Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

48 Eadie leaped to his feet and climbing up- on the running board, peered into the com- partment. There were some disordered packs there, a few hats, and emptiness. Through the window at the other side could be seen tossing heads, waving arms and many men in olive drab running about. There was a door at the other end of the compartment that gaped widely. Behind the sergeant a wailing cry arose, “En vot- ture, en voiture,’ and doors began to slam. “Talk about misery!” cried the sergeant. “Load ’em in one door and they go out the other. I’ll try to carry water in a sieve next.” _ He dashed through the compartment, looking vainly for Jake and the corporal, calling aloud— “Get back on the train, the train’s going! Get back in the cars.”’ There was more singing and he could see men going away from the station, toward the places of refreshment beyond. At that moment the chef de gare blew his little horn and, atthe toot of the engine, all the Americans made wild rush for the cars. Jake appeared, assisted by the corporal, and they hoisted eath other into the chow car. The men fell down, they held ‘on to the steps and were dragged by the slowly moving train, they scrambled up and leaped to the running board, jumping off and running alongside and then jumping on again. It seemed inevitable that many must be killed. Eadie gave a sigh of de- spair and vaulted into the chow car as it clattered by. “Isn’t this a fine madhouse?”’ cried Eadie above the rattle of the train. ‘Every one rummed up and full of fight! How come, Gloom,” he cried to the sad corporal, “that there aren’t any more non-coms in this outfit? Where are they all?” “You'll never know!” replied the cor- poral. ‘Where are they all? Ain’t none. We started out with plenty, but this here looey, he was too much of a man for yieldin’ responsibility. ‘Sergeant McLuke,” he would say, ‘take charge here.’ We come to the boat to load the horses. This looey never see gnything but a saw horse. He puts a sergeant in charge and ducks. Well, there was —— stewin’ there in about five minutes. The dock master come gallop- in’ over. They sent for the looey. “The sergeant was in charge,’ says he, and so they broke him for lettin’ the horses bite and run up an’ down the dock. Adventure “On the ship he never shows up, never. Stanchions broke, and a couple o’ fiery steeds got loose and kicked each other off the payroll, an’ so he busts the sergeant o’ the guard. By the time we was at Havre, all of ’em was bust or resigned, all but me. And they wouldn’t no one take the job.” “Why didn’t he bust you?” asked Eadie. “Young fellar,” said the corporal, “I been in the Army twenty-three years and every bit of it was in F troop o’ the 11th. Twelve years I been a corporal an’ it'll take more than a three months wonder in a mail- order uniform to shake them stripes off my arm. He can’t run no sandy on me, because when he tries to detail me, I ain’t there. There’s tricks in all trades, an’ lots o’ them in the Army. “Tf that shaved-off tail was to start learnin’ now, it would take him ten years to get to where I begun to forget. If he wants to take off them lingery pins o’ his an’ step out behind the corral], [ll give him a little garrison school. I’ll knock that gold front . tooth down his throat and put a Three ring around his eye that would go on a eight hundred-yard target. He can’t run no sandy on me, the detail-duckin’, off-side -Mmountin’ jackass!”’ The corporal here became incoherent, muttering bitter words that the sound of the train made inaudible. It occurred to Eadie that the corporal had been imbibing drinkables stronger than water. He turned to Jake. Bp THE hairy man sat on the floor, his | An body swaying with the movements MF) of the train. He had opened by some means a can of grapelade, a very toothsome jam and one easily the most popular with the soldiery. His lips were innocent of any stain of the fruit, but it was sprinkled liberally on the floor of the car, on both of Jake’s hands, and the front of his shirt was bedewed with it to quite an ex- tent. While Eadie was collecting his wits, Jake endeavored to secure a taste of jam. He had evidently abandoned trying to dig it out of the can with his fingers, and was now seeking some easier method of securing the dainty. His active mind had hit upon the scheme of holding the can in air and shaking the jam into his mouth. The motion of the car was very great, al- though the speed of the train was not over CoMmichook Wh) CO 5}