Crawfordsville, back up the highway five miles was named for his daddy's people. It went way back sometime right after Texas became an independent nation and before it hooked up with the United States of America.

Jim was proud every time he went into town after a sack of groceries. Once in a long while, he bought a cold long‑neck down at the little restaurant that served customers who knew how to hold a few beers.

Some people preferred the flip tops with ice sweat running onto the tables making little puddles. Him, he always liked the feel of cold glass over a slick tin can. Maybe it told something about his personality. He'd never been close enough to one of those mind people to ask. That is except one time in the Army when guards caught him sneaking in without a pass. Then a shrink down at Waco questioned him, but that did not count now since his sickness was caused by a physical cause.

They tried to accuse him of going in and talking to the enemy in some little Korean town he already forgot its name. It was up in the hills.

"Corporal Crawford," the investigation officer questioned him. "We know you were in a Gook town yesterday, and the enemy still holds it."

"Can't help it, sir. I was off duty and decided to sneak in and have a look around."

"Men said you came back with a sack full of jewelry. Some of it pretty expensive."

"Trinkets I thought the men would buy from me, sir. Souvenirs."

"Doesn't the Army pay you enough?" the captain asked.

"Pretty hard for a woman with two small children to get by on what the Army pays me, sir."

"We can't have every soldier in this outfit sneaking off and trading with the enemy; can we?"

It seemed like the officer's name had been Captain Sudder or something similar. A Kentuckian from up in the hills somewhere who got a R.O.T.C. commission from Eastern Kentucky University.

"No, guess it would not work."

"No, guess it would not work what, Corporal?"

"No, guess it would not work, sir."

"You better remember you are addressing a superior officer. You may think you are as good as me, but as long as you are in this Army, you are going to show proper respect for every goddamn officer the United States commissions. You understand those stipulations, Corporal?"

"Yes sir."

"Where you from, solider?"

"Texas, sir."

"Don't those places down there have names? Texas is an awfully big state."

"Crawfordsville, sir."

"Must make you think you are awful big on a stick having a town named after you and all."