 had been in three or four our days they slapped us onka on KP and almost killed us first thing then the next day they put the two 0 of us to cleaning and painting gr GI dans cans until past supper pertice time simmons knocked on wood well they aey must have forgotten or gotten me ive been in the army a week already and iba I 1 ent been on KP yet you will brother said johnny you will hargrove said simmons will you please stop looking at my hair I 1 cant go ten feet beet without being reminded to get a haircut As soon as I 1 can find a minute ill get it cut are you really having a hard time of 0 it I 1 asked him well ater after that talk I 1 got from rom you before I 1 was inducted I 1 thought I 1 would be going through hell for or the first three weeks the way you talked was terrifying to say the least so I 1 prepared myself for a much rougher time than im really getting the drilling bad at all I 1 suppose my dancing has helped ane me there anyway I 1 even surprise my self at it but the getting up and dressing in ten minutes I 1 ill never be able to do it everything is all right until it comes to the leggins I 1 struggle with those things until im limp and I 1 never do get them on in time yesterday I 1 just tied them on for or reveille and sneaked back and put them on properly later ive tried every way possible but I 1 just cant get anywhere with them how are the fellows allows el lows I 1 asked him nice bunch 0 of boys 1 I was surprised at them he said people ive never seen before and they all go out of their way to help each other when we were first inducted there were a lot of fellows id seen possibly once or twice before in my life and we all acted as if wed known each other since we were babies then too ive already run across some of the boys I 1 know johnny here is attached to our bat tery for rations and quarters and so 1 I cant go ten feet without being reminded to get a haircut he said is buster charnley they do as much as they can to show me the ropes rope s and help me along during this awkward aw akward period well simmons johnny said its like they told you before you came in the army will certainly make a man of you look at hargrove there hed never done a good days work in his life before he got into the army now hes the potato peeling champion of live five regiments private lisk I 1 said coldly let us not bring personalities into this fortunately miss scarborough senior hostess of the service club passed by and I 1 was able to yank her into the company the discus slon sion was avoided hi reading through the camp news paper the other day I 1 noticed sto ries written by pat T lU iU private thos lUe pic tom thomas pac and various other authors whose names bore startling resemblance to thomas iU pator pat or pac the collection of literary and journalistic contributions c 1 to the fort bragg post were all marked by the same flair tor for rhetoric the true gift of gab and a certain certa in rich and gorgeous sentimentality in the midst of a tactual story about a group of college girl choristers cho coming to fort braeg for a con concert ceri the steady adu rna la 11 stac alc strain would sud suddenly renly burst into brilliant and majestic phrases such as the bat tallon recreation hall will burst into golden sound next tuesday night when the angelic voices of thirty lovely zilch college young ladles ladies present a recital or the gen brals little eight year old son awed by the solemnity of atthe the occasion clung to ills his dadd daddes daddys Y evand hand through out impressive the ceremonies this Is 11 what is known as the mul touch the touch Is supplied at fort bragg by the public relations offices irrepressible and able whirling dervish black tom illo aai fantastic and un bel bellev I 1 ev able irish tyro who caine cani from efrom nov new york cily by way of salt lake city utah of th the great head and the shaggy loci s of the lumbering walk the man ot of a thousand faces arid and L a thousand voices Mule hill is the public re lations offices one spark of 0 true hope of 0 immortality Is everywhere at all times out of every hundred photo graphs taken at fort bragg boffl cial or per onal ional professional or am ateer lt it is safe to say that thai the flexible face of private will beam out at you from ninety five of them photographers have no idea of how he gets into the pictures but a pictured 1 of any roe hall in the center will show gulve hill playing ping pong hes he s the one nearest the camera ills next greatest talent is his ability to create wildness and confusion at v will ills his desk drawers bulge and spill great quantities of unrelated papers old no notes to s news paper clippings arid and weird personal effects jils his working schedule and methods are aie chaotic and un fathom able he can write six sit stories stones at once using every needed t typewriter pearlier in the building TO BE CONTINUED COM |
