The Washington herald., 1922-09-23
The Beautiful
And Damned
Continued from Yesterday.
By F. Scott Fitzgerald


sired to or not. Anthony's cigarette
contributed to the hazy oxidation
which seemed to roll back and
forth in opalescent clouds with
conversation. which had lapsed be-
tween the two impressive visits of
: the young officer. now revived
tepidly. the men across the aisle
began making clumsy experiments
with their straw seats capacity
for comparative comfort; two card
games. half-heartedly begun. soon
drew several spectators to sitting
positions on the arms OF seats. In
a few minutes Anthony became
aware OF a persistently obnoxious
sound-the small. defiant Sicilian
had fallen audibly asleep. It was
wearisome to contemplate that ami
mate protoplasm. reasonable by
courtesy only. shut up in a car by
an incomprehensible civilization,
taken somewhere. to do a vague
something without aim or signif-
{ cance or consequence. Anthony
sighed. opened a newspaper which
he had no recollection Of buying.
and began TO read by the dim yell
low light
Ten o'clock bumped stuffily into
eleven: the hours clogged and
caught and slowed down. Amaz-
ingly the train halted along the
dark countryside. from time to time
indulginC in short. deCeitful move
ments backward or forward. and
whistling harsh paeans into the
high October night. Having read
his newspaper through. editorials
cartoons. and war poems. his eye
fell on half-column headed
Shakespearcville. Kansas. II seemed
that the ShakespeareviIle chamber
Of commerce had recently held an
enthusiastic debate as to whether
the American soldiers should be
known as "Sammies" or "Battling
Christians" The thought gagged
him. He dropped the newspaper.
yawned. and let his mind drift off
at a tangent He wondered why
Gloria had been late. II seemed so
long ago already-he had a pang
Of IlIusive Loneliness He tried to
imagine from what angle she would
regard her new position. what
place in her considerations he
would continue TO hold. The
thought acted as a further de.
Drcssant-he opened his paper and
began to read again.
The members OF the chamber OF
commerce in ShakespeareviIIe had
decided upon Liberty Lads"
For two nights and two days
they ratified southwark. makins
mysterious ineNplicable stops in
what we're apparently arid wastes.
and then rushing through large
cities with a pompOus air Of hurry
The whimsicalities Of this train
foreshadowed for Anthony the
whimsicalitics Of all army admins
tration.
In the arid wastes they were
served from the baggage car with
hcans and bacon that at first he
was unable to eat-he dincd SCanti-
" on some milk chocolate distrib-
urCd hy village cantecn. But on
tive second day the baggage cars
output began to appear surprising
" paIatabIc. ON the third morn
ir= the rumor was passed along
that within tho hour they would
arrive at their destination, Camp
Hooker
II had become intOlcrably hot in
the car. and the men were all in
SNirt-SlcCVcs. The sun came in
through the windows. a tired and
and stretched out Of shape In
transit. II tried to enter in tri-
umphant squares and produced only
warped SpIOtches-bUt it was ap-
PaIlinEIy steady: So much 50 that
il disturbed Anthony not to be the
pivit IF all tn" inconse6ucntial
sawmiIIS and trees and telegraph
poles that were turning around him
$" fast. Outside it played its
heavy tremoIo over olive roads and
faIlow cotton fields back Of which
rIn ragged line Of woods broken
with emincnCes Of cray rock The
foreground was dotted sparsely
with wretched. iII-patched shanties.
among which there would flatn by
now and tT.u. a specimen Of the
Iauguid yoIcIry Of South Carolina.
or else a stroIling darky with sui
I.n 2ud bcv ildered eyes.
Then the woods moved off and
tNcy rolled into = broad space like
IN. baked top Of - gigantic cake.
sucarcd with an iufnity Of tents
r~~auG,I iu =c"mctrI.. figures over
fte surface The train came to an
uncertain stop. and the sun and
the poles and tho trees faded and
his universe rocked itself slowly
hark ." its old usualnCsS. with An
trouy I'at"h in the center. As tr~
Un'u. weary and PcrspirinE. crowded
out n the car. hC Smclt that un-
f0rECtabIC aroma that impre=natCs
al permanent camps-thc odor Of
garbage.
Camp Hooker was an astonish-
iu- and spectacular growth. suE-
~rStiu= ~ Mining Town in 1870
Tho Second Week. II was thing
Or wooden shackS and whitish-gray
tents. connected by \ pattern ot
roads. with hard tan drill grounds
frin-CG with trees. Here and there
stood green Y. VI. g. \ houses. un-
promising oascs. with their muCrv
ndOr cf wet fanneIs and closed
tSle0h"nC hootHs-and across from
each NJ them there was usually a
'nTtscn. swarm;nC with life pre-
sided over indOlsntly by an officer
who with the aid of a side-Car
usually MANAGED to make his de-
tail 4 pleasant and chatty sinecure.
ID end down the dusty roads
s0ed the soldiers Of the quarter