The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-05-16
CHAPTER XXI

Each night for a week past, Ben
ming had gone to sleep with a JOY
Gus, rhythmic throbbing in his brain,
the echo of what to him was a glo-
rlous music. It was the music of
marching feet and of rolling trains
and caissons, music that conjured
up visions of a great day yet to
come.
What time he could find to himself
away from his duties at GHQ of
late afternoons, he spent on the
roads at the edge of Salt Lake listen
ing to that same refrain az it beat
from the heavy field shoes of march
Ing infantry on their way to the
westward trains.
A beautiful sight were those
bronzed, strong bodies Of men who
marched with slanted muskets or
sat upright in trucks behind their
rolling caissons. They showed their
long hard months Of training, these
rugged youngsters; and their faces
were gravely radiant with a SOL
dier's high morale as they faced the
west at last on the great adventure.
Texas and the Pacific states had
suffered unspeakable cruelties and
hardsi,ips under the heavy heels of
the invader. What wealth they had
was stripped to the bone, what en-
ergies they had were harnessed
against their own country to aid
their armed oppressors.
There had been those months Of
q rnihn ut
range Of the Atlantic were shelled.
Bomoers rained the country's great
citieA with death, carrying their as
saults in the dark of the night far in
land to such cities as Chicago and
st. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, Gin
cinnsti, Indianapolis.
Then had come the Van Hassek
demand. President Tannard him
self had insisted that Van Hassek be
allowed to present to the whole
country his terms Of peace. Over
all the networks, Van Hassek had
spoken for the Coalition Powers.
Peace could he had at the price
of Alaska, Hawaii, the right of I'M
restricted immigration, remuneration
of the Monroe Doctrine, information
alization of the Panama Canal.
Tannard's voice came ringing
back now in Benning's memory. An
answer to go down in history.
1.-THE United States asks no terms.
We mean to destroy the armies that
have invaded our shores and then
we will hold to an accounting those
predatory powers that are RESPONSE
BILE for international brigandage.
That is our last word to our enc
mics, until you come before us on
your knees in the humility of utter
defeati"
There had been glorious days as
well, as the months drifted by.
There had been that day Of two
months ago when the Third Army,
recognized, reinforced, and invinci-
BILE, crashed down across Texas to
drive the invader south of the Rio
Grande.
Behind the passes of the Rockies
there was formed this great army
whose fighting reserves now
marched into the west. Long, pa
tient months this had taken, months
that had tried the courage and re-
sources of the country.
Benning turned from his rehec-
tons to the realities Of headquar-
ters. Dusk was falling, the skies
we're filing with planes, planes that
pointed their noses to the west. The
vast caravan Of men and guns
moved on in its endless rhythm as
it emptied the huge training camps
of the Salt Lake Valley Of their half
million men.
At headquarters he checked his
personal effects, musette bag, belt
and pistol, map-csse, held-glasses,
raincoat, steel helmet. The buzzer
from Flsgwill's desk rang at eight
o'clock. Flagwill was now a two
star general with the assignment
Of chief Of staff Of the western group
Of field armies.
Smells to me like q crush note, "
Flagwill said, shifting at a small lin
en- envelope and handing II to Ben