The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-07-30

order three times and then shoot.
| r-enthusiastic rockies from the
back counties, he said, had been
known to 60 like this: "Halt halt
halt! Ka-POWl" (You can believe it
or leave it; never question what
| the sergeant says.)
There was one rookie guard, he
said, who halted him, questioned
him and allowed him to pass. Aft
er he had gone several steps, the
sentry again shouted, Halt" Ser
geant Taylor came back and want
ed to know-politely, of course
how come. ''My ORDERS" said the
guard, "say to boiler Halt three
times and then shoot. You're just
on your second halt now!"
The other popular expression is
the come-a-running call that goes
up the line to the guardhouse when
a guard takes prisoner or meets
any case not covered by instruc-
ton" General Order No. 81. If the
guard is on the seventh post, he
sings out, Corporal of the guard!
Post number seven!" The guard on
the sixth post picks up the cry and
it goes down the line like that.
There's the story about the officer
of the day who questioned new sem
try, as officers of the day frequently
| do in order to test the sentries.
Suppose" the Cd asked, "that you
shouted, Halt three times and /
kept going, what would you do?"
The guard was apparently
stumped by the question. Finally he
answered, "Sir, I'd call the corporal
of the guard"
The officer of the day gloated.
"Aha!" he said. $50 you'd call the
corporal of the guard, would you?
And just why would you call the
corporal of the guard?"
This time the answer was prompt
and decisive-and correct. "To haul
away your dead body, sir!"
Heroes are born, not made.
There's one job here that is moth
ing but goldbricking in itself. That's
the latrine orderly detail. You 60 to
work after lunch and spend the rest
of the afternoon watching the fire in
the water heater and feeding it reg
ularly-every two hours. The next
morning you sweep and mop the
Mushroom and spend the rest OF the
time until lunch watching the fire
again. All in all, you lead a lazy,
carefree existence.
There was a slip-up somewhere
yesterday. I was latrine orderly
instead Of a KIP. It was probably
the mess sergeant's idea.
The boys started out after lunch
for an afternoon of drilling in the
warm Carolina sunshine and learn
ing to drive trucks across bitches.
An hour later, I decided to take
q casual look at the boiler. When
I opened the furnace-room door, a
blast Of strong brownish smoke
struck me to the ground. / lay
there for several minutes, tapping
my forehead thoughtfully, while
more smoke poured out.
When 1t still hadn't slackened aft
er five minutes, crawled under
the layer of smoke to the boiler.
There the sickening vapor was,
pouring nonchalantly through clinks
in the door.
"Don't come telling me about it, I"
said Sergeant "Ma" Davidson.
"Take out the pipes and clean them.
All Of them"
I had to see the top sergeant to
get my instructions. When I re-
turned to Sergeant Davidson was
happy again.
"Ma," told him, ''the top kick
says for you to supervise the job. !"
The sergeant was furious with rage
and Illustration. I grabbed a screw
driver and he grabbed Private Dow
ner, who had black mark by his
name for not wearing his identifica-
ton tag. The three of us started
work.
First, put out the fire in the boiler.
Shake it down, throw ashes on it..
It still burns. Shake it down more,
throw sand on it. Still burns. Close
the bottom door, shake 1t down
more, throw ashes and sand on it.
Curse it. After too long, it dies.
The man who devised the system
for connecting an indoor boiler and
an outdoor chimney should be
parched with his own pipes and
stuffed with oily SCOT.
Unscrew a pipe, lift it gently, coax
it from its socket. Easy does 1t.
Careful there. When you have it
almost out, inhale for your sigh Of
relief. Crash! The whole network
of pipes bounces off the floor scat
tering ashes and SCOT over half the
battery area.
After half an hour Of scrubbing
and wiping the interior regions Of
all the pipes, they're ready to 60
I'D again. All but one of them are
in place and the last one is ready
to be fitted. Careful therel Easy,
nowl Watch outl Catch It'll CRASH!
The boys come in from the drill
field at 4:30 and head for the show
ers. There is no hot water.