Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-04-20
A Bird in the Hand

the regiment dragged its muddy feet over
the roads and fields of France. Heavy
marching order, 1t was, with full packs
that cut grooves in a mans shoulders
tin hats, overcoats, and all the other i'm
pediamenta of the field. Black Jack
Pershing had conferred with certain
French and British and decided that this
was the sort of thing the army needed
before it went into the line. Marching
in bitches beside the road SOS We'll
know just how damn cold wet fleets can
get" Buck Anderson pointed out. n
an occasional shout of Gas" from the
head of the column Just when a man
had got his mind comfortably settled
on how uncomfortable he was. Helmets
would be knocked off and gas masks
snapped on. Helmets would be returned
to their proper places and the march re-
sumed.
"'Gas,' he says" snorted a beardless
youth. "'Gas.' An him aridin' onto that
there boss. / wust to hell he'd make up
his mind. Is 1t gas or amt It'll Me, I'd
ruther swim ten mile under water than
put on that suffocatin' snout. An ever
time l get to thinkin' maybe I'm gonna
live after all, he ups an hollers Gas -"
'Oh, it amt s. pad. / took it oncet
when I got a tooth pulled. 1t amt the
gas that makes me mad; it's them damn
masks; An me s. hungry 1 cd eat the
m~outhpiece outta minel'
Jaw. get your feeble mind offa your
stumick, an think about this here war!
You had goldfish an cawffee didn'tcha?
Well, thenI"
Byde Clark did not concern himself
greatly with the vagaries Of gas officers.
They were just part OF soldering in war
l %i~a1 IL ..x ~ cA4-- IA En+tnr
nor worse than he had upon hundreds
OF other occasions while he had soldiered
up and down United States possessions.
In some ways 1t was better than the
zone; for instance, there was the wine
In some ways 1T was worse than-Well-
Alaska; there were those few, cocksure
ninety day wonders officers commits
stoned from training camps II at the
last minute rushed into fill vacancies in
the war expanded companies. Altogether
it was not so bad, and presently the regi-
ment would be ordered forward and the
business for which it had come would be
given attention.
Besides, he reflected, there was that
chicken which by this time Delmonico
would undoubtedly be dissecting, and lat
er, when the company had been put to
bed, there would be a crisp fried leg, a
crisp wing, and half a crisp back and
breast to be washed down with a bottle
of wing roodge." 1t was not SO bad, this
war.
He was glad, as the. column stopped
along back towards billets, that be had
not eaten at noon. God. how hungry he
Wasi Twenty miles or so over hard
French roads. with a rain drenched pack
on ones back, will induce hunger-par-
ticularly if one has not eaten since five
O'Clock in the morning. But tonight
there would be fried chicken-a half
chicken-brown and arresting, with a
glistening varnish of gravy-a mess kit
full-and thick. slices of fried potatoes,
huge chunks Of white bread, wine-wine
and chicken-fried chickenl
Up ahead Colonel Nelson rode, his head
deep in the collar of his overcoat. his
straight back weaving slightly to the
horses motion-an officer to serve under
Clark had soldiered with the colonel ever
since he had been a shavetail out in
China and Clark had been a recruit.
Once in q skirmish with the Moros Clark
had taken a knife thrust intended for
Lieutenant Nelson, and Lieutenant Mel
son had thanked him grufly, but the
lieutenant's wife had brought flowers to
the hospital and her voice was choked
when she tried to talk; SO Clark had
said, Jaw, it amt no kinda cut, nam.
Them %Spiggoties don't know nothin'
about tn art an science o. war. It's
Just a scratch. I'm expectin' to get outta
here most any day, now" He came out
two n later, a corporal.
Another time, up in Alaska, a sick
civilian had to be taken out of a remote
post to medical aid, and Clark had frozen
a hand doing 1t. Captain Nelson had
made a him a sergeant afterward, but
neither of them spoke of the sick man
bein a ne'er do we'll brother of the cap
tain. MOI froze so bad, sir" Clark had
replied to curt inquiry. Just a touch
"Hm-m-ml" the captain had unused.
You'll damn we'll kill yourself with your
fool stunts some dayl" His lips We're
hard when he said 1t, but his eyes were
not.
Yes, sir" Clark returned. And now,
by the grace Of God. Colonel Nelson, and
a sergeant's stripes, France. Most as
suredly an officer to serve under-and
he liked fried chicken, Clark knew.
One by one the companies dropped
out as they passed the crossroads lead
ing to their billets and finally headquar-
tiers company executed a smart squads
right-a company is always smart just
before dismissal-in the gravel drive be-
fore the chateau, and halted. The deva-
stating odor of slum and coffee drifted
through the dusk from the big caldrons
in the kitchen.
Dismiss the company" the captain
directed. Clark took the prescribed TWO
PAGES to the front Of the right and sa-
luted.
"Inspection-harl' he roared. Rifles
snapped up and chambers clicked open
fried chicken and red wine, and maybe
a Junk of cheese.
"Portl' Chambers clicked shutdown,
cracking, juicy chicken; large mouth
fuls.
"Harl Dismissl"
A lusty bugler sounded mess call and
Clark strolled nonchalantly toward the
kitchen; first ~sergeants must be dignl-
fed. BY the time he reached the source
of those savory odors some men had al
ready formed a line, rafting mess kits
and Offering uncomplimentary observa-
tions anent army diet in general and this
menu in particular. He pushed through
the line and found the round bodied,
| rod facol Da1VaDrino harly in thn lanfprn