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October 11

This webpage reproduces a section of
The Collected Works
of Ducrot Pepys

by
Ronan C. Grady

Newburgh, N. Y., 1943

The text is in the public domain.

This page has been carefully proofread
and I believe it to be free of errors.
If you find a mistake though,
please let me know!

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November 8
This site is not affiliated with the US Military Academy.

 p10  October 25, 1940 . . . .

Monday. A dreary day. Gym is becoming steadily worse, and I am having great trouble with French. My other roommate who is room orderly this week is becoming a little difficult. He has discovered in the Blue Book that a room orderly is an acting cadet officer, and I think power has gone to his head. This afternoon he called a room meeting at which he told us a stricter policy would henceforth be enforced. My sane roommate so frightened he has taken to cutting square corners in the room. Tonight our acting cadet officer studied under arms.


[image ALT: A drawing of a young man, facing us, standing on a radiator in front of a window, his left fist raised and the rest of his posture equally aggressive; he has been made to look somewhat like Hitler. To his right another young man, in the same partial uniform — T‑shirt and trousers, held up by suspenders, made distinctive by a wide stripe down the leg — is giving a Nazi-style salute, while in the foreground a third man is performing προσκύνησις. It is a cartoon of a West Point cadet room orderly running a tight ship.]

"I think power has gone to his head."

Tuesday. Solid geometry today. I do not know how I can be expected to prove something I do not believe. Every time I go to the board to recite I feel like I am lying. Tied shoelaces on my sleeves and sauntered into the area this afternoon. Unluckily one came untied. The resulting unpleasantness started every seam in my dress coat. My other wife called another room meeting at which myself and my sane wife were given our final warnings. My sane wife in a pitiable state. He now breathes in cadence.

Wednesday. At last I have found something worse than the stall bars, it is the parallel bars. That is an interesting but not a heartening discovery. My other wife has now instituted what can only be called a second reign of terror. Tonight he quilled my sane wife for "Gazing away from text-book". We are plotting a revolution.

Thursday. Algebra today. Sometimes I think geometry is worse and sometimes I think algebra is worse. Water corporal today and misjudged the extra milk by four glasses. I have heard starving people sometimes eat leather. If I have a few more meals like the last one I intend to stew my extra rifle sling. My sane wife and I have decided that the present system in our room is unsupportable. We strike tomorrow.

Friday. I find myself often wondering why I keep studying. Where I am now I can not go down and if I work harder I may become a section marcher. Which for me would certainly result in seven a day. Tonight we fell upon my other roommate and took away from him his stolen pad of form 1's. My sane wife who had become a little hysterical when he regained his freedom advocated hanging him from the alcove rail. But I calmed him and my other wife agreed to be moderate.

Saturday. Lately I have been cutting a notch in the bookcase for every day. It helps me keep track of time. The Tac saw it today and did not approve. After he became coherent he said something about government property and Alcatraz and stamped out in a huff. Saw the football game which I enjoyed very much. Afterward attended the movies. I do not what I saw in that Lamarr woman. Miss Garland is now the light of my life.

Sunday. No gym. A marvelous day.


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Page updated: 19 Nov 13