Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-04-20
published by special srrangcment With tt
Chicago Tribune 6yndicate)
IN TWO PARTS-PART ONE

HURST SERGT. hyde CLARK was nun
cry after six hours on the march, but
= when the regiment OF regulars halted
for noon mess beside the tree bordered
French road, he did not eat. All about
him men lac stacked their rifles and
we're hunched over in The short. wet
grass, hacking at cans Of hard bread,
canned willy, gold fish, and other sue
culent comestibles of an army in the
field. Pot bellied rolling kitchens dis
pensed coffee into aluminium cups inc
made them SO hot they burned a mans
lips. The fragrance Of 1t aggravated
Clark's nostrils into a periodic. spasmod-
ic twitch; 1t made the glands somewhere
in the back of his cheeks provide an
abundance of moisture for the delicacies
he was denying himself. After a while
they make your Jaws ache-those glands
like lockjaw. make your mouth taste
like a rusty hinge.
Clark swallowed hard and retrieved a
cigaret from the lining of his helmet.
deliberately. and with thoughtful DELHI
Grafton, he lit it. He rewoun the yard
long tail Of the French cigaret lighter,
hooked his thumbs in his pistol belt and
stood, legs apart, surveying with appar-
ent detachment a squad that wa rapid
ly turning rations into soldiers.
The sergeant was a tall, decisive war
rior with the supple stiffness of spine and
the breadth of shoulder thai has ear
marked the professional fighting man
since the days of the Caesars. At the
moment moisture from the damp air
glistened on his high cheek bones, his
deep burned. leathery jaw protruded. and
his straight lips were compressed. He,
apparently, was not moved to enthusi-
asm over the spectacle before him.
After a moments contemplation of the
eating squad he ran the fingers of one
hand up the back of his head, fitting his
helmet forward over his eyes, and. draw
ing hard at his cigaret, he turned to
stalk majestically through the scattered
groups.
"'Smatter with tn top?" Red Mike in
CURED of whoever was interested. HE
amt eatin'. Is he went on a hungary
striker"
Maybe" his corporal opined. Maybe
or probably he's trainin' down SOS he
can pursue them Boches. Nobody ever
lived which cd understand tn workin's
OF a first sergeant's mind"
Sure" Mike agreed. But a soldier
what don't eat is dangerous. He amt
safe to be around. Oney time a kuy don't
eat is hen he's dead or had his belly
shot OUT
Y lilo bCAlys dlA u lLf ItdNG MIN, Dc.
Didja ever get anywhere inquiring into
what for first sergeants does things2 No.
Certainly not. Gimme a cigaret."
As a matter of fact, the reason for
Clark's abstinence was not SO obscure. 1t
was, at the moment, ruffling it's feathers
back in the company kitchen-a low
ceilinged clubhouse of a diminutive
French chateau in which regimental
headquarters was located.
From some source Delmonico Murphy,
the mess sergeant, had secured a chick
en-; not a sturdy, sportive he chicken, a
rather nervous, careworn foul that
seemed suspicious of the attentions it
was receiving, but q chicken, even So
one that gave promise of epicurean de-
light to a soldier more or less in the field.
just now the bird was tethered out Of
sight behind some boxes where, 1T may
be assumed, 1t speculated interestedly
upon the uncertainties Of life in the
army.
Delmonico did not own the chicken in
fee simple. 1t was the common property
of himself n Byde Clark. Clark had
conceived the idea and commissioned
D%elmonico to acquire a chicken. Delmon-
leo had. The plan had been for Del
monico to slap the prize while the regi-
ment was out on the days practice
march, and together, in the evening,
they would devour it. But circum-
stances had prevented the decapitation;
there had been too many men about the
kitchen during the day, and it was not
deemed advisable to flaunt the trophy
before their hungry eyes-mess SER
geants are more popular when they eat
the same rations they prepare for their
outfits.
And, too, there were even more cogent
reasons for reticence in matters pertain
ing to French poultry. All right for the
cooks to know. They had to-. But it
would be unwise for the affair to be-
come general knowledge in the company.
So the chicken squatted uncomfortably
behind the boxes and awaited the return
of the company, and Clark v~aliantly
saved his appetite on the theory that the
hungrier he could get, the more delect-
able would be the doomed chicken.
Through the whole bleak, sodden day