got to talking things over and he says "Well Keefe you have got to be a
corporal and that means you have made good and I wish I was in your
shoes."

So I said that if he took care of himself and minded his business they
wasn't no reason why he wouldn't be advanced higher up the ladder some
time in the future and he says "Yes but now is the time I would like to
be in your shoes because I would like to get over to France and get in
it." So I asked him what he meant and he says the dope Red Sampson was
giving me was part of it right and part of it wrong and the right dope
was that General Pershing hadn't sent for our whole regt. but what he
had sent for was all the non commission officers out of the regt. and
that means all the corporals and sergents and they was the only ones
going this time because the French army had ran out of non commission,
officers and General Pershing was going to lend them the best ones we
had over here in training.

[Illustration: Florrie is still in the hay yet and little Al is playing
on the floor (p. 97).]

So I said "Well it looks like I was elected and its 100 to 1 that I
won't never come back." So Shorty says "Oh I don't know about that and
I think Red Sampson is wrong about them killing all them corporals
because from what I heard they's a few of them they don't try and kill
so they can take them prisoner and get information off them."

So I said "They would have a hell of a chance getting information off me
because they could kill me before I would spill anything." So Shorty
says "You might not spill nothing at first but you would be a game bird
if you stuck through all the tortures because when they ask you
something and you don't tell them they cut off a couple of toes and see
if that won't make you talk and so on till you don't hardly know if you
are alive but if you are game enough to stand all they give you why
finely they will see what a game bird you are and then they finish you
off so you won't suffer no more. But if you tell them all you know right
at first they won't do nothing to you only of course you will be a
prisoner there in Germany till the war is over and they make you work
your head off without no food and they don't even feed the guards
because they want to keep them mad at the prisoners so as they will make
them work harder and every time you act like you was loafing or
something the guards scratchs their initials in you with their
bayonet."

So I asked him wher