DEDICATION

To a million Private Bills who have suddenly learnt to call a coat a
blouse. Taking things as they find them. Vaguely understanding.
Caring less. Grumbling by custom. Cheerful by nature. Ever anxious
to be where they are not. Ever anxious to be somewhere else when
they get there. Without thought of sacrifice. Who have left the
flag-waving to those at home. Who serve as a matter of course.



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Mable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
"The only place there flat is on the map" . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
"You can read em to your granchildren" . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
"You walk a post but there aint no post" . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
"I just found it in my bakin can" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
"I dont like any sargeant" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
"I dont care much for horses, they feels the same way about me" . 9
"Max Glucos what lives on the next cot" . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
"Smith are you laffin at me?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
"One day its our teeth" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
"Remember me to your mother" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
"Not the kind your father has" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
"I wear them every night over my uniform" . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
"I been made an officer" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
"Somebodied set a trunk on the turky" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
"Built like the leg of a sailurs trowsers" . . . . . . . . . . . 22