Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-11
THE COMPLETE BEST SELLER
No Time for Sergeants

rlgnL close up ana ben llSVeueO anu GLlouSHI
he heered them too. He said, Duck" and
fell down fiat and did too; then he come
raising up real slow listening again; and then
made out heered them behind us, and Ben
listened hard and whispered, Take it easy
now" and stuff like that; and then made
out like I heered hound dogs barking and
people yelling and guns shooting and lot OF
things like that, but he didn't like that too
much; he said, well, what's the matter with
you? You don't hear all that stuff and you
know it,"
Ready for Action
So said must have been mistaken. and
after little bit. Ben got up ready to make his
run for it. I said. Ben, you sho you don't
want me to come along and pull up the wire
and just let you climb under?" but he shushed
me again. He squatted and peered around,
ducking his head when the light come over,
and then he started running for 1t. I set
there in the grass watching him; I seen
him go thrashing through the grass and get
to the fence and give lunge at it and go
Scampering up it like cat going up a tree.
Then the light went around and couldn't see
him no more, and then the light come back
and seen him up near the top of the fence
with one foot caught in the wire, Snatching
at it trying to get it loose. Then the light
went around again and l couldn't see him for
a while, only hear him pulling and snatching,
and when it come by the next time, he was
right on the top of the fence and had some
how managed to get both feet hung in the
wire. So heered all kinds of racket as he
snatched this way and that, and then I seen
him outlined against the sky just about the
time he lost his balance-both hands flew
straight up over his head and one foot come
loose and went singing out in the air like he
was kicking at something; then the light was
gone and I couldn't see him no more. But
could hear him right clear when he fell
because it sounded something like big tree
coming down out in the woods somewhere.
Anyhow, he was out like light when I
got to him. he had fell right on the back of
his neck and warnt stirring at all. He was
still breathing all right, though, and I
couldn't find nothing broke nowhere; he was
just out for while and that was all.
So f1ggered with him out that way, that
put me in charge and had to use my plan,
only didn't have much of one. and the only
thing I could think of was to pick him up
and start toward the highway. I tagged
down taxi going along and told him Ben
was drunk and to take us to the train sta
ton; and when we got there, took Ben in
the rest room and went through his pockets,
getting all our money together, which come
to only eleven dollars and f1fty-1ve cents
And then went up to the window to get the
tickets back only didn't have anywhere near
enough money so finally just told the fell
low to give me two tickets in that direction
so we could at least get started anyhow.
Then I went back and splashed some water
on Ben's face to wake him up and told him
what had done, but he didn't have much to
say about it. He had been knocked out twice
that day. though, so guess he warnt much
up to thinking about it by then.
So finally helped him out to one of the
benches in the waiting rom and he set there
rubbing at his neck still not feeling too good
We had only thirty cents left after the tick
cts, but finally decided it was best go
ahead and spend some on some coffee for him
so he could get his head cleared back up
again. So I brought it back to him and he
set there slipping it, and I waited for his head
to clear back up again so he could do some
more thinking, and be back in charge again
Stayed Dazed, Too
But Ben was still right dazed for while
after we got on the train, and he was right
miserable too about everything. think. I
got him seat next to the window and he set
there rubbing his neck and not saying any
thing because he was right down on things
by then-he wanted things done right and
he didn't like them done no other way, and
there warnt no in-between for him. Either
it was done correct for Ben or it warnt done
correct, there warnt no four or five ways about
it. But he was too wore out with everything
by then to even get upset over it, he tried
some but finally he just laid his head over
against the window, and the next thing l
knowed, he was dead asleep again, his mouth
open, snoring, his head dropped down on
his chest
So figgered I would go ahead and try
to work things out before he woke up so he
wouldn't have that to worry with and got up
and went down to the wash room where had
r0s,,1 a3,.1r ;Na-
could find the conductor and see if there
warnt some way me and Ben could work on
the train or something in return for some
tickets the rest of the way to Martinville.
Anyhow the conductor warnt down there but
there was fellow with guitar sitting over
in the corner stunning at it, so 1 sat down
and listened to him for bit and kind Of got
to enjoying it. He was pretty good on it,
thought. There was blind man with beard
sitting in there too and then a fellow come
In with juice harp, and we had right good
time of it, They got to going together on
few songs and the blind man started patting
his foot up and down and got right excited
about it, letting tobacco drip down over his
beard while he tried to hum along with the
music making noises down in his throat; and
then me and him got together on couple
of them We done "Honky- Tonking" with the
blind fellow singing most of it and me just
coming in a little bit on the chorus. and then
we made duet out of it, They'd play the
first part and he'd yell out IF you got the
money, honey" and I'd come in on: I've got
the ti-hi-hime!" and then we'd both sing the
last part together: "We1l go honky- tonking
and have a great big time!" and then we'd
go back and do the other part all together,
so we had nice time on that one until We
done it two or three more times and kind of
wore it out. But then we done that one that
goes: That little ole chile of Calileei" and
, he'd sing that part and I'd come in on the
Dee dee di, dee p" and he'd holler out,
"Yessir, that little ole chile of Galileel" anG
I'd hit the other part and we had right big
time on that one until we switched around
done the part about the little ole chile of
Galilee, and he kind of got too excited on the
other part and throwed back his head and
went. Dee, dee, di, dee!" and mighty near
swallowed his plug of tobacco he had in his
mouth and kept choking for the longest sort
OF time before we found out he warnt still
singing and hit him IN thn hon Par, ti,,oac