Evening star., 1941-11-09
Il Short Story Complete in This Issue

IceoIu ulSIlOStO tIldt LII CIVIL lie ne ndQ Deen
dancing master.
"A dancing master" Taggart elucidated,
is developed entirely in the legs, and if this
man had any development above the chin
he d never have admitted his shame. It been
my experience that soldering and art won't
mix, and this rookie, Edward Joseph Moroney,
thinks he's hell on the mountaintop."
That night at retreat the last man to ooze
casually into line ten seconds before assembly
blew was tall, we'll built, handsome young
fellow in his middle twenties. He had grace
full walk, proud, devil-may- care tilt to his
head and lazy. smoky. dark blue eyes. Taggart
glanced over his shoulder at me and muir
INJURED: The dancing master. Captain"
Just before dismissing the battery Taggart
ordered: "Moroney, front and center. double
time, march,"
The dancing master arrived with rush.
The time limit for a battery formation is
minute and half" Taggart warned him.
I'VE never wait for assembly. A good outfit
always beats the call So hereafter, when you
hear me blow my whistle, shake your dead
tail and risk being killed in the rush."
Il was not late for formation. the dancing
master told him pertly land l decline to
furnish you with dreadful example by
getting killed in an unnecessary rush"
"Guardhouse lawyer" Taggart told me
afterward. knew Moroney would be joy
or nuisance - but never corporal.
! HE men liked him. He d brought guitar
into the service with him and he sang without
coaxing. Taggart admitted grudgingly that
he'd rather listen to the dancing master sing
than to Caruso, because plain man could
understand what he was singing about. He
had John Mccormack tenor. He'd been
hoofer in small-time vaudeville, and the
year previous when he had no bookings, he'd
operated a school of ballroom dancing.
He was never on the delinquency book al
though Taggart suspected he should be =
often. The Top complained to me that the
non-coms covered Moroney up; hence the
man would be the ruin of discipline in the
battery He softened the hard boiled; Taggart
said he had a suspicion the man was working
on him. and he hated the thought. explained
that the dancing master merely had charm,
and that charm opened path for him like the
siren on fire engine
He must be aware of his charm" Taggart
growled, because he has joined the French
class over at the YMCA hut. He tells me he
has more masculine society than he can handle.
What he Graves is female society, and when
we get to France and before we 60 up to the
'front.' he means to have it. He says to me:
Sergeant, how can get them to love me un-
less l can parlay trancdise enough to tell
them how much love them?'
Love pirate, eh?" l suggested.
1T would suit that scatterbrain if he left
sweetheart wherever this battery went in to
park overnight. The louise makes love for fun.
That kind" told Taggart, always meet
girl they want to marry and can't, because
she sees through them. They pay the piper
and they pay him in heartbreak.
AT British rest camp en- route to France
the dancing master went A.W OIL, returning
five minutes before we marched down to the
boat that was to take us to lie Havre. He
pleaded guilty and said he would take battery
punishment instead of a summary court. SO
sentenced him to two weeks in the can, on
bread and water, with full ration every
three days This was pretty severe, but l
thought it best to knock his ears down hard
once: then might not have to do it again.
We landed in Migne, village in valley
near Poitiers, to wait until an opening came
d.