“Okay. But you think it over.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “I’ll think about all of it. But I never find an answer. Sometimes I wonder if there is an answer. The Greek is the man you ought to recommend.”
“Are you kidding?” he grinned. “Mazzioli is a good sergeant.”
“He believes the end justifies the means,” I said. “He’s been properly indoctrinated. I couldn’t turn a man in if I had to.”
Lieutenant Allison stood up from the parapet. “Think it over, Slade,” he said.
“All right, sir,” I said. “But I can tell you one thing. It’s damn fine I can talk to you. But I always remember you’re not all officers and I’m not all the EM,” I said.
“Thanks, Slade,” he said.
I walked on back down the road. I stopped every now and then to listen to the sea’s attack against the cliff. It would be nice to be an officer. The sea and the wind were like two radio stations on the same dial mark. You could even have a bed-roll and a dog-robber. The old Revolutionists in Russia, I thought, they really had it all figured out; they really had the world saved this time. I kicked a pebble ahead of me down the road.
I must have gone very slow because the three men from the top were on my heels when I reached the bottom.
“Hey, Slade,” one of them said. He came up. “I’m sorry we got you in trouble tonight. Nobody guessed this would happen.”
“Forget it,” I said. “All I got was a ass-eating.”
Mazzioli was sitting on the culvert. “I’m going to roll up,” he said belligerently.
“Okay, Greek,” I said. I sat on the culvert for a while, facing the wind. I liked to sit there at night alone, defying the wind. But a man could only do it so long. After a while a man got stupid from its eternal pummeling. A man got punch-drunk from it. Once before it made me so dizzy I fell down on my knees when I got up.
It was a wild place, the roaring sea, the ceaseless wind, the restless sand, the omniscient cliff.
I said good night to the man on post and rolled up myself. When I went under the wall it took my breath again. I lay in my blankets and listened to it howl just over my head.
It was three o’clock when the messenger from up on the hill woke me.
“What,” I said. “What is it? What?”
“Where’s the Greek?” he said.
“He’s here.”
“You gotta wake him up.”
“What’s up?”
“You’re moving back up the hill. Lieutenant’s orders.”
“Whose orders?” I said. “What about the demolition? What about the road-guard?”
“Lieutenant’s orders. The road-guard is being disbanded. Altogether.”
“What’s the story?” I asked.
“I dunno. We got a call from the Company CP; the cap’n was maddern hell. He just got a call from Department HQ; they was maddern hell. Told the cap’n to disband the road-guard immediately. The orders’ll be down in a couple days.”
I laughed. “Orders is orders,” I said.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Is the lieutenant still up?”
“Yeh. He’s in hole number one, with the telephone. Why?”
“I got to see him about something,” I said.
“I’m going back,” he said. “This wind is freezin’ me. You sure you’re awake?”
“Yes,” I said. “You take off.” I got up and woke the rest of the detail. “Get your stuff together, you guys. We’re moving out. One of you call Alcorn down.”
The Greek sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What is it? what’s up? what’s wrong?”
“We’re moving out,” I said. “Back up the hill. The road-guard is disbanded.” When I stood up the wind hit me hard. I got my pack and kicked my blankets up into a pile. I slung my ride and pack and picked up the blankets.
“You mean the road-guard ?” Mazzioli’s voice asked through the darkness and the wind. “For good ?”
I climbed up around the wall and the wind caught at my blankets and I almost lost them.
“That’s the way it is,” I said.
Two Legs For The Two Of Us
Esquire published this
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “I’ll think about all of it. But I never find an answer. Sometimes I wonder if there is an answer. The Greek is the man you ought to recommend.”
“Are you kidding?” he grinned. “Mazzioli is a good sergeant.”
“He believes the end justifies the means,” I said. “He’s been properly indoctrinated. I couldn’t turn a man in if I had to.”
Lieutenant Allison stood up from the parapet. “Think it over, Slade,” he said.
“All right, sir,” I said. “But I can tell you one thing. It’s damn fine I can talk to you. But I always remember you’re not all officers and I’m not all the EM,” I said.
“Thanks, Slade,” he said.
I walked on back down the road. I stopped every now and then to listen to the sea’s attack against the cliff. It would be nice to be an officer. The sea and the wind were like two radio stations on the same dial mark. You could even have a bed-roll and a dog-robber. The old Revolutionists in Russia, I thought, they really had it all figured out; they really had the world saved this time. I kicked a pebble ahead of me down the road.
I must have gone very slow because the three men from the top were on my heels when I reached the bottom.
“Hey, Slade,” one of them said. He came up. “I’m sorry we got you in trouble tonight. Nobody guessed this would happen.”
“Forget it,” I said. “All I got was a ass-eating.”
Mazzioli was sitting on the culvert. “I’m going to roll up,” he said belligerently.
“Okay, Greek,” I said. I sat on the culvert for a while, facing the wind. I liked to sit there at night alone, defying the wind. But a man could only do it so long. After a while a man got stupid from its eternal pummeling. A man got punch-drunk from it. Once before it made me so dizzy I fell down on my knees when I got up.
It was a wild place, the roaring sea, the ceaseless wind, the restless sand, the omniscient cliff.
I said good night to the man on post and rolled up myself. When I went under the wall it took my breath again. I lay in my blankets and listened to it howl just over my head.
It was three o’clock when the messenger from up on the hill woke me.
“What,” I said. “What is it? What?”
“Where’s the Greek?” he said.
“He’s here.”
“You gotta wake him up.”
“What’s up?”
“You’re moving back up the hill. Lieutenant’s orders.”
“Whose orders?” I said. “What about the demolition? What about the road-guard?”
“Lieutenant’s orders. The road-guard is being disbanded. Altogether.”
“What’s the story?” I asked.
“I dunno. We got a call from the Company CP; the cap’n was maddern hell. He just got a call from Department HQ; they was maddern hell. Told the cap’n to disband the road-guard immediately. The orders’ll be down in a couple days.”
I laughed. “Orders is orders,” I said.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Is the lieutenant still up?”
“Yeh. He’s in hole number one, with the telephone. Why?”
“I got to see him about something,” I said.
“I’m going back,” he said. “This wind is freezin’ me. You sure you’re awake?”
“Yes,” I said. “You take off.” I got up and woke the rest of the detail. “Get your stuff together, you guys. We’re moving out. One of you call Alcorn down.”
The Greek sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What is it? what’s up? what’s wrong?”
“We’re moving out,” I said. “Back up the hill. The road-guard is disbanded.” When I stood up the wind hit me hard. I got my pack and kicked my blankets up into a pile. I slung my ride and pack and picked up the blankets.
“You mean the road-guard ?” Mazzioli’s voice asked through the darkness and the wind. “For good ?”
I climbed up around the wall and the wind caught at my blankets and I almost lost them.
“That’s the way it is,” I said.
Two Legs For The Two Of Us
Esquire published this
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