Online Book Reader

Home Category

U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [380]

By Root 9086 0
frost." Dick made a face and fol owed her back into the salon. She poured him a glass of champagne from the bottle she stil held in her hand:

"Cheer up Eveline," she whispered squeakily. "She's about ready to go down for the third time."

Dick stood around for hours talking to Mrs. Johnson about books, plays, the opera. Neither of them seemed to be able to keep track of what the other was saying. Eveline couldn't keep her eyes off her husband. He had a young cubbish look Dick couldn't help liking; he was standing by the sideboard getting tight with Stevens, who kept making ugly audible remarks about parasites and the

-465-lahdedah boys of the bourgeoisie. It went on for a long time. Paul Johnson got sick and Dick had to help him find the bathroom. When he came back into the salon he almost had a fight with Stevens, who, after an argument about the Peace Conference, suddenly hauled off with his fists clenched and cal ed him a goddam fairy. The Johnsons hustled Stevens out. Eleanor came up to Dick and put her arm around his neck and said he'd been magnificent. Paul Johnson came back upstairs after they'd gone to get the parakeets. He looked pale as a sheet. One of the birds had died and was lying on its back stiff with his claws in the air at the bottom of the cage.

At about three o'clock Dick rode home to his hotel in a taxi.

NEWSREEL XLIII

the placards borne by the radicals were taken away from them, their clothing torn and eyes blackened before the service and ex-service men had finished with them 34 Die After Drinking Wood Alcohol Trains in France May Soon Stop

Gerard Throws His Hat into the Ring

SUPREME COURT DASHES LAST HOPE OF

MOIST MOUTH

LIFE BOAT CALLED BY ROCKET

SIGNALS SEARCHES IN

VAIN FOR SIXTEEN HOURS

America I love you

You're like a sweetheart of mine

LES GENS SAGES FUIENT LES

REUNIONS POLITIQUES

WALLSTREET CLOSES WEAK: FEARS

TIGHT MONEY

TIGHT MONEY

-466-From ocean to ocean

For you my devotion

Is touching each boundary line

LITTLE CARUSO EXPECTED

his mother, Mrs. W. D. McGil icudy said: "My first husband was kil ed while crossing tracks in front of a train, my second husband was kil ed in the same way and now it is my son

Just like a little baby

Climbing its mother's knee

MACHINEGUNS MOW DOWN MOBS IN

KNOXVILLE

America I love you

Aviators Lived for Six Days on Shel fish

the police compel ed the demonstrators to lower these flags and ordered the convention not to exhibit any red em-blems save the red in the starry banner of the United States; it may not be indiscreet to state, however, in any case it cannot dim his glory, that General Pershing was confined to his state-room through seasickness when the message arrived. Old Fel ow of 89 Treasures Chewinggum as Precious Souvenir Couldn't Maintain His Serenity In Closing League Debates And there's a hundred mil ion others like me

THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN

Whereas the Congress of the united states by a concurrent reso-lution adoptedon the 4th day of march last authorized the Secretary-of war to cause to be brought to the united states the body of an American who was a member of the american expeditionary forces in-europe who lost his life during the world war and whose identity has--467-not been established for burial in the memorial amphi theatre ofthe national cemeteryatarlington virginia

In the tarpaper morgue at Chalons-sur-Marne in

the reek of chloride of lime and the dead, they picked out the pine box that held al that was left of

enie menie minle moe plenty other pine boxes

stacked up there containing what they'd scraped up of Richard Roe

and other person or persons unknown. Only one

can go. How did they pick John Doe?

Make sure he aint a dinge, boys,

make sure he aint a guinea or a kike,

how can you tel a guy's a hunredpercent when al

you've got's a gunnysack ful of bones, bronze buttons stamped with the screaming eagle and a pair of rol puttees?

. . . and the gagging chloride and the puky dirt-stench of the yearold dead. . . The day withal was too meaningful and tragic for ap-plause. Silence, tears, songs and prayer,

Return Main Page Previous Page Next Page

®Online Book Reader