Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-01-23
CHAPTER XII.
A MOVE On.
The Boy's Story.


Funny how after all this talk I
wasn't able to keep that Sunday ap-
pointment after all!
Something happened in the
time that's made a good deal of diff
ference to me. I don't mean any i'm
mediate difference. But 1 know it's
Brought my name up before railway
mandarins who otherwise wouldn't
have heard anything about me, young
Smith Of the Military Department at
our terminus, for another umpty-two
years; if then.
1t began with the War Office. . OF
course, they were demobilizing at q
great rate at that time and it wa a
ticklish business in more ways than
one. When fellows are stamping
their hoofs waiting to get demohbed
they don't think of the tremendous
work it e for shows like ours.
Why, I know I was the same myself,
when ! was getting out of the Army,
or I would have been, if.1: hadn't been
on the railway before I Joined w, and
all tho hold-ups and SO on at a. big
station. ISshan't forget last Saturday
night att our place!
In camc Special after Especial
often almost. touching, and each one
carrying its thousand men or so to
their own particular dispersal center.
All this on the top OF umpteen extra
leave-trains, movements Of troops in
the country itself-not to speak of the
ordinary train-services carrying civil
ians backwards and forwards about
their business n taking everything
for granted unless anything were ten
minutes late. But to get back to the
w. O..
AS ] said, there'd been a good deal
of dissatisfaction among the men be-
cause they couldn't get whiskcd back
direct to wherever they wanted TO go
on a sort of Magic Carpet. At one
or two Of the stations there had been
scenes, and the men had marched
themselves off to Whitehall to find
out what about.it. The less there was
of that kind of thing the better. So
that night some inspired Transport
Officer at H. G: had decided to show.
US how to do it.
Without consulting anybody, he'd
Started in TO divert trainS from where
they should arrive normally-we'll
call it Terminus A-to our station,
which Well call Terminus b. don't
know If he thought it was further
from Whitehall or if he just wanted
to get the men scattered a bit. Scatt.r,s
ed, indeed! I
Well. having taken Sims place Tor
duty.t:lat night. l was up in the Office
thinking I shouldn't have anything
particular to do and might get quit:
a lot of sleep between telephone calls,
when in rushed young Herrick who
was to share the vigil with me.
II say" he burst out. What about
these specials? Three Of them in the
last ten minutes, and Johnson's foam
ing at the mouth about them. Wants
Tn knnr univ thA 1at-,I go, <1sS-,x.A. = +,
him
Tell him what? What specialso"
| said. I've had no order about any
specials. Must be a mistake"
Well you can hear 'en now: the;
soldiers, I mean" full kit just gotrin
and trying to push The refreShment.
room walls in and everything shut as
you know---and what's to be done
with emf.
As he spoke | heard that sort Of
low growing across the yard below.
nipped 70 the other window.
There they were. Under
the half obscured sstation-lishts With
some Of the afraid paint still on
them ! could see what looked like a
sea Of dim tossing khaki; IT. sounded
like "a sea. too. &8Mgs5sss 4
Men on leave, men waiting XII 1.de
mobilization, soldiers out ofs 3
crowd there ~; no end OF ScotsineI,
from long distances l expect;r with
tAeir extra days leave to Get Us ltbeir
homes. Poor devils! Many 81
them must have been four days On tha
road already, and not 80 much as a
cup OF coReesto put inside them--stif
and frozensSas they were q, II
knew enough about that, & 4
felt as i'll were back III the Arms,
myself. and the War stli N !. ,