From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [433]
“They’ve been revoked since the day maneuvers started,” Warden said. “And I dont want my draftee chicks to see the 1st/Sgt consorting with awols. They dont understand the Army yet.”
He led the way across the street to another identical bar that was identically crowded with other men from another identical company except that this company was from the 8th Field. They ordered whiskey and Warden paid for it.
“Why the hell didnt you come back after maneuvers started?” Warden said disgustedly. “I had it fixed then.”
“I couldn’t. I was gettin over a cut in my side. Whats the deal about Fatso? Have they got me down for Fatso or havent they?”
“Who’s Fatso?” Warden said.
“Fatso Judson,” Prew said. “You know who I mean. Fatso Judson. Come on, quit stalling.”
“Never heard of him,” Warden said.
“You’ve heard of him,” Prew said. “Do you mean they’ve never heard of him? What do you mean? Quit playing secret service agent. This is serious, to me.”
They were talking in low voices across the low table in the general hubbub of Artillerymen. Warden looked around him once before he spoke.
“I’ll lay it all out for you,” he said. “Then you can do what you want. But first, you better push that gun down in your belt or else lean over farther. That pistol butt shows through your coat plain as day.”
Prew leaned over quickly and looked around before he reached down to push it down.
“It’s not a good place to carry it,” he explained.
“Hell,” Warden said. “It stuck out so plain I could even name it for you. Its a .38 Colts Police Special.”
“Smith & Wesson.”
“Well,” Warden said, “I couldn’t see the hump on the handle.”
“Well, come on,” Prew said. “Whats the deal?”
“You’re loaded for bear, aint you?” Warden said.
“I aint going back to no Stockade, if thats what you mean. Come on, goddam it,” he said, “quit stalling. Whats the deal?”
“So you finally decided you want to come back after all,” Warden said.
“I aint going back to no Stockade.”
“You said that before.”
“And I’ll say it again.”
Warden signaled to the waitress for another round for them. “There dont nobody know anything about Fatso Judson. At least they dont connect you with it.”
“How do you know?”
“I dont know for sure,” Warden admitted. “But there hasnt been anybody around asking about you from the Provost Marshal’s office. If they connected you with it, they’d have been around. I’ll stake my reputation on that.”
“What reputation?” Prew said sarcastically, but already feeling a tenseness begin to relax inside of him.
“My reputation as a cocksman, you jerk,” Warden sneered.
“Then I can come back,” Prew said. “Boy. I’ll tell you something. I’ll never go coon hunting or possum hunting again in my life.”
“Theres more to it than that,” Warden said. “If you’d of come back the first two or three days after maneuvers started, I could of got you off with a couple weeks extra duty. But you’ve been gone six weeks since then. Even with a shithead like this Ross. I cant explain that away. You cant get off without at least a Summary Court.”
“I aint going back to the Stockade,” Prew said quickly. “Not even if I have to hide out on this Rock the rest of my life.”
“I’ll lay it out for you straight,” Warden said narrowly. “I could tell you you get off with a Summary Sentence of two weeks in the Regimental guardhouse, but I wont. If you get a Summary at all, you’re lucky. You’ve been gone six weeks on the records. If you get a Summary at all, you’re sure to get the limit.”
“One month in the Stockade,” Prew said.
“And two-thirds pay,” Warden nodded. “And you may even get a Special Court. You already got one offense against you. But if you get a Special, I think I can guarantee you wont get more than two months and two-thirds.”
“But I might get the full six.”
“No,” Warden said. “I can promise you wont get over two. I think I can get you off with a Summary.”
“Then I aint going back.”
“I dont know what you expect. My Christ, you’ve been gone weeks.”
“I dont know what I expect either. But I know I aint going back to that Stockade. Even for one month. And thats all she wrote.”
Warden