Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-09
THE COMPLETE BEST SELLER s
No Time for Sergeants

time. out by the plane or somewheres. They
wouldn't have no way of knowing We had been
off the base at all; then they couldn't get us
for being AWOL, at least And think that
would be fair because we didn't really mean,
to go AWOL-not that that's much of an ex-
cuse, though. Anyhow. don't that make sense
to you, Will?"
Had to Be Fingered
And once thought on it some more, I
guess it did all right The way he had fig
gered it and wiggled 1t around, it seemed
about the only thing to do, so it really was
a good plan once you understood it. So /
said was all for it and told him how glad
I was that he was in charge because never
would have thought up nothing like that. and
he got to feeling some better about things.
He said, well, 1 guess we had better get at
it then. We cant just sit around here in the
park all day talking about it. If we're going
to hide out until dark, we had better get
started with it."
And he couldn't have picked no better
time to get started with it because just about
time he said it, l looked up and seen these
two APPS headed right for us. I punched Ben
right quick and started to tell him that it
looked like we was going to be caught even
before we got started, but then he started
making all these motions for me to shut up.
which done right quick, and then he started
doing some more quick planning. He held
his lips real tight so they wouldn't move and
said to me without looking, Just act casual.
Will. Don't say nothing or do nothing until
I give the word, and act real casual"
And then he kind of leaned back on the
bench like he was real lazy and everything,
and begun acting real casual and all. And
he really done job on it too. The APPS was
headed right for us when heered this noise
hat xfyoc
humming to himself, and humming real loud
too. I started to shush him, but then seen
he was acting casual so just tried to do like
he done, only never was able to come no
where's close to the way Ben was doing. He
had leaned back and flung one arm over the
side of the bench and propped his foot up on
the side of it, and then he took to stretching
and yawning and things like that until I
thought he was going to fall of the bench.
And then he said to me, real loud so the APPS
could hear half-yawning when he said it,
well, guess we had better head on for
town, Thompson" and then he got UP and
stretched some more. So got up and done
the same, and then we headed on down the
walk to the left of the APPS not right at
them or away from them, but just little to
the left of them, and both of us just kind of
strolled along like we was Just sauntering, so
to speak. Ben whispered to me, Just don't
look at them now. Just keep on with me-"
and then he yawned some more and lot of
other things like that. l guess it was about
the best job of acting casual ever seen in my
life, and think the APPS must have thought
so too because both of them stopped after a
bit, and watched us all the rest of the way out
of the park.
Stick to the Byways
Anyhow, we got out all right that way and
headed toward town, sticking to the back
streets, and took on good bit about the way
Ben had done. said, you really put it over
on them fine, Ben. You really done job
that time" and stuff like that, but Ben said.
Yeah, but the day amt over yet. you remem-
Der. We've got long ways to go YET
So we went on down the street and kind
OF lodged in buildings every once in while
and come out on the other side. and things
like that. We would be walking along and
Ben would say, Gross here" and we'd cross
real quick and get to the other side. and then
head back in the direction we was coming
from. We done lot of things like that, in
and out of stores and crossing streets and
changing directions, and went on that way
until I was getting right wore out from it,
and Ben was too. So then Ben got the idea
of hiding out somewhere and resting bit.
which sounded right good to me until he
started explaining how it would be best to go
out somewhere and find house and crawl up
under it for the rest of the day, and really
warnt too much for that because it seemed
too hot for something like that the rest Of the
day. I said, why don't we just go to restau-
rant or drugstore or something like that,
where they got fans?"
But Ben said. "You can't hide in place
like that"
We'll. I don't think it would be taking
too much of a chance Ben. We amt even
see an AP for the past two hours now, and
it seems to me >.
"This way" Ben said, starting off, "Ill
be thinking about it as we move along. You
don't want to just stand here and talk
about it, ~
So we went on up another street and
crossed back and then started down an alley
where there was lot of these big tin garbage
cans setting around, and the first thing I
knowed, Ben was cycling them right hard.
And that kind of bothered me because didn't
care q thing about spending the afternoon
in one of them cans as hot as it was, so I
got to saying right quick that it was about
the hottest day I ever seen, and all like
that, but he kept on cycling them; and / guess
before it was over, that's where we would have
hid out all right if we hadn't come out OF
that alley just where we did. But then he
looked up and pointed across the street and
said all of sudden, That's it. Will. pic
ture show It'll be dark and cool in there
and we can move from seat to seat, and
nobody would ever think to.pick us up there
I don't know why didn't think of that
before"
Real Hiding Place
"Me neither" said "And that's what
call real hiding out. A picture show ="
So we went in and had right nice time
there 1t was cool and they had candy and
popcorn in the lobby and machine where
you could get drinks and things, and the
seats was comfortable enough to nod in, and
besides that, they had this logged good movie
on about the Air Force and things. 1t was
about those folks that was all out to conquer
the air and it showed them looming of in
these planes every few minutes talking over
the interphones and sweating and calling out
to each other about fuel valves and cowl
flaps and lot of stuff like that. And there
was this woman in it who was in the tower