Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

58 distress. He. would run a few steps, then lag behind, then run a few more, then lag ‘again. His knees had hinges in them. His eyelids drooped and his mouth hung open. Finally, with the strength of despair, and making a final effort, as a match flares be- fore it goes out, he ran ahead, collided with the rear rank of the band, his feet turned upon themselves, his knees collapsed, and the drummer fell headlong, crashing into ruin his great drum. The force of the collision of the drum with the rear rank had much the same effect as the fall of one wooden soldier in a line. It upset the equilibrium of the whole band. They fell forward, all of them. A cornet - player collapsed and lay unheeded in his © tracks. Another fell upon his face like a man of wood, and got up again laboriously with no effort to see what had stricken him down. A trombonist, feeling the weight of a fellow bandman in the small of his back, took two great strides and thrust his in- strument against the head of a man before him, who fled shrieking into the nearest barrack. Those that had fallen got themselves to their feet, their eyes always to the front, and hurried painfully on, as if they feared that some one might see their discomfiture. Meanwhile, the drum major, who had gained some ten yards on his band, con- tinued down the street, hand on hip, his gorgeous baton still rising and falling in cadence. “‘That’s a great band,” said Jake to the speechless Eadie. ‘That couldn’t be your band, though, ’cause your outfit don’t drink.” <a] EADIE said no word. He looked ya about for a sentry. There was a man in tin hat, pistol and gas mask who walked rapidly up and down at the head of a street. He walked one hundred and twenty steps a minute and swung his arms. When he came to the end of his post, he halted, banged his heels and exe- cuted about face by the numbers. Then he marched back again. While the sergeant watched, the man came to a distinct halt one-two, click! and took a very soldierly position of parade rest. “Go on, speak to him,” urged Jake. ““Maybe he ain’t drunk, maybe he’s just oe fool—I know there’s lots o’ them in Adventure the army. I can name yuh two offhand.” “Hey, sentry,” called Eadie. ‘Where’s the 76th Field?” ‘“‘Two blocks over,” said the man, clearly and distinctly enough. “Thanks,” said Eadie. “What do you mean, drunk?” he inquired of Jake. ‘“That’s the way they walk post in this outfit. This is a Soldierin’ outfit.” “Uh-huh!” said Jake. ‘So I perceive.” “‘Now, then,” began Eadie, when he had come to the second block, “this is my outfit. See that barrack with ‘A’ painted over the door? That’s my battery.” “Yeh?” said Jake. ‘Sounds interestin’. Let’s go over an’ get acquainted.” As they drew near the barrack the sound of many voices came to their ears. The barrack walls seemed to bulge. There was an excess of conversation in that building and it was being carried on in loud, clear tones. Eadie opened the door and went in. : A war strength battery of field artillery has something over a hundred men on its rolls. When all these men are crowded into a small oblong building, in which two- thirds of the floor space is taken up by a permanent shelf running along the wall on either side, there is likely to be some con- fusion. The shelf and the aisle that ran between were filled with men, some talking, others singing, but all active. Here and there, arms and legs stretched wide, was one who had succumbed and had no interest in the proceedings. In that room could be seen the quartet that sang tunes down their noses, the ear- nest converser with a blank wall, the argu- mentative man who wagged his finger under the nose of him who sat with vacant look, the pair that talked interestedly of nothing, both nodding their heads and their jaws at the same time, the pair that hung on each other’s necks and wept, and the pair that fought, each knocking the other down, and being knocked down in turn. As Eadie stood there open mouthed, a young man came up to him and frowned at him with every evidence of hearty dis- like. The young man could not have been much over twenty, if he was that old, and he was about five feet tall. He had a smooth round face, with baby blue eyes, and his heavy frown was all the more ludi- crous for that reason. “Why hello, Shorty,” cried Eadie, and CoOMmicboool< A) (© 5}