Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

By BEATRICE ASHTON VANDEGRIFT PICKERING hadn’t been on the post more than twenty-four hours when the colonel asked him to dinner. This both surprised and flattered Jim. He didn’t know whether it was merely a customary convention or a marked compli ment, it being Jim’s first post and first colo- nel. Certainly, none of the colonels at West Point had ever bothered about him. But now that he was a full-fledged second lieutenant, his status was, of course, dif- ferent. He had called on the colonel the evening before, as is the custom throughout the army, and had found him sincerely pleas- ant, if a trifle absent-minded. His wife, though, had been extremely cordial, asking him about his home, mother and sisters and if he wasn’t lonely being a bachelor. On the way out he had met a young girl just coming in and carelessly tossing a fluf- fy scarf on the hat rack. She was probably a daughter, niece, cousin or other relative of the colonel. S rice LIEUTENANT JAMES L. 935 The next morning being Saturday, the regiment was in the throes of an inspection, and Pickering had looked up from a minute scrutiny of a spotless rifle in the hands of one of his corporals to find the old man himself standing over him. He drew himself up and snapped out a salute, the neatest he had given since the one he had rendered the Assistant Secretary of War who had presented him with his diploma the preceding June. ‘How are you coming, Pickering?” the colonel had inquired in a brisk, official voice. ‘‘ Have that man keep his eyes to the front. Your platoon needs discipline, Pickering, discipline.” | His voice suddenly changed. It became lower, hesitant, a trifle embarrassed. ‘We would like very much to have you dine with us this evening, Pickering,” he said. ‘‘ At eight.” And he had passed on to find fault with the captain. Pickering hadn’t got over it yet. In one hour he was to dine with the colonel of his regiment! ! | He snapped the polishing cloth through Eomichbooks (EO)