`That’s almost true. Since he doesn’t have a car. Since he left his car with Ira. Or
with Brian Junior.’
`Pish and tosh. The Weston boy is home every other weekend and he’s only a private.
I think I’m a woman scorned.
`Nick Weston picks up his son in Junction City and you know why. But don’t fret,
Mabel; the money’s on the table. I saw Carol’s favourite soldier just today.’
I reswallowed my heart. `Yes, Briney?’
`I find that I agree with Carol. And with mon beau-père. I already knew that Bronson
is as fine a sergeant instructor as we have; I’ve checked his efficiency marks each
week. As for Sergeant Bronson himself, he puts me in mind of Ira. As Ira must have
looked at that age.’
‘Sergeant Bronson and I look like twins.’
‘So you do but on you it looks better.’
‘Oh, fiddle! You have always said that I look my best with a pillow over my face.’
‘I say that to keep you from becoming too conceited, beautiful. You are gorgeous and
everybody knows it, and you look like Sergeant Bronson in spite of it. But he is
most like Ira in his personality and in his gung-ho attitude. I fully understand
your wish to trip him and beat him to the rug. If you still feel that way. Do you?’
I took a deep breath and sighed it out. ‘I do, sir. If our daughter Carol doesn’t
crowd me out and beat me to it.’
‘No, no! By seniority, please; this is wartime. Make her wait her rum.’
‘Don’t tell Carol it’s okay unless you mean it, dear man because she means it.’
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‘Well, somebody’s going to do it to Carol… and I think a lot better of Bronson
than I do of that pimply young snot who broke in our Nancy. Don’t you?’
‘Oh, heavens, yes! But the matter is academic; I have given up all hope of getting
Sergeant Bronson to enter this house. Until the War is over, at least.’
‘I told you not to fret. A little bird whispered in my ear that Bronson will soon
receive a midweek pass.’
‘Oh, Brian!’ (I knew what a midweek pass meant: orders overseas.)
‘Ira was right; Bronson is eager to go Over There, so I put him on the list, a
special requisition from Pershing’s staff for sergeant instructors. Another little
bird let me know that my own request was being acted on favourably. So I expect to
be home about the same time. But – Listen closely. I think I can arrange it so that
you will have a twenty-four-hour clear shot at him. Can you bring him down in that
length of time’?’
‘Oh, goodness, Briney!’
`Can-you, or can’t you? I’ve known you to manage it in an hour with just a horse and
buggy to work with; today you have at your disposal a guest bedroom with its own
bath. What does it take? Cleopatra’s barge?’
‘Brian, Father supplied that horse and buggy knowing what was up and actively
co-operating. But this time he considers it his bounden duty to stand over me with a
shotgun. Except that it is a loaded thirty-eight and he would not hesitate to use
it.’
‘Can’t have that; General Pershing wouldn’t like it good sergeant instructors are
scarce. So I had better brief Ira on the operation plan before I hang up which I
must soon; I am running out of nickels and dimes. Is Ira there?’
‘I’ll get him.’
Sergeant Theodore did get that midweek pass, from just after Retreat on Monday to
eight o’clock muster Thursday morning – and at last he did come to Kansas City. At
that time the picture shows always included a comedy – John Bunty, Fatty Arbuckle,
Charlie Chaplin, or the Keystone Kops. That week I managed to outdo both Fatty
Arbuckle and the Keystone Kops in always stepping into a bucket or falling over my
feet.
To begin with, that difficult man, Sergeant Theodore, did not show up at our house
until late Tuesday afternoon… when Brian had told me that Sergeant Theodore’s pass
should cause him to arrive at our house by mid-morning at the latest.