of us but especially to Father.
There arose a church-sponsored movement for families to ‘adopt’ lonely service men.
Carol wanted us to adopt Corporal Bronson… so we did, subject to Brian’s approval,
which came by return mail.
I wrote to my husband every day – and would tear up a letter and start again if, on
rereading, I found in it bad news or a flavour of self-pity… which meant that I
tore up letters again and again and again until I learned how to write a proper
Lucasta letter, one to lift a warrior’s morale, not drag him down.
That early in the War Brian was not far away, at Camp Funston, adjacent to
Manhattan, Kansas, about a hundred miles west of Kansas City. After three months of
not coming home at all Briney started coming home about once a month for short
weekends – Saturday afternoons to Sunday evenings – when and if he could arrange to
ride with another officer. It was a practical distance for a 44 hour pass (noon
Saturday to 8.= a.m. Monday) by automobile, but not for travel by train. In those
days trains were ordinarily much faster than automobiles, as there were so few paved
roads – none in Kansas that I can remember. There was a direct rail line, the Union
Pacific. But on all railroads troop trains had first priority, freight trains
heading east had second priority, other freight trains had third priority – and
passenger trains could use the rails only when nobody else wanted them. Wartime
precedence – Mr McAdoo was strict about it. So Brian’s trips home were infrequent as
they depended on duty schedules of brother officers with automobiles.
I sometimes wondered whether or not Brian regretted having sold El Reo Grande. But I
did not say anything and neither did he. Count your blessings, Maureen! This is
wartime and your husband is a soldier. Be glad he is able to come home occasionally
and that he is not (yet) being shot at.
The carnage in Europe got worse and worse. In March 1917 the Tsar was overthrown. In
November 1917 the Communist Bolsheviki displaced President Kerensky’s government,
and the Communists immediately surrendered to the Germans.
From then on we were in for it. The German veterans from the Eastern Front were
moving by whole divisions to the Western Front at a time when we had landed only a
few of our troops in France. The Allies were in bad trouble.
I did not know it. Certainly my children did not. I suspect that they reckoned their
father was equal to at least to German divisions.
Page 120
Heinlein, Robert A – To Sail Beyond the Sunset.txt
In May 1918 I was able to tell my husband that we had ‘rung the cash register’ on
his last weekend at home; I was two weeks overdue. Yes, I know that with many women
this is not a sure sign – but it is with Maureen. I felt so euphoric about it that I
avoided reading the newspapers and just enjoyed being me.
Brian went into Manhattan and telephoned me from there, for privacy. `Is this
Myrtle, the Fertile Turtle?’
I answered, not so loud, Claude; you’ll wake my husband. No, I won’t be fertile
again for another eight months.’
‘Congratulations! I’ll plan on coming home for Christmas; you won’t need me sooner
than that’
‘Now you listen to me, Roscoe; I’m not taking the veil, I’m merely having a baby.
And I do have other offers.’
‘From Sergeant Bronson, perhaps?’
I caught my breath and did not answer. Presently Brian said, ‘What’s the matter,
love? Children where they can overhear you?’
‘No, sir. I’ve taken the phone into our bedroom and there is no one else upstairs.
Beloved, that man is as stubborn as my father. I have invited him here, Father has
invited him here, and Carol invites him at least once a week. He thanks us… and
then says that he doesn’t know when he’ll be granted any leave. He’s admitted that
he is off duty alternate weekends but he says that the actual time on pass is not
enough to go that far from camp.’