Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-03-11
CHAPTER VII.
Rations.


butted in.
In Tommy's &. 4ance corporal is
one degree below a private. In the
corporaIs eyes he is one degree above
a general.
He ordered me to go with him and
help him draw the next days r8tions;
also told me to take my waterproof.
Every evening. from each platoon or
machine-gun section, lance corporal
and private go to the quartermastcf
sergeant at the company stores and
draw rations for the following day.
The quarter" as the quartermaster
sergeant is called, receives daily from
the orderly room Captains office) 4
slip showing the number Of smen en-
titled to ratiOns, so there is no chance
Of putting anything over on him. Many
arguments take place between the
quarter and the platoon noncom but
the former always wins ont. Tommy
says the quarter got his Job because
he was burglar in civil life.
Then I spread the waterproof sheet
on the ground, while the Quartefm1ne-
ter's batman dumped the ratiens on 1t.
The corporal was smoking flag. !
carried the rations back to the billet.
The corporal was still smoking a Tag.
How I envied him. But when the issue
commenced my envy died, and / real
lied that the first requisite Of non
commissioned officer on active service
Is diplomacy. There were 10 men in
our section. and they soon formed A
semicircle around US after the corporal
had called out "Rations up"
The quartermaster sergeant had
given slip TO the corporal on which
was written a list Of the rations. SIT
ting on the floor, using, wooden box.
rs a table, the issue commenced. On
the left of the corporal the rations
were piled. They consisted Of the fol-
lowing:
Six loayes of fresh bread, each loaf
of different size, perhaps one out Of
the six being as fiat as a pancake. the
result Of an army service corps man
placing box of bully beef on it. dur
ing transportation.
Three tins of jam, one apple and the
other two. plum. -
Seventeen Bermuda onions, all dit
fcrent sizes.
A piece Of cheese in the shape OF \
wedge.
Two one-pound tins Of butter.
A handful of ralsins.
A tin of biscuits, or as Tommy calls
them ''jaw breakers !, {, =. y y
A bottle of mustard pickles.
The "bully beef" spuds, condensed
milk, fresh meat, bacon and sMacOno-
chic rations' Ca can filed with niedt,
vegetables and greasy water) had been
turned over to the company cook to
make stew for next days dinner. He
also received the tea, sugar, salt, pep
per and -four.
Scratching. his head, the corporal
studied the slip issued to him by the
quarter. Then in a slow, niyshhed
voice he read out, mo. section. 10
uen. Bread, loaves, six" BE looked
puzzled and soliloquized in a nusing
voice:
sSix loaves, nineteen men. Let's see.
that's three in loaf for fifteen mem
WELL to make it even, four OF yon'n
have to muck in on one loaf?x |
The four that got. stucklmade q howl
but to~po avail. The bread was dished
out Pretty soon from IN far cofntf ~
the billet three Indignant krom9ieelac-
costed the corporal with:
.'what do you call this. loaf u
bread2 Looks more Ike q. lsniplns
plate" ~ ,es
The corporal answered: ,.s y
"Well, don't blame me, I didn't. bAkk
it; somebody's got to get II, 40 shut
up until dish out these blinkin' IA.
tions."
Then the corporal started on tAs
jam. b
"Jam, three tins--apple one. plttn
two. Nineteen men, three tins Six
In tin makes twelve men fQgsfwo tins,
seven In the remaining tin. sSs
He passed around the JAM, ana
there was another riot. Some didn't
like APPLE, while others who received
plum We're partial to apple. After Z
while differences were adjusted and
the issue went on. ii
Bermuda onions. seventeen" MI \.
The corporal avoided row By say-
ing that he did not want an onion. and
] said they make your breath smell, 90
guessed would do without p4est0o.
The corporal looked his gratitude.
Cheese, pounds, two"
The corporal borrowed jackknife
(corporals are always borrowinc) And
sliced the cheese-each slicing bring
ing forth pert remark from the on
lockers as to the. corporal's eyesight.
''Raisins, ounces eight
BY this time the corporal's nerves
had gone west, and. in despair he said
that the raisins were to be turned over
TO the cook for "duff'' Opium puddinf)
This decision elected a little .sgr01s.
ing" but quiet was finally restored.
biscuits, tins, one
With his borrowed jackknife, tho
corporal opened the tin of biscuits. ana