Part 12 (2/2)

”Them soldiers have a pretty easy life, don't they?” Evidently the boy was beco officer laid down his tools, pulled out a pipe, and sat down comfortably under a small sycamore tree at the roadside

”Not so very easy,” he replied, ”but interesting and exciting” He paused for a minute to scrutinize the prospective recruit more closely To his experienced eye the boy appeared desirable Slouchy, dirty, and lazy-looking, perhaps; but there were nevertheless good ed overalls The corporal launched into his story

For twenty minutes the boy listened open-mouthed to the stories of post life, where baseball, football, and boxing divided the ti; of mess-halls where a fellow could eat all he wanted to, free; of good-fellowshi+p and fraternal pride in the organization; of the pleasant evenings in the amuse world, of which the boy had only dreaes of the great Rockies, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, the Philippines, Hawaii, the strange glareat wildernesses of the frozen North

”It seems 'most like as I'd like to join,” was the timid venture

”What's your naht, Steve, come in and see me the next ti ”We'll talk it over”

And, one down the road in a whirl of red dust Nor did the farmer boy think to wonder at the sudden recovery of the apparently stalled machine

”Missionary work,” explains the corporal ”We never beg 'eive 'eiving rip

So it happened that Steve Bishop mounted the stairs that day, resolved to join the army if they would take him

In the small, bare, but immaculately clean room at the head of the stairs he found his friend the corporal banging away at a typewriter ”How are you, Steve? Glad to see you,” was the welcome

”Sit down a e, lit his pipe again, and leisurely swung round in his chair

”Think you'll like to soldier with us?” he said

Unconsciously the boy appreciated the co to be considered on a basis of equality with this clean-cut, rugged man of the orld

”I reckon so,” he replied, almost timidly

”Well, how old are you, Steve?”

”Twenty-one” The corporal nodded approval That was all right, then; no tedious foruardian was necessary

Then began a string of personal questions as to previous employment, education, details of physical condition, moral record (for the army will have no ex-jailbirds), etc, and finally the question, ”Why do you want to join?”

”They don't knohy I ask that,” says the corporal, ”but I have a ood reason From the way a boy answers I can decide which branch of the service he ought to be connected with If he wants to be a soldier just for travel and adventure, I advise the infantry or the cavalry; but if he seriously wants to learn and study, I recoineers”

Then co course of sprouts designed to find out if the applicant is capable of violent exertion and to discover any minor weaknesses; an examination of eyes, ears, teeth, and nose; and, finally, a cursory scrutiny for functional disorders

”I'll take you, Steve,” the corporal finally says ”In about a e'll send you to the barracks”

”But what aot a cent”

”Don't worry about that You'll eat and sleep at Mrs