Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

A4 was chasing us for. He thinks we want a guide to our barracks, I guess. He and his gang are from the Camp Grant April Re- placement Draft, and some of ’em don’t even know what branch of the service they’re in. I was talking to ’em at break- fast.” Hat sergeant of the guard summoned pimuE, forth those who were to be taken before the court. The seat of judgment was in a building used as the camp office. He who judged was a small man, a captain, quartermaster corps, whose insignia was so new that the black had not yet begun to wear off the U.S. Each man went in, was asked his name and organization, and whether he pleaded guilty or otherwise. When he had replied he was led out. There were about eight men to be tried and the operation took some ten minutes. The cap- tain then went to his dinner and the pris- oners went to theirs. When they had been led back into the guard house, Eadie and Jake sought speech with each other. Jake’s wreath of red hair stood up like so many flames. IT WAS just before dinner that the “___!”” he remarked huskily, ‘how much did they give you?” “That ——!” replied Eadie. “I said ‘Not guilty,’ and he never even looked up. ‘Six months,’ he says. Oh, man! Six months!’ “That’s what he give me,” said Jake, “an’ we wasn’t gone but ten minutes! It’s lucky our records got lost on that ship! They’d probably hung us for stayin’ away two weeks.”’ The two soldiers looked at each other in horrified silence. Six montlis is a Jong time to spend in the mill, and it is most embar- rassing to one who has a family at home to whom to explain what one is doing. Six months, half a year! The war might very well be ended by that time. “Outside for chow!’’ howled the sergeant of the guard. “You want any dinner?” asked Jake. “No,” answered Eadie. “Neither do I.” They sat and thought upon their wrongs, : and Jake from time to time bemoaned the fact that he had no eating tobacco. “ll never get to my outfit now,” re- marked Eadie after a long pause. ‘“‘When you’re with your own outfit you can kick to your captain when you get a scurvy deal Adventure like this, but when you’re a wandering Jew no one cares an empty Bull Durham bag.” When the other men came back from dinner, Eadie questioned them as to their sentences. They were all in for from three to eight months for offenses that ranged from skipping a formation to being caught in the city after ten P.M. Jake remarked that they did no work, just sat around the guard house. Upon inquiry, Jake learned that none of these men had been in more than three days, so that it was impossible to learn whether the sentence would be served in that camp, or whether they would be taken away to some central prison. None of the prisoners had been in France a week. The greater part had been in- carcerated their first day ashore. “That’s the new Army for you!” com- mented Eadie in high disgust. “Walk a man off the ship into the mill and keep him off the firing line for six months for some silly offense like ours!”’ “Sh-sh-sh!”? whispered Jake. . An officer had just entered the guard house. He stood a moment chewing upon a match end and looking about him. He was slightly built, and not very old, perhaps twenty-eight or so. He wore a silver bar on his overseas cap, proclaiming to all that he was a first lieutenant. “T hear there’s two men in here from the 76th Field,” cried this officer. “Yessir,” cried Eadie and Jake together. “You twor” asked the officer. ‘Which one is the sergeant?” “T am, sir,” answered Eadie. “T’ve got a horse detail here from the Third Ammunition Train. We’re going up to the division and I’m short of non-coms. Haven’t got one. You can come if you want to.” “Have you got room for me, sir?” asked Jake. “What are you wearing a blue hat cord for?” “They issued me that hat in the hospital here, an’ that was the cord was on it.” “You see I haven’t any, sir,” added Eadie, displaying his hat with a naked band. “Yes, I guess you might as well come. Grab your things and let’s go.”’ “But we’re serving a six months’ sen- tence,” said Eadie with a lump in his throat. The officer said a word. It was an ob- scene word, but highly expressive and one CoMmicboook Wh) (© 5}