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Show Flying - 44 "It is kind of hot for food like this here," says Tex. "What I'd like is a good chicken salad or something cool like that." John Henry that night lies on his bed enjoying the cool of evening and thinking of his future. There's a poker game going at the end of the barracks, but that's for suckers. The doors are open at both ends of the building and the breeze is fresh after the heat of the day. A smart man can make a good thing out of the army if he keeps his eyes open and he's willing to take a chance now and then. John Henry has heard all the legends about fabulous fortunes made by simple Pfc's in crap games or banking black-jack. Didn't Howard Hughes get his start like that? A good man can make it anywhere. He will thrive where lesser men might starve. Some men sent back thousands of dollars from Europe and the Pacific during the big war. Gambling, the black market, stills hidden in the steamy jungles and fed with potatoes stolen from the mess-hall. The private in Korea that Arkwright told him about, that owned a two-story whorehouse and a water-truck. Sell a little liquor, take advantage of the local rate of exchange, get to know the odds. A smart man needn't be letting time go to waste just because he has to be in the army for a while. Beside him on the next bed, Tex is rolling another one of his Bull Durham cigarettes with careless dexterity, |
