Show I t Gy d 1 1 t t i 1 t r CHAPTER PTER I IThe IThe The heat in town had been Intense intense intense In in- tense and Julia McFarlane 1 rolled the wagon station-wagon under the ivy covered covered cov cov- covI I ered cred porte gratefully i iThe The big old house would be cool It Jt was always cool the solid brick walls built over a century since shutting out the sun with aloof dig dig- digI I Julia jerked off her hat before before before be be- fore she opened the door and slid out of the coat of her smart gray I suit She dropped the hat and coat on a chair and was pushing the i heavy moist auburn hair off her forehead when a yell came carne down the curving staircase A young yell Dooley is that tha t you Julia sighed She was so tired It was five o'clock and she had had no lunch She had spent hours in inan inan inan an airless office growing more furious by the moment and then she had argued for another hour with a young government representative represent represent- who quoted regulations almost almost almost al al- most smacking his lips over them To her desperate plea that there had to be more wiring for power and pumping on Buzzards Buzzard's Hill that there had to be more fence if they were to raise hams and bacon for forthe forthe the army he had smiled a maddeningly maddeningly maddeningly madden madden- superior smile I i To his smug vision all this had 1 spelled wire wire copper copper wire steel wire wire and and wire was not to be surrendered surrendered surrendered sur sur- rendered even to a handsome woman woman wom worn an in a stylish hat So Julia had come back to the farm wrung out outi i and exasperated and now here was Jill yelling elling from upstairs J Dooley come corne up here right righta 1 a away way i iJulia I I Julia went up the stairs slowly In the bright little room at the 1 end of the hall Jill was standing on ona ona ona a stool before a looking-glass looking her slim legs hidden in folds of white jersey her face full of woe Its all crooked she wailed They stretched it when they cleaned it and its it's all in scallops It looks like the devil What am I going to do Julia dropped on the bed and looked at her child Jill's hair was lighter than her own taffy and sunlight sunlight sunlight sun sun- light and wild curling mischief where Julias Julia's had darkened to the hue of old cherry wood and lay back sleekly under a brush Jill's eyes were darker too almost black under under under un un- un- un der striking arrogant brows direct demanding eyes eye's impatient with little compromise in them What do you want to do Jill Cut the hem off and even it I haven't got time Its It's yards around the bottom though it does hang so straight Would it look awful awful awful aw aw- aw- aw ful Dooley if we cut off the worst places and hemmed it It has to tobe tobe be right it simply has to What U cooks Something terribly terribly terribly terri terri- bly special Frightfully special Jill jerked angrily at the stubborn folds Its uIt's Spang And the club dance He has a three-day three pass Hes He's coming corning on the bus Do I know Spang He sounds like some kind of canned dog Julia Worries Tf About Her Son Would Spang be outraged by an uneven uneven uneven un un- un- un even hemline Dont make gags Dooley youre you're not the type Handsome dignity is your line No you dont don't know Spang Hes He's a turret instructor right now down at Ric's Field I Imet Imet Imet met him when I went down last week to see Ric Hes He's a lieutenant and a flier but right now hes he's TS technical to you Dooley But he ne e wasn't christened Spang surely the surely the font would have fallen down Dooley I ask you youl I His name is Spencer and he hates it because he doesn't like some uncle or other He wont won't look at nt my dress but all I the females on the prowl will cut their eyes down and Ill I'll get an inferiority inferiority in in- complex And this is important important important im im- im- im in-I in Is it Julia was gentle All AllBright AllI Allright I Bright right turn around But I refuse j i ito to guarantee results Remember I Im I'm a woman pig-woman not a Is Ric coming with your Spang Jill puckered her brow Mother Moth er er Ric's a private Just a plain JJoe J OC and a casual at that He couldn't get a pass home unless unless' he bought one from somebody and he says they've hiked the price now till it isn't worth it But But do do you mean that he came home borne last time on some other mans man's pass Julia spoke between pins sharply Of course Unless it ft was an emergency he wouldn't rate a u pass They might want to ship him out any minute But that was a foolish and risky thing to do when hes he's trying to get into officers officer's school I Oh they organize things lie Ric says says get get some other Joe to answer for them at roll-call roll or something Jill turned slowly on her toes I dont don't like it Julia said stern stern- ly I wont won't have Ric jeopardizing his chances You should have told me before Oh Mother you know how much attention Ric Rie pays to maternal admonition admonition admonition ad ad- monition 1 You only had one dutiful dutiful dutiful ful child Stand still or Ill I'll never get this right She was so tired that her legs quivered quivered quivered ered and her eyes blurred And now worry was spinning like a dentists dentist's drill in her brain For now she was beginning t to know what before had be bean n only a nagging fear a motherly apprehension Now she knew that the thing she hated had hadnot hadnot hadnot not died had not removed itself from her life It was going on Richard her son born in loneliness and torment torment Richard Richard was going on being another mad and reckless McFarlane McFarlane McFarlane Mc Mc- Farlane irresponsible not to be be be- You could have spared me this God she was thinking Ive I've had so much and Ive I've tried to be patient patient patient pa pa- tient Ive I've tried to do my best Aloud she said That gets it I think But it will probably sag somewhere else That heavy stuff does Jill pulled the dress over her head and dropped on the stool her naked arms round and virginal and sweet Will Vill you tack it up for me I Dooley Ive I've got to do my nails nans and press my suit and theres there's a aspot aspot aspot spot on the toe of one of my sandals sandals sandals san san- dals where somebody stepped on me Oh I forgot to tell you I asked Spang to stay here He hasn't any family at all I fixed the bed ber beOr be- be Or r I II I I 4 l YA tw r Its all crooked she wailed cause Mamie was I could only one find one hemstitched sheet so I put a plain one under Will Spang be here to dinner If he will will you'll have to set the table Ill I'll fix your dress but then I have to talk