Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

52 It had four tracks, all under a covered shed, a huge central building, containing a restaurant, a telegraph office and an office for the French commissaire, and two waiting rooms. In temporary sheds there were a French soldiers’ canteen and a room full of benches for the exclusive use of members of the mili- tary forces. The cars in which the Ameri- cans rode were transported by an electric device that moved the car bodily sidewise to a small yard behind the station. It was dark there, except for the green light from the windows of a neighboring power house, but Eadie took notice that the yard was surrounded by a goodly brick wall, and he had no fear of his being unable to keep the men within bounds. The officer finally appeared and, sum- moning one man from each compartment, led them to the chow car and superintended the issuing of rations to the troops. Two loaves of bread, one can of jam, two cans of corned willie and one of hash to each eight men. Eadie began to have hopes of the lieutenant, but. they were doomed to an early death. “After the men have eaten,” began the officer, ‘‘you’ll post a guard, you know. I don’t want a man to leave the cars. I'll hold you directly responsible if we’re short any one in the morning. Have you lost any so far?” “No, sir,” said Eadie. “Well, we’ll line em up to make sure.” The men were lined up and the roll called and after the officer had made sure that not one man was missing, he spoke of step- ping into the station for a moment for his ewn supper. Eadie watched him go and then turned to the grinning Jake. “Go on an’ say it,” urged Jake. “T don’t want to say a word,” answered Eadie, ‘‘because there’s none in the English language that is adequate. I know some French ones that might do, but I doubt it.” There was a dry cough from the door of the chow car. They looked up. Dimly visible in the light from the power house was the fat corporal; his eyes swollen and his lower lip drooping. “°S’e gone?” he inquired, enunciating with difficulty. ‘‘You won’t see him n’more. They'll all go. He’ll come back ’n’ bust yuh in the mornin’. They won’t be no one here but you. You ’n’ me. I won’t desert yuh. Friend indeed, I am.” Adventure Silence and then a heavy crunching sound. The corporal: had reclined upon the bread again. After supper Eadie posted a guard. He assured himself by a personal inspection that it was impossible to scale the wall about the freight yard, and the only Opening therefore was that toward the tracks. Here he posted two men, with positive orders to allow no one to pass, under any pretext whatsoever. He ap- pointed Jake sergeant of the guard and gave him the responsibility of posting the reliefs, and seeing that'they performed their duty, while he took the task himself of staying awake all night and being prepared for any eventuality. The men were fairly quiet. Their wine was all gone and the: effects had long ago been dissipated. After ten o’clock had boomed from the cathedral in the town, the station was deserted. A hospital train came in during the night and left a load of stretcher patients on the waiting-room floor. Eadie looked them over and thrilled with the thought that these men had been wounded only the day before. The war was not far off. He would be in it very . soon, provided his officer did not have him thrown into some dungeon for letting a whole company fade into thin air. This thought reminded him that he had been in the station too long. It was time he went. back to the cars. He hurried out, a vague feeling of alarm speeding his footsteps. The sentries were calmly walking their posts, and Jake, a very contrite Jake, watched them from a nearby seat. Still Eadie was not satisfied. The yard lay grim and dark, mysterious beyond the beam of light from the power house. — Eadie could swear he heard voices back there. Maybe those birds were trying to shin over the wall. . The sergeant started in that direction. As he crossed the patch of light, there was a rapid volley oi shots. “Now they’re off!” cried Eadie. “I’m a little nearer the battle than I thought.” He ran in the direction of the firing, re- membering that he was. unarmed, but un- able to do anything about it. If there was a riot or a killing on, he wanted to get there immediately. He skipped over tracks, ducked around mysterious freight cars, and ran up and down silent lines of canvas- covered gondolas. Nothing. The place was deserted. CoMmicbhool< A) (© 5}