Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-03-22
CHAPTER TX

ages.
"Oh boy" exclaimed Fudge,
heres another of these things. To-
day, filled with hope and trust, we
proudly look upon our great army
and our noble allies. Through their
sacrifices we are moving toward the
victory that will bring triumphant
peace to all the world. Bring this
glorious day nearer! Work for VIC
tory as you never worked before!
America is destined to be-"
the prize sucker of all time"
Dick finished the sentence for him,
with sudden disgust. Ibid you ever
hear such tripe? Couldn't you throw
up?"
"Well-we really ought not to
laugh" Julia admitted. "The poor
things, they took it so seriously"
If we don't laugh" said Dick,
well all sit down and cry. We've
got the mess they made"
"Oh Dick" Julia admonished him,
but really, this war is different"
Different? Tell that to the Ma
rines. Sure, the Marines who got
stuck on Wake Island with a lot
of popguns because the Japs were
such good customers and they might
have got their feelings hurt if we'd
fortified it."
Were swell bunch of suckers,
aren't WEI" said Cherry. ITO get
ourselves born in these times!"
well, we couldn't help it," Dick
remarked. "But I guess nobody who
had anything to say about it would
have picked out the twentieth CEN
fury, any of it."
Cherry gave low ironic chuckle.
They'll have an easy time re-
membering the twentieth century
when they study it in the history
books. A pre-war period, a war,
an inter-War period, another war,
postwar period"
Don't say postwar too soon, you
wishful thinker" Fudge admonished
her lazily. How do you know it
won't be just the second inter-war
period?"
There was shuff1ing sound as they
began to restack the magazines,
evidently concluding that these had
provided as much amusement as
they could afford. "This is a fine
way for two fellows to be talking"
advised Julia, who'll probably be in
the army this time next year."
mo, you don't get it, julia" said
Dick. I'm not as pessimistic as
Fudge, I think the next inter-war
period is going to be a lot longer
than this last one, why it's got to;
by the time this war is over every-
thing will be blown to powder and
thereH be nothing left to fight with.
But we're a lot better off than
those moony-faced laddies who went
marching off full of molasses about
the brotherhood of man and all that,
We won't be disillusioned when it's
over because we haven't got any il
lusions. We know it's all a bloody
mess and we're in it because our
elders didn't have sense enough to
keep us out of it. Well go into the
| army and they'll train us to be kill
ers whose business it is to shoot other
killers before they have a chance to
shoot us first. And that's that"
But gosh, Dick!" Julia ex-
claimed in shocked voice. We've
got to fight! Don't you hate the
Japs?"
"Of course hate them. I'd like
to wipe every one of their monkey
faces off the earth. Oh, that's okay
by me, I'll shoot 'em and be glad
| to do it. But that's not the idea.
I meant the difference between this
war and the last one is that this
time we know what we're doing.
We're fighting to stay alive, period.
We don't expect any brand-new
world"
Lucky we don't expect it." OBJ
served Fudge, because it's cinch
we're not going to get one"
"Mr. Wallace" Cherry said wise
ly, thinks we're fighting to provide
milk for the Chinese coolies"
Fudge chuckled at her without
even asking the coolies if they want
any milk"
"You know" said Cherry, cts
really pathetic the way some of the
propaganda leaders are trying to sell
us on that idea of a brand-new
world. Just get this over, and the
Russians will love the Chinese and
the Chinese will love the British and
the British will love the Italians"
Fudge interrupted, still chuckling,
"Just picture anybody actually low
ing the Italians"
"Oh, but they WILL" Cherry as
sured him cynically. Haven't you
read some of these postwar plan
ners? Everybody is going to get
along with everybody else, even the
Spaniards.
"The State Department" Dick re-
minded her, "gets along beautifully
with the Spaniards.