“Could’ve been worse. But I guess I never would have got through at all, Nancy, if you hadn’t made me,” Shorty admitted in a shamefaced manner.
“Hope we don’t ever have to use these for the real thing,” Mabel said.
“I heard a major, just returned from overseas, tell about how the Japs often cry ‘Wolf’ about gas,” said Nancy, sitting on the brown pine carpet with the others to rest a bit.
“What do you mean—cry wolf?” asked Shorty.
“When our men are coming ashore from the landing craft the Japs often throw up a smoke-screen and cry, ‘Gas’. They say there’s nothing breaks the men’s morale easier than the fear of gas,” Nancy explained.
“That’s just too horrible to conceive of,” said Ida Hall.
“At least it’s consoling to know it hasn’t been used so far,” put in Mabel.
“No telling what they’ll do at the desperate end,” Nancy warned them. “I don’t mean to miss a trick in these gas-mask drills.”
“I heard we’ll have to go through the gas chamber again at the port of embarkation,” Ida Hall informed them.
“Good night!” flared Shorty. “As if three times would not be enough.”