Evening star., 1933-05-13
~ VAL1ANT ', ALL! e!,'.1,., D DIST j! T.

the one-eyed Is King. N the legion's
purgatory OF poverty, the man with a
private income Is Croesus.
Otho yawned cavernously, stretched
himself nightly. and sat up on his cot
Lend us that rag, mate. Yes, yes
all right, I'll give it to you back.
What's your name. by the way?"
"Bombelli."
Joe Mummery and that queer chap
the "creeper." Maj Riccoli's orderly,
who had lately been cultivating the
What did you say?"
"Bombelli."
Love us! Bit explosive, amt it?
You should take something for that"
Why was Bombelli now cultivating
him, Otho, SO assiduously and un-
mtstakably? Also Joe, William Bossum,
and Sailor Harris, as well as Tant de
Soif Pere Poussin and Petrovitch, their
| friends?
What could he hope to get out Of
them? What was his game?
Ohio considered him and his recent
gradual emergence from the ruck Of
their comrades into the position Of, not
exactly membership in their set. but
An extremely amusing as well as
interesting person, with an inexhausti-
BILE fund of humor. One gathered that
| he had had an amazing career, had
used all the world as his stage, and In
his time played many parts.
He still had a wonderful voice and
had sung in all the chief opera houses
of Europe. He was immensely agile,
quick and supple. and had earned his
living as an acrobat and conjurer.
Although not very big he was very
strong, with muscles like wire hawsers.
Also he was extremely handsome in the
classic Roman style.
A real human puzzle
Whenever life was extra hard, food
extra short, and wine unprocurable,
BombelI loudly lamented the cowardice
that brought him to the legion.
so you're faint-hearted. lily
livered, cold-footed coward, eh?" Joe
time Bombelli bewailed the lack OF
courage that had made him a soldier in
the regiment that is always fighting.
Sure. b." replied Bombelli in
Italianate English American.
Damn awful towards. I maka the
runaway I vamoosa. From a girl!
From Herculea! She beata me.
sksdadalla. sure get-to-hell-outa-
| this, pronto. :"
But you didn't run straight from
Ohio to Sidibel-Abbes, Bombo?"
Nope. runs to the yards and beata
da Overland to N'Yorka. Soon I feels
U. S. A. is too small leetle country for
me while Herculea movin' roun' In it,
so beata da Overwater too-what you
call a stow-it-away on ship-and comes
to Yurrup >. Then I come to Napoii
and sing Funiculi funicula bunk to da
tourista eatin' spaghetti and drinkin'
lachryma Christi at da hotel by Pompeii
And there I sits In da sun an
grow fat on good eats, wit da good oil
an da good garlic, an praise da good
God
"And then lika fool I must shake
da loose foot again, and I 60 all
over Yurrup some more, and some
time I sing Pagliaccr in big Kursaal
concert and in opera house; and some
times juggle brass ball in big top tent
AN one day I am in Marsellies, to
do turn at da Music Hall, an am walk
ing up Cannabiere feeling good-and
run straight into Herculea -. :!
Den run straight into da Fort.
Forts strong enough thinks I.
Surely I'll be safe In there
Sentry bawls me out.
Hi! Where in Hell you tink you
goin'?' he shouts.
"'Anywhere there amt no women at
ALL says-and the sergeant comes
out an says,
That's all right, Wop. Join right
now. There amt no women here.
Worse luck he adds.
Don't you blaspheme, Bo,' I begs.
an joins da Foreign Legion pronto."
Yes, an extremely amusing and ex-
traordinarily interesting man.
But did he quite realize how inter-
esting he was becoming-to Otho, at
least?
Did he realize that once or twice
when talking to Ohio he had talked
English without q trace of Italian
accent?
BOmbelH makes an astonishing pFopo-
SitiOn to OthO. tomorrow.