CHAPTER XVI
UNKNOWN, UNGUESSED
At noon on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Roger, Jimmy and Bob saida regretful good-bye to Ignace and sallied forth to the station boundfor a four days' furlough with the Blaises. Due to Jimmy'sthoughtfulness, Ignace had that very morning received a Thanksgiving boxof good things to eat from Mrs. Blaise that had astonished him almost totears. He had never before come into such a windfall, and his round blueeyes grew rounder when after the departure of his bunkies he exploredthe contents of this holiday treat.
His first thought was of someone with whom he might share it. FranzSchnitzel appealed to him as most worthy of choice. Like himself,Schnitzel never received either money or gifts from home.
Thanksgiving Day ended Ignace's detail in the mess kitchen. The dayfollowing ended his period of punishment. On Saturday afternoon he andSchnitzel obtained passes and went into Tremont for a quiet but happylittle celebration of their own. All in all, Ignace was not so lonely ashe had expected to be. Though he sorely missed his Brothers, he wasunselfishly glad of the good time they were having at Jimmy's home.Evidence of that reached him on Saturday afternoon in the shape of postcards from all three, which he lugged happily about in a coat pocket fora week after their return.
Detail of Schnitzel to kitchen duty on Sunday morning robbed Ignace ofhis company at breakfast. During the absence of his bunkies, Ignace andthe German-American had daily sat side by side at mess, saying littlebut nevertheless well content in each other's society. They werebecoming very good friends.
Sunday noon landed Bob, Jimmy and Roger in barracks with a rush. Theypounced upon Ignace with good-humored roughness and plied him withendless questions about himself and his doings during their absence.
"Now for the love of Mike, Iggy, do behave like a little tin soldieruntil Christmas," admonished Bob. "Jimmy's folks want us with them forthe Christmas furlough. That means you. If you happen to see anybodytrying to slay us all in a bunch, let 'em try, but you keep out of theslaying. You've done your stretch. Be satisfied. Let somebody else getit in the neck for a change."
It was not until in the evening when the four Khaki Boys were leavingthe "Y," where they had spent an hour after mess, that Jimmy bethoughthimself to ask Iggy, "Did Schnitzel have any trouble with Bixton whilewe were gone? I heard before we left that Bixton was wild because he hadto stay in camp. I thought, maybe, he'd try to take it out on Schnitz."
"No. He no do nothin', no say nothin'. He have the big box to eat he getby home. Himself eat, no give nothin'. All time smoke an' look mad.Schnitzel no care. He stay by me. We are the frens."
"'Himself eat,'" mimicked Jimmy. "I wish he would, and not leave ascrap!"
"You should worry. He's safe for a while. He won't risk any more run-inswith the K. O. for fear of getting canned up for Christmas. BottledBixton doesn't look good to him just now." Bob grinned at his ownfanciful labeling of the obstreperous Bixton.
"I guess he's about through as a trouble bird," observed Jimmy. "Thatdetail in the mess kitchen must have cured him. I'll bet he hated to goto it."
"Never I like him that kitchen," sighed Ignace. "Schnitzel no mind. Hever' good solder. Say--say---- What him say?" Wrestling with memory,Ignace ended with a triumphant, "Him say, 'All the duty him a line'!"
"Oh, wow!" shouted Bob gleefully, slapping Iggy on the back. "That's afunny one!"
"You have the grow stron'er," placidly remarked the misquoter, unruffledby Bob's levity.
Taps that night left the Khaki Boys ready for a quick hike intodreamland. The next day dawned like any one day at Camp Sterling, with aconcerted rush on the part of several thousand Sammies to get into theiruniforms and line up for roll call.
"With all due credit to our hard-plugging cooks, I'm not what you mightcall a hearty eater," grumbled Bob to Roger, as the Khaki Boys ofCompany E stood before the counter in the mess hall at noon. "Mrs.Blaise's cook beats Mrs. Army's hash maidens all hollow."
"It _is_ a come down." Roger smiled at Bob's nonsense. "I'm not veryhungry, either. I've lost my appetite, I guess, from eating so muchsweet stuff. No more of it for me to-day or to-morrow either."
"Nor me." Having received his portion in his mess kit, Bob eyed it withdisfavor. "Beans," he commented. "I'll try 'em. This pale, simple, gooeyrice pudding---- No, thank you. Bobby has chok'lit candy and nice cakein his suit-case. Go 'way, nasty old pudding!"
His scornful repudiation of the unoffending rice pudding was not theonly one. Neither Jimmy nor Roger were tempted to the point of tryingit. Ignace swallowed one small spoonful and with a disdainful, "No tastenothin," ate no more of it. The glories of his wonderful Thanksgivingtreat were still hovering over him, hence his will to criticize everydayfare.
Shortly after one o'clock Assembly something happened to the platoon ofCompany E men of which the four Khaki Boys were a part. In the midst ofdrill a soldier dropped his rifle, clapped both hands over his stomachwith a deep groan, and, doubling up like a jack-knife, pitched forwardto the ground, a writhing heap. Hardly had the lieutenant commanding theplatoon reached him when a second, then a third man collapsed inprecisely the same fashion.
In the next few moments the lieutenant fully demonstrated his promptability to act in the face of an emergency. Taking instant command ofthe situation, he rapped out his orders with crispness and dispatch.Before aid had arrived, however, from the nearby base hospital, at leasta dozen more men were showing signs of the strange malady. These last,Ignace among them, were still able to keep on their feet. Only the firstthree victims were entirely out of commission.
The arrival of an ambulance, manned by a detail of men attached to thebase hospital, saw the work of caring for the sufferers speedily underway. Already ordered to "Fall Out," the still unaffected men of theplatoon were dismissed with the order "To Barracks." They were alsoinstructed to report at the hospital at the slightest sign ofindisposition.
During the excitement an ominous whisper had winged its way among thedismayed participants in the tragic scene which presently grew to anaudible murmur of "Poison!" At that dread word, unspoken questionsleaped into the strained eyes of the gray-faced men who had thus farfelt no indications of that baleful seizure. In the same instant it hadcome home to each that in some stealthy fashion one of the myriad secretenemies of Uncle Sam had found his opportunity to strike. In the midstof apparent safety had lurked an unknown, unguessed foe.