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that had slid off the road into the ditch/^[[.]] It was lying there unattended, but it was not my responsibility. The hour was late when we finally reached Morley. There a sergeant took over the wagon detail and I went to battery headquarters. Lieutenant Julian Hume was there waiting for me.He had kept some food and coffee from the evening meal, and warmed them for me on a bed of coast in the fireplace. So ended my 30-hour fast. I never enjoyed any meal more ^[[than]] that one.

Of the next few days, my last in the artillery, I have only dim recoll[[strikethrough]] r [[/strikethrough]] ^[[e]]ctions. I conducted routine gun drills, and o^[[n]]ce during that perio[[strikethrough]] n [[/strikethrough]] ^dd]] I took part, as Officer of the Day, in a formal guard mount.

I don't know whether the army still has formal guard mounts or not.In those days they seemed to be required weekly at every army post. The guard mount was a ceremony as solemn as a high mass, and somewhat more complicated. On this occasion the principal actor, besides myself, was an old-timer sergeant. To him it was a familiar routine, but he knew that I was one of those new mail-order offices fresh out of civilian life. I could see that he was watching me closely, expecting and maybe hoping that I would blow my lines. Fortunately I had been put through rather intensive drill on guard mou[[strikethrough]] j [[/strikethrough]] ^[[n]]ts by Captain Sands at Fort Oglethorped. The affair went off smoothly.

Then, about the 20th of January, I went ^[[to]] battalion headquarters on some errand now forgotten. On the bulletin board I saw a notice inviting officers of the infantry or fiels artillery, up to and including the rank of captain, to apply for detached duty with the air service. Anyone interested could just leave his name with the battalion adjutant. I did so.

^[[Love, Dad]]