Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-20
THE COMPLETE BEST SELLER
No Time For Serqeants

no pillow now" and would stomp on my heel,
and everybody would laugh and take on about
it. But / didn't want no trouble and just
wanted everything to be forgot, SO would
kind of chuckle and take on like thought
it was about the funniest thing ever heered.
And then he'd jab me in the back and things
like that, and then kick at my heels some
more with everybody heehawing, and I'd try
to heehaw a bit myself only 1t was right hard
to do with my heel hurting that way but
heaved my shoulders up and down and made
myself grin, and all like that.
So fingered would just laugh my head off
all the time and things would get all right,
but when they got started on little Ben too
that was the little ones name, Ben Whitledge
II didn't like that too much because he hadn't
done nothing to nobody. And once we had set
down at the table, they kept on at both of us.
/ chuckled and took on the best could like
thought they was mighty sharp bunch all
right. but they didn't let up at all. Irwin kept
kicking me under the table saying Don't eat
so sloppy boy. You amt with hogs now" and
then Lucky would come out with something
like, I'D fix hima trough but don't think the
hogs would like it." which were right funny
when you come to think of it, so did get
good chuckle out of that one, only most Of
them warnt that funny and I had a right
hard time laughing all the time. And Ben
didn't take to any Of it much He set over
there. and when they called him "Glass Eye"
and stuff like that. he didn't act friendly at all.
He wouldn't say word and finally he finished
up and took his tray and got up from the table
and left like he didn't think any of it was
funny at all
Keep Up the Good Try
So tried to fix it up with Ben when got
back over to the barracks. didn't come right
out and say how he should act or nothing
because seen how stubborn he was, but
took on a good bit about how funny Irwin
and Lucky was, only it didn't seem to 20 over
with him too much I said, did you hear
that one Lucky said about fixing hog trough
only the hogs wouldn't eat with me?" and then
] rolled back on the bed and laughed about
that like was going to die over it. but he
set there polishing the brass on his belt and
didn't say word. said, That amt nothing
you ought to have heered some of the good
ones they pulled on me on the way UP here"
and heehawed about them some and then
l said something about the way he stomped
down on my heels and all, and heayed my
shoulders up and down over that one Only
| couldn't really put out on that one because
! kept remembering how my heel hurt. but
anyhow chuckled and took on good while.
and he didn't pay no attention to me at all.
He finally just got up and started getting I'M
dressed and mumbled to himself, We'll they
just better keep away from me, anyhow"
But didn't know what else to do so kept
on with 1t trying to be friendly all that next
day. But you couldn't change Ben none much,
ne was so stubborn that way. SO tried to do
iof ootn OF us. / giggled and took on like a
1901 about everything they said to me and
when we got down to the place where they
snot you with the needles and they started
saying to the medic THAT fellow saws Won
cant hurt him, mister. He says you cant
even get it in his ARM and got the medic in
on 1t too so that he jabbed it neatly all the
way up to the hilt. took on like 1t was the
biggest joke ever heered Of laughed and
rubbed my arm and said "Yall sho fIxed me
up that time. Yessir, I'm sho gonna get you
pack Tor that one-hee. hee, hee.' and I
4aughed some more, and kept trying to wink
AT ben. But every time one of them would
say anything little bit out of the way to him
ne would turn on them in a second and when
one OF them called him Shorty / really
thought once or twice he was going to bust
them one.
But kept at it all day until my mouth was
1roze IN grin and 1t didn't do no good at ali
Inc more giggled and took on, the more
they found to do, and before it was over even
ben wouldn't speak to me much
90 seen after while that something
would nave to be done. 1t looked like thew
JUST Wafnt going to let up on neither one OF
us, and Ben Warnt liking 1t neither So 7 cot
cigarette
ana tried to figger out what to do. / reckon n
II haont OF been for Ben, could have worked
~ OUT oy laughing my head of all the time
out ne was the stubbornest little devil ever
oio see. he set there polishing his belt and
STUN, never saying word to me- And tell Won
.ne truth. was getting right tired of It nv
SELL Wnen you come right down to il.
Time for Few Busts
90 what finally decided was that the only
tning could do was just 20 ahead and hust
some OF them few times didn't want IN
DuI the laughing warnt doing no good and
Ben was getting the wrong end of Il and eli
Ike that, and really didn't feel had n,uch
cnoice IN the matter. So anyhow that's what
l decided would do. "''"'
% what done, waited around until
altef supper and then l went back IN the
barracks and waited for the chance IN como /
mean 1t wouldn't make no sense to inst start
banging away at them. so set around wait
ing iof somebody to say something to me.
Ben was laying up in his bunk reading and I
kept waiting around for while, but nobody
come up. So then begun singing little hi
thinking somebody would say something about
mat, Dut NOBODY did, so / cut that out and
got up ana walked up and down the barracks.
pumping into their beds where they was read
ing or sleeping, stumbling here and there try.
ing to make racket, and I did get a few
comments on that but not really no good ones
That could get upset over. So went back
and set down and smoked a cigarette and
tried to think of something else to get them
started got out my harp and blowed on it
while, blowing pretty loud and missing
about every other note until it was so awful
sounding that it hurt even my ears but the
only one that bothered was Ben, and he didn't
really say nothing, only turned over and COW
cred up his head with his pillow
So finally decided that the main ones
Irwin and Lucky and them--warnt around
and that was what the trouble was. They were
all in the latrine where they had a card game
going on the floor. so that seemed my best
bet and I went in there. I stepped on some
of the cards going in and then went over
to the sink and turned on the water and let
1t splash around, singing real loud and all like
that, and then / walked back by and tripped