Detroit evening times., 1945-02-05
BRIGHTER
SIDE
-By.Damor
Runyor

lovely maiden as ever came
down the pike. Her complexion
was the shade OF heavily
creamed coffee. her eyes were
black. her hair was as a ravens
wing and her lips were rosy red
which is not surprising consid-
ering the way she chewed betel
nut.
She lived with her parents.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bailerino. in
charming little thatched house
set up on stills near place
called Guiguinto on the island
of Luzon and ii was in the
shade meath this house that
I used to sit holding hands with
Anastacia, her pet pig Otis
lolling in the dust near by and
her pet python Alexander peer
ing occasionally around some
unexpected corner.
/ named both these creatures
out of compliment 10 fellow
members of our little coterie
OF American soldiery who were
bivouacked at Guiguinto My
acquaintance with Alexander
was rather casual. but Otis and
l were very close. He would
often snuggle up TO me very
friendly like when / was sit
ting with Anastacia and | am
sure he strongly approved of
my wooing.
All, me, perhaps If IL had not
been for Otis I would be sitting
there to this day holding hands
with Anastacia and giving Mac
Arthur and his boys a big hello
as they passed on their way to
Manila. for though l cannot
find IL on any Of the skinny
little old pieces of map that
the newspapers are publishing
these days, those boys are
bound to hit II if they keep
following the railroad. / mean
it is right in their way,
CUIGUINTO, pronounced C g d
" "Gee-ginto.' - is just this
side of MaloloS which was the
capital of Emilio AguinaldOS
Filipino republic for a brief
spell after some Of his lads get
messed up with the First Ne
braska one night at spot
called Galoocan just beyond the
northern limits of Manila.
Aguinaldo's fellows and those
Nebraskans had been kidding
back and forth there for some
time like two blokes spelling
for a fight will do, one giving
the other a little push now and
then and the other giving lit
tie pushes back.
The blow-off was inevitable.
A few rifle shots exploded a
size 6Ts war that spread over
the very terrain Macarthur IS
now covering and in fact the
Fort Stotsenberg that you see
on all those little maps was
named for the First Nebraska s
commanding officer who fell in
that locality. 1t was this war
that took us fellows out around
Guigulnto way.
Well. only last week I was
dreaming OF those days and
feeling the touch of AnaStacia'S 5
soft little hand and Sccnting
the coconut oil in her hair
when l chanced TO notice the
date Of the fateful night the
ruckus started and IL dawned
on me that it was as years
ago. come February 4. | will
admit ! was slightly startled.
THINKS I TO myself, Runyon,
Il tempus tempusSes. There Is
no doubt about il. II tempusses.
Thinks I, Runyon, If Anastacia
is still in those parts II may he
that she no longer has the same
contours Of your fond recollec-
ton. II may be that she is
slightly broken down. Thinks |,
Runyon, perhaps II Is just as
we'll that Otis the pig came be-
tween you all that day
| remember that 1t was one
of our meatlesS days. We had
meatless days in our camp at
Guiguinto from Mondays 10
Sundays inclusive. On those
days we had beans. I recall like
II was only yesterday the meet
ing of my comrades in front of
the cook tent and their repre-
sentation 90 our company cook,
a guy by the name of Skillman,
that he was leaving something
out of the beans that deprived
them of the flavor Of those that
mother used To make and why
was Il?
l recall Skillmans mastery
defense when he said. in effect,
Gentlemen, | am only leaving
out the pork and l am leaving
out the pork not because / am
opposed 10 the pork with the
beans but because we have no
pork and in fact we are pretty
lucky to have the beans and
any one that does not like his
beans without pork can go
plumb 10 Minnetonka.
A ND just then Skillman's eyes
"A fell upon me strolling home
all aglow from holding Anasta-
cia's warm little duke, and with
Otis Grunting atfectionately in
my wake.
Dear reader. it Is here that
memory starts busting my
heart. 7 saw Anastacia a few
days after that hut Il was only
a fleeting glimpse as she van
ished in a bamboo thicket after
a