Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-11-02
Dust One
By ANEL c. JOHNS
Mcclure Newspaper eyndicats.
WNU Features.

THE strawberries were shipped
l In early. They were fiat, heart
shaped Pinlxish red. The centers
came out with the stem If Pattie
wasn't careful.
Pattie shouldn't have bought
them. But she couldn't resist. She
had always brought home the first
ON the market since that time just
after her marriage when Philip
came home, smelling Of gasoline.
There was always hard grease on
his hands and sometimes on his pug
nosed face. He stopped at the table,
AZ always, for a preview Of what
was cooking and said, "Shortcakel
Spring must be here. Spring, when
a young mans fancy seriously turns
to thoughts of love if he's married
to a gorgeous dame like one Pa
tricia."
But that had been four years ago.
And Strawberries always reminded
her Of the days Philip went away in
the mornings and came back to her
in the evenings. Never too tired to
dance.
Pattie loved the way they moved
in unison. Philip holding her lit
tie tight, saying, you're like the
music, Baby. You make me know
that, II never have anything more,
I've got everything right now. For
you clean carburetors, patch flats.
Pump gas. Pour oil. There's a
ritzy dame comes into the station
about twice week. She's a lookerl
But, Baby, you outlook her even in
curriers' and cold cream"
Did Philip still feel like that? That
she outlooked the lockers who
danced with him at the USO clubs
on his weekend leaves? The look
ers who worked in canteens, doing
their bit for the boys7 The lockers
who firted?
He was sent with his crew to Eng
land and no doubt met new people
with strange ways.
Pattie was glad she had been a
camp wife. That she had followed
her Philip around, put up in a jail
for two weeks in Georgia because
there were no rooms available.
Even slept in the back seat of the
car at filing station when she ar
rived In town too late to find quar-
tiers.
She was glad that she had been
with him the night he was shipped.
The sergeant had let her stay. She
and four other wives who had little
to say that they couldn't tell with
the pressure Of their cold fingers.
Philip had looked into her face,
upturned in the moonlight, until the
tears stood at her lashes and her
throat hurt.
"You're beautiful, Baby. Even
now. I hate going before he gets
here but I can't be the chooser in
this game. Be sure to send me a
cable. It'll be tough over there, wait
ing. know it'll be tougher here"
It was horrible back in their house
alone. She tried having the wife of
one Of Philips pals live with her.
But the girl was morbid. She dotted
On horrors, especially those of the
war.
Philip had said, Don't sit around
fetting about me. Worry is bad.
I'll take care of myself. If see
blockbuster coming at me I'll run
like the deuce. Iwant to come home
and find you just the same"
Well, she wasn't the same. She'd
been in the maternity ward without
him to stand by. She'd come through
the measles and a hand that little
Philip burned when he pulled the
percolator off the stove. The neigh
bors helped her when she had,a bad
appendix that the doctor finally re-
moved.
Philip said, Don't ever forget
me, Baby. won't forget you. The
going will never be so rough that
that can happen. I'll think of you
every day. All day. And dream of
you at night. Everything I do will
be for you and the little one."
But all of that had been so long
ago. She couldn't bring Philip back
as she used to. At first she could
make him sit in his favorite chair.
Could hear his voice above the ra-
dio talking without words. Just the
rumble Of his deep voice. But she
couldn't hear his voice any more.
She had forgotten how he looked sit
ting behind the evening paper.
Suddenly her hands trembled. She
crushed luscious berry between her
fingers. She was frightened. If she
couldn't recall here, where Philip
had been, how could he remember
her, where she had never been?
How could he keep in mind their
simple pleasures when everyone
worked to entertain him and thou
sands like him7 Time blots out
everything.
She had tried to keep her hold on
Philip. She had sent him pictures
Of the baby every month. Anniver-
sary pictures, she called them. And
snapshots Of herself too. Being care
fM TO look her best; careful to smile
with the wrinkles in her nose about
which Philip had teased her.
Little Philip came in from out
doors. His pug nose was red with
the cold 0f early spripo u;. L..l.