Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

50 from which issued the singing. It was Jake, and he bellowed a war cry. “Now more trouble,” muttered Eadie. “Jake will go‘ in there and beat those guys up.” : The sergeant remembered that Jake had been ‘drafted and would take umbrage at any singing abou: handcuff volunteers, a song which, by the way, was written during the Civil War and treasured in army squad rooms ever since. Eadie did not quicken his pace however. He had had an inspiration. He remem- bered the fat corporal and Jake boosting each other into the car at the last stop. He remembered that when he had left Jake a few minutes ago Jake had been calm and peaceable and that he was not ordinarily belligerent. It occurred to him that Corporal Joy per- chance thad a canteen full of liquor, soft or hard, and that he and Jake applied them- selves to it when the sergeant’s back was turned. If this was so Eadie would raise . some hair and hide. He began to walk quickhy ‘toward the rear of the train with the idea of summoning Jake sternly forth from the compartment. There were sounds of strife from that partioular car. Soldiers poured from the other compartments and peered interested- ly through the windows of the one Jake had entered. There was a thud of blows, the crash of wood being shattered, shouts of encouragement or anger, and the door sud- denly flew open with a tinkle cf falling glass. Jake emerged, a handful of olive drab..cleth in each hand, and teetering on the step:a moment, fell headlong, urged by a number of hobnailed feet, the owners of which were invisible. Eadie, with an exclamation of horror, ran up. Jake Jay on his back and seemed to slumber peacefully. His shirt was in tatters, his nose bled, and one eye looked like an Easter egg, but the expression on his face was one of childhood happiness. Eadie called to some -of the bystanders to assist him to carry Jake to the chow car, where they laid him on the floor, pillowed his head with a loaf of bread, and asked Corpora] Gloom to look out for him. “How long do we stay here?” Eadie asked one of the grinning train crew who had been an interested spectator. “Encore dix miputes,’ replied the man. “Ten minutes vaore, huh,” said Eadie, Adventure “I’m going to confer with this officer. If he thinks I’m going to stay back here ’n’ take care of this whole besotted company, he’s got another think. I’m going to tell him he’s got to detail a guard.” The sergeant began to run toward the front of the train where the first-class car was. “He needn’t think because he’s got a little rank that he can get away with mur- der like this. I’m no slave. He’s got no right to sneak off and duck responsibility. Pll give him a piece of my mind, the lazy loafer. Any one that wants to hear a good tirade, open their ears.’ As the sergeant approached the first-class carriage he said no more. He looked in the windows to see which one the lieutenant occupied and very soon discovered a Jeather-bottomed museite, such as officers used for traveling-bags, hanging to a hook and visible from the outside platform. He leaped upon ‘the running board and thrust head and shoulders through the open window. ‘The officer was in the cther cor- ner of the compartment. _ He had his high laced red boots up on the opposite seat, and across the ankle of one was another ankle clad in silk. There ‘were but two occu- pants of the compartment, and each had an arm about the other’s neck. As the ser- geant looked in, the officer was in the act-of placing a chaste kiss upon the brow of the other occupant, and so had his head turned from the window. The sergeant descended from the running board. He-doubted if the lieutenant was in a mood to listen to com- plaints at that moment. it that swung his feet from the side == door of the chow car the rest of the afternoon. Jake slumbered peacefully and the fat corporal spoke words of consolation from time to time. e “All them guys’ll get lost,’ said he. “They ain’t drunk yet. Wait till they are. Comin’ up from Brest we lost half the outfit.” | Later he began on another line of thought. “Tf we spend the night on the road it won’t be so bad, but if we park at some station you’re gonna have fun. Try an’ keep ’em in the cars. All the girls in France will mobilize on yuh. Fights! Say, wait till some Frog leave-train drags a lariat across our old trail. The looey’ll IT WAS a disconsolate sergeant | | CoMmicbhook A) CO 5}