[Illustration:  “Max Glucos what lives on the next cot”]

[Illustration:  “Smith are you laffin at me?”]

The horses has the softest of anyone, Mable.  They dont even have to get up for breakfast in the morning.  We bring it to em in a little bag filled with cereul.  You tie this on there face.  I guess they aint never been fed before the war broke out.  When they see you comin they start jumpin round like starvin sailurs.  I dont guess they like cereul.  I wouldnt ether three times a day.  I thought theyd give em somethin different Thanksgivin but not a chance.  There always hopin it ull be somethin else I guess.  When they see the same old thing they get sore and try to step on your feet.

The sargents stand way behind an say “Go on in.  They wont hurt you.”  An then when they land on your corn they say “Thats to bad.  You didnt do it right.”  I dont like sargents any better than horses.

An I dont kno as Im going to like the Captin much better ether.  The other day I got laffin while I was standin in line.  Just laffin to myself.  Not disturbin nobody.  The Captin turns round an says “Smith are you laffin at me?” I says no sir an he says “Well what else was there to laff at?” Thats the kind of a fello he is.  I didn’t sass him back or nothin, Mable.  Just looked at him an made him feel cheap.  I saw him again in the afternoon.  Course I didnt salute.  He says “What do you mean by not salutin?” I told him I thought he was mad.  Im glad Im not his wife, Mable.  You never know how to take a fello like that.

If I hadnt knowed they needed me Id have given him two weaks notise on the spot.  Duty before pleasure though.  Thats me all over.

We took the guns out to drill the other day.  The Captin was talkin about indirect firin.  Thats the way he is.  Nothin straight forward about him.  I asked the sargent about it.  He said indirect firin was where you shot at one thing an aimed at another.  I hate to butt in Mable but it didnt seem right.  I says I seen the Indien girl in the circus shoot the spots out of a card over her shoulder but wouldnt it be more censible to cut out the trick stuff till we was more used to the thing.  You cant argue with sargents, though.

Day after tomorrows inspecshun.  They do it every Saturday.  Thats another thing Im thankful for.  Theres only one Saturday a weak.  We pull everything out an pile it on our cots.  Then the Captin an the Sargent comes in.  Every time its the same.  He says “Thats very dirty Smith wheres your other shirt.”  An I say “I aint got none, sir.”  An he says “Sargent make a note of that.”  An then the Sargent rites somethin in a little book.  Next time just the same.  The Captin says wheres my shirt an the sargent makes a note.  I guess theres somethin in the drill regulations what makes him say that cause I aint got no other shirt yet.