The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-03
What Rummy Sort O. Thing Wal
Tc

From Richard Whiteing's The Yellow
VAN" in the September Century,
What a rummy sort o thing war isl
! Travel thousands o miles to find you've
! got, quarrel with somebody that's Just
/ such another as yourself. Great stretches
! o salt sea, an dark nights, an winds
| howlin' all around; an there you are
| push, push. pushin on to get at the man
! You was fated to kill from your cradle.
! Goodness! it seems like havin' a row with
| the next world. But there you find the
| quarrel waitin' for you, manner o speak
| in, when you land. The flags an the
| notices an the music is all the news you
| get of il at first, an L takes many
| mile of footin heel an toe, before you
! see an enemy's face. An not that all at
/ once, mind you. AT first all you have 10
put up with, for long time. is little
| specks. nigh mile off; but you know
| they want TO kill you. an you got to kill
them Pop! pop! an p'r,aps no one much
the worse for il, but it's rummy all the
same. You feel you could go over an
ask 'em what's the trouble an settle it
there an then.
Close quarters is the rummiest of all.
! Now you see the eyes O. your man, an
the color in his cheeks; an you got to do
him or he'll do YOU. OF course, if he's
comm straight for you, YOU put off
But if you re dodgin' about. dismount Ht,
p'r'aps. an sparrin' for an openin'. 1or
the life o you you can hardly help singin'
out. Hold on,
THAT sort o thing came to me one
day. | was scoutin'. advance line. over
rough counTy. great big stone copies.
they call EN- there), when from behind
one of EN- up jumps feller not ten
yards off, 1t was such a surprise for
both Of US that we clean forgot to shoot.
We just stared each other straight in
the face-almost rude. as they used TO
call ii when | was a kid. BY - sir! we
knew what was in each others mind.
without word. We'd got TO kill at
short notice an we couldn't begin for
shame.
Il dropped mine; his never stirred from
the stone where it was restin It's a
fine day. says he, in English, fur the
time q year
After that believe me- l couldn't have
let fly at him if he'd asked me to. All
could manage was: Same to you. rebel;
same TO you. How are you getting on?'
:" Pretty fair he said but | could 30
with a bit o fresh meat. An you don't
happen 20 have such thing as a pipe
light?
Happy to oblige; an ! tossed him
hoN o blazers. Take half. an kindly re-
turn balance if you please.
How d Tou pick up a livin said the
rebel. when you amt at this work.
- Horses.
Just my line. 'Scuse me. but your a
trifle too far ahead of your lot; we're
worllin' round your flank
Just then the bugle sounded for us to
fall back.
Don't hurry he said: only keep on
your hands an knees. Creep round this
way, an I'll stand a drink
Awful stuff it was: yet. takin' one
thing with another. toothsome. too.
. I'm a Burgersdrop man.. saws my
mate-for that's what it had come to by
this time. If you happen to be round |
that way when this is over. look me up !
an it'll be your turn to stand treat If | |
amt in, don't bother. See you p'r'aps in |
the next world. Anyway, pass drop O.
water to one of our wounded, an I'll cry |
quits wherever I may be-
9" Give us your fist An we gripped |
behind the stone. Take my oath, it was |
just like sayin prayers, kneelin an all. |
'Then the bugle sung out again. an we !
crept back; an that was the last of him |
"Rummy-like. if you come to think of I
it. But that's life. IL it amt exactly war I
An it was war again moment after for /
| passed one or two stiff uns on the way |
to camp