"Yes, I could get along," she breaks in. "But--but when?" "Right away," says I. "As soon as they can use me." "You'll start training for a commission, then?" she asks. "Not me," says I. "I'd be poor enough as a private, but maybe I'd help fill in one of the back rows. I don't know much about it. I'll look it up to-morrow." "To-morrow? Oh!" says Vee, with just the suspicion of a break in her voice. And that's all we had to say about it. Every word. You'd thought we'd exhausted the subject, or got the tongue cramp. But I expect we each had a lot of thoughts that didn't get registered. I know I did. And next mornin' the breakaway came sort of hard. "I--I know just how you feel about it," says Vee. "I'm glad somebody does, then," says I. Puttin' the proposition up to Old Hickory was different. He shoots a quick glance at me from under them shaggy eyebrows, bites into his cigar savage, and grunts discontented. "You are exempt, you know," says he. "I know," says I. "If tags came with marriage licenses I might wear one on my watch-fob to show, I expect." "Huh!" says he. "It seems to me that rapid-fire brain of yours might be better utilized than by hiding it under a trench helmet." "Speedy thinkers seem to be a drug on the market just now," says I. "Anyway, I feel like it was up to me to deliver something--I can't say just what. But campin' behind a roll-top here on the nineteenth floor ain't going to help much, is it?" "Oh, well, if you have the fever!" says he. And half an hour later I've pushed in past the flag and am answerin' questions while the sergeant fills out the blank. Maybe you can guess I ain't in any frivolous mood. I don't believe I thought I was about to push back the invader, or turn the tide for civilization. Neither was I lookin' on this as a sportin' flier or a larky excursion that I was goin' to indulge in at public expense. My idea was that there'd been a general call for such as me, and that I was comin' across. I was more or less sober about it. They didn't seem much impressed at the recruitin' station. Course, you couldn't expect the sergeant to get thrilled over every party that drifted in. He'd been there for weeks, I suppose, answerin' the same fool questions over and over, knowin' all the time that half of them that came in was bluffin' and that a big per cent. of the others wouldn't do. But this other party with the zippy waistline, the swellin' chest, and the nifty shoulder-straps--why should he glare at me in that cold, suspicious way? I wasn't tryin' to break into the army with felonious intent. How could he be sure, just from a casual glance, that I was such vicious scum?