.

"In that case you'll hear from me later through regular channels. I see
you men know your way around in this army."

Stan and O'Malley saluted and moved off. O'Malley grinned. "Slick work,
Stan," he said. "Now we won't get blamed for anything."

"And we won't get a medal, either," Stan remarked as he matched
O'Malley's grin.

Returning to their Nissen hut the boys policed their living quarters and
got things in order. The hut was such a primitive affair that little
could be done to keep it in order. The round wood stove leaked ashes on
the floor which was always tracked deep with mud. There was a little
wash bowl and a table which O'Malley used to stack his laundry upon. The
cots were GI with GI mattresses.

After they had cleaned up, the boys went over to the huge sheds where
the mechanics worked over the planes. They learned from the chief
mechanic that Colonel Holt's order had come through.

"I have the boys on your ships," the sergeant said. He did not seem to
approve of the idea.

"I'll be after lookin' out fer me own ship," O'Malley said and hurried
away.

"You don't seem to like the colonel's idea," Stan said.

"We've tried it before, sir," the sergeant replied.

"What happened?"

"The boys got jumped out of cloud cover and were sitting ducks for the
Jerries," the sergeant said sourly. "Too much cloud cover and too many
Jerries for that stuff."

Stan grinned. "I'll drop around and let you know how it works this
time."

Walking back to his ship he watched the boys working on her. He was soon
satisfied that they knew just what should be done and made off. O'Malley
did not show up at mess and Stan began to wonder where he had gone. He
finally sauntered into the rest room where he found O'Malley shooting
the breeze with a group of fliers.

"You missed a steak dinner," Stan greeted him.

O'Malley grinned, "That's what you think," he said. "I had me a steak
dinner with the corporal that fixed up me ship. You know that feller
hadn't had a steak for a month. He sure went for it." O'Malley seated
himself and elevated his feet to the top of the radio. In this position
he promptly went to sleep.

Stan talked with the boys until time to turn in. He wakened O'Malley and
they sloshed through the mud to their hut. During their absence, two
other boys, replacement men, had been quartered in the hut. They greeted
the two old heads eagerly.

They were Bugs Monahan and Splinters Wright, both from Toledo, O