Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 148: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

138 Adventure to his wrapped leggings, and was approach- ing the guard-house to sound reveille with the other buglers. “Hi, dad,” called out the musician of the guard, who had been on duty all night at the guard-house and was in a position to know, “‘your side-kick sure got himself into a mess last night.” “Eh?” Gray was startled. “Veah, old ‘Cart-before-the-horse’ got himself slung into the mill.” “What? What for?” “He beat up the colonel—old Malley.” “No,” pleaded Gray, going white and groping into thin air with his hands in vain search for support. ‘No, boy, don’t joke that way.” “Ask the sergeant.” All eyes turned on the sergeant of the guard for confirmation. “S’right,” he vouched. “The old soak found the colonel’s bed on the sleeping- porch and tried to choke him, and wal- lopped him with a chair.” “My ,’ groaned Gray. “They'll give him a bob-tail.”’ “Sure. Won’t ‘dishonorable discharge’ sound fine for an old-timer like him! But they won’t bob ’im right out of the service short off. They’ll give ’im about twenty years in military prison first. Fall in to sound reveille.”’ Gray lined up with the others, and he held his precious old bugle to his lips, but :t was not in him now to help sound that raucous, helter-skelter, noisy-go-lucky shat- terer of the morning stillness: Oh, I can’t get ’em up, I can’t get ’em up, I can’t get ’em up this morrrrrnin’. The sergeants’re worse than the corp’rals, The corp’rals’re worse than the privates, And the colonel’s worse than ’em all. Oh, I can’t get ’em up, I can’t get ’em up, I can’t get ’em up to-daaaaay. The old chief musician, when reveille was finished, forgot breakfast in interest for his friend. He hurried to the artillery band barrack, which was Trumpeter Cart’s quar- ters, and with the help of the wagon-sol- diers, got Cart’s blankets, soap, comb, tooth-brush, towel and a change of socks— the customary duty of a soldier for a com- rade in the guard-house—and at the place of drinks where they had last drunk high regards to each other, he obtained tobacco and a half-pint of whisky. The bottle he smuggled into the guard-house among the other things under the very eye of the ser- geant. And after that there was nothing to do but await the outcome. When Chief Trumpter Cart came up be- fore the general court, he was given an oppor- tunity, as the saying was in the Army, to prove himself not guilty, but the colonel swore to the beating up and there was noth- ing left for Cart to swear to, so he sat mum, an old soldier utterly ‘stupefied by the dis- honor that had befallen him. The court’s finding and sentence were in- evitable—Guilty, and to serve ten years in whatever military prison the authorities might direct, and dishonorable discharge. As soon as the papers were forwarded to the reviewing officer, Gray, finding out by nosing around headquarters, took his cour- age in hand and went to the colonel’s house. The officer met him on the porch. “Sir,” requested Gray in his best military manner, “‘may I speak to the colonel?” “Well?” ‘“About Chief Trumpeter Cart, sir.” The colonel’s lean, wrinkled face clouded swiftly. Gray hurried on: ‘“‘He was my friend, sir. We soldiered to- gether off and on for nigh twenty-eight years. I knew him like a brother, sir, only better, and I know he meant ye no harm, colonel. It was only when the whisky got the upper hand : “But what do you think I can do?” asked the officer argumentatively. “Write a letter, sir, through military channels or otherwise, and ask the judge advocate, when he reviews the case, to— that is, sir, suggest to him that you would not kick against leniency for Cart, and for old time’s sake you’d like him restored to duty.” 3 : “That will do, Gray. You may go.” “Yes, sir.” And Gray went. There’s no use to argue with the colonel in the Army. But Gray’s loyalty did not weary. He took dainties to the guard-house, and to- bacco. Cart used a great deal of tobacco. He would smoke all day long and never say a word to anybody. The ignominy of his disgrace ate at his heart; he fell away phys- ically, and presently was removed to the hospital for better care. A few mornings after this significent event, getting out early to help as usual in cComicbooks.c© Al