Evening star., 1922-01-22


"And a go-getter. too. I should say
/ throws in. "Ope of the kind that
they can't keep down. Eh?"
Mary indulges in another shoulder
hunch, but lets it go at that. So I
shifts bit.
Nearly had you two out for a while
there. didn't they. thought" 1 asks.
Just after you were. married"
iii say they did," says Mary. snap
ping it out bitter.
kind of rough going for a month
or so, wasn't it?" I adds.
Huh" says Mary. For nearly a
year. Say. didn't suppose two able
bodied persons who weren't solid
above the ears could come so near
starving right among lot of people
who let on to be their friends. But
that's what happened to u.s."
mol" says I. 1T wasn't that bad.
was it?"
II don't know what else you'd call
it," says she. "On'. week all we had
was a hunk of smoked fish and loaf
of stale bread, and those 1 went out
and got myself with the last two bits
we had between US. Ever try that
diet for a whole week."
"But-but what was the matter
with Danny?" 1 demanded.
CHE was down." says Mary, Flat.
Just plumb discouraged And it
wasn't his fault. ether Maybe you
remember what fuss they made over
him when he first came back-the pa
rades. receptions. pieces in the paper.
and all that. Sergeant Dan. Slat-
terry. the hero who grinned at death
and saved the day That was what
they printed under one of his pic
lures. But when he, went around to
Hoffman's to ask for his old job there
was nothing doing. No. they had a
girl with bobbed hair behind the soft
drink counter. They were sorry. but
prohibition hadn't left them any use
for high-priced mixer and there was
no other place open. Perhaps If he'd
call on some of the big guns who
helped put it over they'd fix him up.
80 Danny started calling. He made
out list from the names on the re-
ception committee. men who ought to
know who he was and what he'd
done. They were the leading mer-
chants and manufacturers, who
should have had jobs II any one had.
Did they rush out and grab him by
the hand, lead him into their private
offices and put him on the pay roll?
They did not. They kept him warm
ing benches in waiting rooms or
standing in line oatside the factory
gates. Sometimes private secre-
tary or a foreman's clerk wrote his
name on waiting list and told him
he'd be sent for if he was wanted.
Well. he wasn't sent for. And when
he took to tramping around on his
own hook he had no better luck"
YES" says I. business was slack
about that time."
For. all but the slackers who'd
jumped into the places left open when
Danny and the rest were over fighting
the Germans" says Mary. They held
on, those birds did. And inside of a
couple of months this hero business
was old stuff. / couldn't seem to fit
in anywhere. either. Druot wouldn't
take me back. and at the other places
they gave me the same tale-laying
Off people, not taking 'em on. Come
around again in few weeks. So 1
hooked my wrist watch and rings, and
Danny most Of his clothes, and we
found a cheaper room down in the
west end. I expect we'd been, there
yet. or else planted underground, If
Danny hadn't had word from this
cousin of his in Buffalo that he could
get him in a cargo trimming gang on
a grain boat. Can you guess how we
got to Buffalo?"
couldn't.
Hopping trucks" says Mary. "A
lot Of ex-heroes were driving long
distance motor trucks and when
they'd spot Danny's old uniform
they'd give us a lift, sometimes stake
US to a feed. Anyway, we got there.
and Danny got to earning wages
again. I managed to find a place in !.
quick lunch joint, too. So that's how
we got on our feet again.
Il see." says I. But listen, Mary;
that hardly accounts for the mink
throw scarf and-all the rest"
UNo." says she. ut doesn't. But
believe me. what we've got
wasn't wished on us by the citizens Of
3 grateful country. I guess it's the
same all the world over. But I know
this: Here in the dear old U. 8. A. you
gotta get out and grab what you
want. Nobody's g Ding to hand you
anything on past performances. Its
a case OF crash in and take it away
from somebody else. II you can't, you
can go hungry; if you can, you're q
winner. Took me over a year to get
that through my head, and then-well,
we're winners
But how?" asked.
"Oh. what's the difference?" says
Mary. DO you know. Trilby May.
you're the first one that's asked that
question. Everybody else seems sat.