Guard of honor by Cozzens James Gould 1903-1978

Author:Cozzens, James Gould, 1903-1978
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Modern fiction, World War, 1939-1945, Cozzens, James Gould, 1903-1978, Fiction - General, Fiction, General, Fiction / General, Classics, War stories, World War (1939-1945)
Publisher: New York : Modern Library
Published: 1998-02-11T05:00:00+00:00

308 • James Gould Cozzens

as an Air Attache at several capitals between the wars. Since governments to which he was accredited gave him medals, he pleased them. Since he could not have so many unless the War Department found him useful, his work had pleased all his superiors. It took a man of parts to play at once the charming guest and the industrious spy.

Lieutenant Colonel Howden’s voice broke into Colonel Ross’s brooding by saying his name. Howden said: “I can’t quite go along with Judge .Ross’s opinion, sir—” he looked apologetically at Colonel Ross and then back to the general. “I feel it does point definitely to disaffected individuals. The nature of the thing—being the Japanese propaganda line—makes it grave. In my opinion. I don’t mean I think there’s any actual plot—yet. Writing things up on the walls that way is a kind of sounding-out—to get to know who else feels the same. You have to watch it. You may remember all that ‘OHIO’ stuff back in ’forty-one.”

Colonel Ross stirred and said: “How many of them did go over the hill in October?”

“Not too many,” Lieutenant Colonel Howden said. “Because we paid attention. We were ready to act. I was at Chanute then, and I know what the problem was, Judge.”

“The judge could be right, though,” General Beal said laboriously. “It’s a way to let off steam. If somebody is going to duck out, or do something treasonable, does he go advertising it? I don’t know; but I don’t think they write it up in latrines.”

General Nichols said gravely: “The last thing I saw written up in a latrine was: ‘Kindly do not throw cigarettes in the urinals as they are hard to smoke when wet.’ What do you suppose that meant?”

General Baxter laughed; and so, as though against his will, did General Beal. Colonel Ross, involuntarily, taken by surprise, joined them; but not against his will; for this coarse conceit unreasonably relieved him, restored the practical sense of proportion which he had been losing in his alarm about Bus and Bus’s state of mind. Lieutenant Colonel Howden smiled in a worried acquiescent way, not willing to give up his point, but not insensible to the privilege of being in attendance while generals familiarly joked. Major Tietam’s round, solemn, little attorney’s face assumed hastily a similar unreal smirk.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.