one basket(匯倖精徨)-及27准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
reached the tracks察which perilous spot seemed to justify him in retaining
his hold throughout the remainder of the stroll。 Usually they lost Cora
and Scotty without having been conscious of their loss。
Their talk拭 The girls and boys that each knew察the day's happenings
at factory and express office察 next Wednesday night's dance up in the
Chute察 and always the possibility of Chuck's leaving the truck and
assuming the managership of the office。
;Don't let this go any further察 see拭But I heard it straight that old
Benke is going to be transferred to Fond du Lac。 And if he is察why察I step
in察see拭 Benke's got a girl in Fondy察and he's been pluggin' to get there。
Gee察maybe I won't be glad when he does ─ A little silence。 ;Will you
be glad察Tess拭 Hm拭─
Tess felt herself glowing and shivering as the big hand closed more
tightly on her arm。 ;Me拭 Why察sure I'll be pleased to see you get a job
that's coming to you by rights察and that'll get you better pay察and all。;
But she knew what he meant察and he knew she knew。
No more of that now。 Chuckgone。 Scottygone。 All the boys at
the watchworks察all the fellows in the neighborhoodgone。 At first she
hadn't minded。 It was exciting。 You kidded them at first此 Well察
believe me察Chuck察if you shoot the way you play ball察you're a gone goon
already。;
;All you got to do察Scotty察is to stick that face of yours up over the top
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of the trench and the Germans'll die of fright and save you wasting
bullets。;
There was a great knitting of socks and sweaters and caps。 Tessie's
big´ knuckled察capable fingers made you dizzy察they flew so fast。 Chuck
was outfitted as for a polar expedition。 Tess took half a day off to bid
him good´by。 They marched down Grand Avenue察that first lot of them察
in their everyday suits and hats察with their shiny yellow suitcases and their
pasteboard boxes in their hands察sheepish察red´faced察awkward。 In their
eyes察though察a certain look。 And so off for Camp Sherman察their young
heads sticking out of the car windows in clustersblack察 yellow察 brown察
red。 But for each woman on the depot platform there was just one head。
Tessie saw a blurred blond one with a misty halo around it。 A great
shouting and waving of handkerchiefs此
;Good´by Good´by Write察now Be sure Mebbe you can get
off in a week察for a visit。 Good´by Good;
They were gone。 Their voices came back to the crowd on the depot
platform high察 clear young voices察 almost like the voices of children察
shouting。
Well察you wrote lettersfat察bulging lettersand in turn you received
equally plump envelopes with a red emblem in one corner。
You sent boxes of homemade fudge nut variety and cookies and the
more durable forms of cake。
Then察unaccountably察Chuck was whisked all the way to California。
He was furious at parting with his mates察 and his indignation was
expressed in his letters to Tessie。 She sympathized with him in her
replies。 She tried to make light of it察but there was a little clutch of terror
in it察too。 California Might as well send a person to the end of the world
while they were about it。 Two months of that。 Then察inexplicably again察
Chuck's letters bore the astounding postmark of New York。 She thought察
in a panic察that he was Franceward bound察but it turned out not to be so。
Not yet。 Chuck's letters were taking on a cosmopolitan tone。 ;Well察─he
wrote察 I guess the little old town is as dead as ever。 It seems funny you
being right there all this time and I've traveled from the Atlantic to the
Pacific。 Everybody treats me swell。 You ought to seen some of those
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California houses。 They make Hatton's place look like a dump。;
The girls察 Cora and Tess and the rest察 laughed and joked among
themselves and assured one another察 with a toss of the head察 that they
could have a good time without the fellas。 They didn't need boys around。
They gave parties察and they were not a success。 There was one of the
type known as a stag。 ;Some hen party ─they all said。 They danced察
and sang ;Over There。; They had ice cream and chocolate layer cake
and went home in great hilarity察with their hands on each other's shoulders察
still singing。
But the thing was a failure察and they knew it。 Next day察at the lunch
hour and in the washroom察there was a little desultory talk about the stag。
But the meat of such an aftergathering is contained in phrases such as ;I
says to him;and ;He says to me。; They wasted little conversation on
the stag。 It was much more exciting to exhibit letters on blue´lined paper
with the red emblem at the top。 Chuck's last letter had contained the
news of his sergeancy。
Angie Hatton察 home from the East察 was writing letters察 too。
Everyone in Chippewa knew that。 She wrote on that new art paper with
the gnawed´ looking edges and stiff as a newly laundered cuff。 But the
letters which she awaited so eagerly were written on the same sort of
paper as were those Tessie had from Chuckblue´lined察cheap in quality。
A New York fellow察Chippewa learned察an aviator。 They knew察too察that
young Hatton was an infantry lieutenant somewhere in the East。 These
letters were not from him。
Ever since her home´coming察Angie had been sewing at the Red Cross
shop on Grand Avenue。 Chippewa boasted two Red Cross shops。 The
Grand Avenue shop was the society shop。 The East End crowd sewed
there察capped察 veiled察apronedand unapproachable。 Were your fingers
ever so deft察 your knowledge of seams and basting mathematical察 your
skill with that complicated garment known as a pneumonia jacket uncanny察
if you did not belong to the East End set察you did not sew at the Grand
Avenue shop。 No matter how grossly red the blood which the Grand
Avenue bandages and pads were ultimately to stanch察 the liquid in the
fingers that rolled and folded them was pure cerulean。
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Tessie and her crowd had never thought of giving any such service to
their country。 They spoke of the Grand Avenue workers as ;that stinkin'
bunch。; Yet each one of the girls was capable of starting a blouse in an
emergency on Saturday night and finishing it in time for a Sunday picnic察
buttonholes and all。 Their help might have been invaluable。 It never
was asked。
Without warning察 Chuck came home on three days' furlough。 It
meant that he was bound for France right enough this time。 But Tessie
didn't care。
;I don't care where you're goin'察─she said exultantly察her eyes lingering
on the stocky察 straight察 powerful figure in its rather ill´fitting khaki。
;You're here now。 That's enough。 Ain't you tickled to be home察Chuck拭
Gee ─
`I'll say察─responded Chuck。 But even he seemed to detect some lack
in his tone and words。 He elaborated somewhat shamefacedly此
;Sure。 It's swell to be home。 But I don't know。 After you've
traveled around察 and come back察 things look so kind of little to you。 I
don't knowkind of; He floundered about察 at a loss for expression。
Then tried again此 Now察 take Hatton's place察 for example。 I always
used to think it was a regular palace察but察gosh察you ought to see places
where I was asked to in San Francisco and around there。 Why察they was´
´wereenough to make the Hatton house look like a shack。 Swimmin'
pools of white marble察and acres of yard like a