One day Lyle said he and another Lt. named Hank Ward were taking a group of enlisted men out on an all-night bivouac, and asked if Tootie and I would like to go along. I had the next day off and, although I suspected that such an activity would not meet army regulations, I didn't check it out. Tootie thought it would be fun so arrangements were made to join the training exercise.
Tootie and I jeeped out to the camp site and met Sarky and Hank at their tents on a hill overlooking the tents of the enlisted men. Sarky had sleeping bags for the four of us and, even though we slept with clothes on, he suggested it might be warmer if we zipped our two bags together. It was 1 so Hank and Tootie followed suit. During the night there was a gas mask exercise.
The next day Tootie and I went back to her room in town and I went back to the base in the afternoon. The next morning I was summoned to the head nurse’s office. She asked if it was true that I had been on a bivouac with Lt. Mercer. With shaking knees but an innocent face I said "Yes, I was. Isn't that allowed?" She looked at me sharply to see if I was dumb or being sarcastic, decided it must be the former because she softly said, "No, Don't do it again. That is all."
Finally my chance to cure Sarky of his tardy ways. Tootie and I made dinner at the nurses barracks, invited him to come at 6 P.M. Be on time I warned him. We knew he would be late but thought we would give him a sure reminder. We rounded up all the clocks in the barracks, set them all later than the actual time, set their alarms to go off at five minute intervals. We placed all the records dealing with time that we could find on the record player - "Time on My Hands" It's Later than You Think", etc. Tootle and I wrote out a skit in which every sentence we uttered would have the word time, or some reference to time in it.
Sure enough Sarky rushed in 20 minutes late. We did not admonish him. Tootle started the record player and I dished up the dinner. The first alarm went off. "Guess it's later than we think" muttered Tootle. "Yes, tomorrow comes mighty fast." Soon the second alarm sounded. Tootle and I were having a difficult time keeping up time references and straight faces. Suddenly Sarky yelled "Stop! I get it; I was late! I get your point." We laughed until we cried and Sarky said he had learned his lesson - he'd never be late again (41 years later he is still always late).
By now I was wholly smitten by the love bug- Sarky was the most handsome, nicest, smartest guy who'd ever lived. My letters home were mostly about him. Later I learned that he had written his parents telling them that he wasn't going to get married right away but that he had found the woman he wanted to marry. About a week before Thanksgiving when he received orders transferring him to Utah and then on to the east coast for shipment overseas.
He was to leave Thanksgiving morning. We spent more time together than ever and finally said goodbye Thanksgiving evening. I slept poorly that night but was up early as usual and went on duty. About 10 A.M. I received a call that Sarky's orders had been cancelled for that day. He joined us for dinner at noon in the hospital dining room. I was too happy to eat much, but I had a thankful holiday. Finally, with no further reprieve, he left the next day. Paul Hibble, a jolly mutual friend, and I saw Sarky off at the train.
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