The Washington herald., 1922-09-27
The Beautiful
g s And Damned
continues from Ysstsrday.
By r. Scott Fitzgerald

HAHNoa "a MS hh-Nc
him IN transitory fading splendor
by dark eyes in the Ritz-Carlton.
by shadowy glance from a pass
-fng carriage in the Bois de Bol-
IOgAei But those nights were only
part of a song. q remembered glory
here again were the faint winds.
tho Illusions. the eternal present
with its promise Of romance.
''oh." she whispered. do you
love me? Do you love me?"
The spell was broken-the driftcd
fragments of the stars became only
light. the singing down the street
diminished to a monotone, to the
.whimper of locusts in the grass.
with almost a sigh he kissed her
Eervent mouth, while her arms
crept up about his shoulders.
The Man-at-Arms.
As the weeks dried up and blew
away the range of'Anthony's trav-
els extended until he grew to COM
prehend the camp and its environ
ment For the first time in his
iife he was in constant personal
contact with the walters to whom
be had given tips. the chauffeurs
who had touched their hats to him.
the carpenters, plumbers, BARRIERS
and farmers who had previously
been remarkable only in the sub
seryience of their professional gen
affections. During the first two
months in camp he did not ho'd
ten minutes consecutive conversa-
tion with a single man.
On the service record his occu-
patton stood as student: on the
original questionable heshad pre-
Inaturely written author; bat
when men in his company asked
his business he commonly gave it
as bank clerk-had he told the
truth. that he did no work. they
would have been susnjcious Of him
as a member of the leisure class.
His platoon sergeant. Pop Don
nelly. was a scraggly "old soldier,
worn thin with drink. In the past
he had spent unnumbered weeI-s
in the gusrdhouse, but recently.
thanks to the drill-master famine,
Ire had been elevated to his pres
snt pinnacle. His complexion was
full Of sheII-holes-it bore an no
Unstable resemblance to those aer-
ial photographs of "the battlefield
al Blank" Once a week he got
drunk downtown on white liquo-'
returned quietly to camp and COL
Iapsed upon his bunk. joinins The
company at reveille looking more
than ever like a white mask Of
death
He nursed the astounding delu-
sion that he was astutely slipping
is over on the government-he had
-pent eighteen years in its service
~ a minute wage. and he was soon
10 retire (here he usually winkei)
on the impressive income of $50
month. He looked upon it as a
gorgeous joke that he had played
upon the dozens who had bullicd
and scorned him since he was a
Georgia country boy of 1s. At pres
en- there were but two lieutenats
Hopkins and the popular Kretch-
ing. The latter was considered
a EOOI IFAloN dlll q lSoNNhE S''-
til year later. when he sap
pcarcd with mess fund of sl.lOO
and. like so many leaders. proved
exceedingly difficult to follow.
Eventually there was Capt. Dun =
ming, god of this brief but self
sumo NJ microcosm. He was a re-
serve officer. nervous. energetic
enthusiastic. This latter quality,
indeed. often took material form
snd was Wis BILE as fine froth in the
corfsrs of his mouth. Like most
eXecutives he saw his charges
strictly from the front. and to his
hopeful eyes his command seemed
Just such an excellent unit as such
an excellent war deserved. For all
his anxiety and absorption he was
having the time of his life.
Baptiste. the title SiCi!ian Of the
train, fell foul of him the secon
week Of drill. The captain had
several times ordered the men to
bt clean-shaven when they fell jn
.-aCh morning. One day there was
dis,cIC sed an alarm nE breech Of this
vLic. surely "a case Of TeutODic
onH-Tancs-during the night four
.i.E had grown hair upon their
faces The fact that three of the
sOur understood a minimum of En-
=Iish made a practical object les
son only the more Necessary. so
cant. Dunning rcsolutely sent q
yo!untcer barber back to the COM
Istny street for razor. Where
iron Tor thr safety Of democracy q
rsIf-UuuCc "f hair was scraped dry
rr9m tho checks OF three Italians
and ono Pole.
outs de the world OF the COM
pshy there appeared. from time to
F1pl~. the colonel. heavy man with
suarl'ng teeth. who circumnavigat
u the battalion drill-field upon a
handsome black horse He was a
V"st Pointer. and. Numerically. a
gentleman. He had a dowdy wife
and dowdy mind, and spent much
IT his time in town taking advan-
;a=e of the army's lately exalted
"oSition. Last of all was the gen.
raj, who traversed the roads OF
IA" camp preceded by his hae-a
i"ure so austere. so removed. so
nJ" Guificent. as to be scarcely COM
prehsnsibIe.
December. Cool winds at night
E"w. and damp. chilly mornings on
ihc drill grounds. As the heat
iaded Anthony found himself fn-
cressinEly glad to be alive. Re
"ew'd strangely through his body.
," worried little and existed in the
present with a sort of animal con-
tent. u was not that Gloria or the
IF" that Gloria represented was
iCsI often in his thoughts-it was
simply that she became. day by day.
less real. less vivid. For week
tnaV had cOrresDOnded nassiopate1y