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