over some things with Foster and your grandfather John I I. I rode up to mark posts in inthe inthe the woodlot Jill said Foster had to help him on the horse and that made him furious Hes He's bound to break a hip some day and then you and I will have a n lovely life But hell he'll die if he stops wanting to do things for himself He really doesn't believe that hes he's eighty He thinks that's something somebody made up Youre a pet to fix the dress Dooley my love But Spang is worth it he is definitely Maybe hes he's the one About time Here I am crowding twenty-seven twenty and already getting a maiden look lookaround lookaround lookaround around the chin Dont be ridiculous You look about eighteen Dont Don't forget about the table Mamie's iamie's been busy all day J Jill Ill ill Be BeAn An Army IVi Wife Tf e Oh Spang's bus wont won't be here till tm eight Ill I'll give him sandwiches and grid beer Anyway Mamie likes soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers and all the boys want is a soft chair to sprawl in and a hot tub They stand up all day or sit on a hot curb and they cant can't even lie down on their cots till night Ric told me In her own room dim and cool and serene with the branches of the huge old trees rustling close to the windows Julia shed the regimentals regimentals regi regi- of a career woman relaxed relaxed relaxed re re- re- re in the tub and put on soft cotton slacks Later shed she'd have to get into the denim and boots that were her farm uniform shed she'd have to tell Foster who ran the place that tha t there would be no more copper copper copper cop cop- per wire and no more fence till the government gave her a priority and heaven only knew wr s n that thai would be She would have to tell her father- father law in-law too old John I. I McFarlane and he would fume angrily and impotently impotently impotently im- im potently for hours to any anyone one who would listen Working on Jill's dress she hoped this young lieutenant would not be bea a disappointment but all the while she nursed the secret wish that he would prove to be only another passing passing passing pass pass- ing fancy moving on as so many other lads had moved on out of Jill's life To be an army wife wife she she did not want that for Jill She wanted to save her child from that heartburning heartburn heartburn- ing that dreary waiting the endless nights the torturing silences that she herself remembered And for her the wretchedness had never end end- ed There had been no finale no period no yellow telegram no shock of grief there grief there had been nothing Now after twenty-five twenty years there was still nothing But in these days with all the young men in service a girl even as pretty and desirable a girl as Jill had little choice The world was swiftly turning to a confused and dismal place She had told herself so many times when Jill and young Richard were small and everything was very grim for her that no child of hers should ever live through what she herself was living through She had worked so hard she had even done rough work with her own hands to build up this old farm She had fought drouth and animal epidemics ics and insects and discouragement to make a richer kinder life for Ric and Jill And she had succeed succeed- ed She looked through the window at the white fences marching over the lush green of the fields of Buzzards Buzzard's Buzzards Buzzard's Buzzards Buzzard's Buz Buz- zard's Hill and she knew that she had succeeded Her law in had helped She gave him his due in all loyalty He had been a rock to lean upon he had been a pillar pillar pillar-a a fiery pillar but steadfast Through all the strange years when no word had come corne from Richard her husband when there had been only silence as balling baling as the hollow sky as deep as the sea old John I I. I had stood by her her her- through the grim times and good times She had lived through it but she would fight to save Jill from froma a life like that She heard the clump of John Is I.'s boots presently heard him yelling something into the telephone All the yelled even Jill There was so much in them that was alive and in a ferment Patience Patience Patience Pa Pa- tience had been left out of them It was as if they had a yeasty brew instead of blood in their veins Richard whom she had married had yelled too Up three flights in that little walk-up walk flat fiat in Washington Washing Washing- ton why ton why must she think of that just now Why couldn't she make herself herself herself her her- self forget finally and forever Last year she had determined to forget and the year before It ir irritated irritated irritated ir- ir her that she a strong woman woman wom- wom an was not strong enough to conquer conquer conquer con con- quer this thing that haunted her The dress finished she laid it carefully across Jill's bed and got into the faded shirt the rough clothes that went with being a pig She tied her hair up in a bandana and went downstairs A Sow Shows Its Teeth John I I. I McFarlane thin McFarlane-thin thin mustached mustached mustached mus- mus with small hands and feet and bright hot black eyes was eyes was sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting on the side porch cutting tobacco tobacco tobacco to to- bacco into a newspaper spread across his knees He looked up as alertly as a robin and said Hello you back An hour ago Julia sat down The old man snapped his knife shut slid the tobacco into a red tin and put the tin in his hip pocket Bet you forgot my bottle of bitters bitters bitters bit bit- I I did not Its It's in the kitchen with the groceries Id better rescue it then before Mamie rubs it on her rheumatism Last time brought me some she used it to kill mites on a duck Well Vell I marked about two hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred posts No use John I. I They wont won't give us priority for any more fence He drew his white brows together angrily What do they expect us to do Teach hogs not to cross a chalk line No more wire no more copper no more steel Its It's war John I. I But it makes it tough for the pig business Would you be interested in growing cucumbers or peanuts or something I would not Pickles give me methe methe methe the hives and what good are peanuts peanuts peanuts pea pea- nuts when there arent aren't any more county fairs or circuses They use tHe oil for something I forget what Did you tell Foster to shut up your prize sow She ought to bring a good litter I shut her up myself She's a cagy female She bit me and I hit her with the pitchfork before I thought but she wasn't hurt any What's wrong with you Dooley You look shot and youve you've got circles circles circles cir cir- cles under your eyes TO BE CONTINUED |