Canada -- Fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Canada -- Fiction
Jack glanced at the girl beside him. It seemed to him that it needed
no mind-reader to interpret the look of pride, yes and of love, in the
wonderful blue-grey eyes. Sick as from a heavy blow he turned away from
her; the flicker of hope that his brother-in-law's words had kindled
in his heart died out and left him cold. He was too late; why try to
deceive himself any longer? The only thing to do was to pull out and
leave this place where every day brought him intolerable pain. But today
he would get all he could, to-day he would love her and win such poor
scraps as he could from her eyes, her smiles, her words.
“Glorious view that,” he said, touching her arm and sweeping his hand
toward the mountains.
She started at his touch, a faint colour coming into her face. “How
wonderful!” she breathed. “I love them. They bring me my best thoughts.”
Before he could reply there came from behind the grub shack a torrent of
abusive speech florid with profane language and other adornment and in a
voice thick with rage.
“That's him,” said Nora. “Some one is getting it.” The satisfaction
in her voice and look were in sharp contrast to the look of dismay and
shame that covered the burning face of her sister. From English the
voice passed into German, apparently no less vigorous or threatening.
“That's better,” said Nora with a wicked glance at Romayne. “You see he
is talking to some one of his own people. They understand that. There
are a lot of Germans from the Settlement, Freiberg, you know.”
As she spoke Switzer emerged from behind the shack, driving before him
a cringing creature evidently in abject terror of him. “Get back to your
gang and carry out your orders, or you will get your time.” He caught
sight of the car and stopped abruptly, and, waving his hand imperiously
to the workman, strode up to the party, followed by a mild-looking man
in spectacles.
“Came to see how you are getting on, Switzer, eh, what?” said Tom.
“Getting on,” he replied in a loud voice, raising his hat in salutation.
“How can one get on with a lot of stupid fools who cannot carry out
instructions and dare to substitute their own ideas for commands. They
need discipline. If I had my way they would get it, too. But in this
country there is no such thing as discipline.” He made no attempt to
apologise for his outrageous outburst, was probably conscious of no need
of apology.
“This is your foreman, I think?” said Nora, who alone of the party
seemed to be able to deal with the situation.
“Oh, yes, Mr. Steinberg,” said Switzer, presenting the spectacled man.
“You are too busy to show us anything this afternoon?” said Nora
sweetly.
“Yes, much too busy,” said Switzer, gruffly. “I have no time for
anything but work these days.”
“You cannot come along for a little shoot?” she said, innocently. Nora
was evidently enjoying herself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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