Chapter 31 Repeat V from scratch
March 3, 1917, Germans plotting an allied Mexican and Japanese attack on the United States - Zimmerman confirms the authenticity of the telegram
On April 2, 1917, the President wrote to Congress—demanding a declaration of war
April 6, 1917, America enters the war - Congress declares "a state of war"
The United States declared war on Germany so quickly, and Lazarus Long was caught off guard for a while.But there was no doubt that war had already happened.He was so unprepared that he did not analyze until long after the event why the "hindsight" he relied on was even less accurate than the average forecast.
Another submarine skirmish in early 1917 did not surprise him; it matched his memories of his early history lessons.Nor did the Zimmermann telegram incident disturb him, although he did not remember it; Some memories of the countries that participated in the war-still learned in history class, not a child's memory of personal experience.Woody Smith was less than two years old when the European War broke out, and less than five years old when the United States entered the war; Lazarus has no memory of his own experience of state affairs.Woody was too young then to remember something so far away from him.
After finding himself three years ahead of schedule, Lazarus made a schedule.The timetable worked so perfectly that he didn't notice that his "watch" was inaccurate until the event itself slapped him hard in the face.When he had time to analyze his mistakes, he discovered that he had committed a felony that was not conducive to survival: overindulging in his own desires.He credulously trusted his timetable.
He didn't want to leave his first family, which he had just found, so soon.Including all members of the family, but mainly Maureen.
Maureen—after a night of frantic wrestling with his thoughts, he decided to stay here until the first of July as originally planned.He was hesitant and anxious that night, wrote and tore up the letter, and finally felt that he should stay.He could treat Mrs. Brian Smith with kindness and courtesy, avoiding any emotion beyond the moral code.
Throughout March, Lazarus searched for acceptable ways to visit her.Little Brian wants to learn to drive; Grandpa thinks he's old enough that Lazarus can teach him...He picked him up at his mother's door and drove him home—often rewarded with Maureen's gaze.Lazarus even found a way to get close to Woody (not chess).He took the kid to the Race Track Theater to see the "great" performance by the magician Thuraston; and promised to take him to "Electronic Park" when the park opened in the summer.It was an amusement park, a paradise in Woody's mind.In this way, a truce was finally reached between the two of them.
Lazarus would send the kids home from the theater.The tired kid slept soundly, and his reward was coffee with Grandpa and Maureen.
Lazarus also volunteered to help with the Boy Scouts organized by the church.George is an ordinary team member: Brian is about to be promoted to team leader.Lazarus found that being the Scoutmaster's assistant was fun in its own right, and Grandpa would invite him into the house when the boys gave him a ride home.
Lazarus paid little attention to the foreign affairs of the country.He bought the Kansas City Post because the newspaper boy at the intersection of Thirty-first and Tuster considered him a regular customer, a big spender who always bought it for a nickel and sold it for a dollar. newspapers, and don't give change.But Lazarus seldom read the newspapers, and after he sold his business, he didn't even care about market news.
The first week of April, Lazarus had no plans to visit his family for two reasons: one was that his grandfather was gone, and the other was that his father had returned.Lazarus did not want to meet his father until he could naturally and conveniently meet him through his grandfather.He stayed home, cooked and did the housework, fixed the car, cleaned and polished it, and wrote a long letter to his family in Tertius.
He had the letter with him on Thursday morning, intending to finish it and send it to the delayed mail post.He bought a newspaper, as usual, at the intersection of Thirty-first Street and Tuster Road; seated in the trolley, he glanced at the headlines—and broke his usual habit of admiring Street view, but carefully began to read newspapers.After this, instead of going to the Kansas City Photographic Equipment Company as planned, he went to the reading room of the Great Public Library and spent two hours making up recent events.He read the local paper, the New York Times on Tuesday, read the president's proposal to Congress -- "America has no choice. May God bless her!" He also read yesterday's Chicago Tribune, which was in addition to The most staunchly anti-British newspaper outside of the German-language press has now changed its tone.
He then went to the men's bathroom, tore the letter he had prepared, and flushed it down the drain.
He went to the Missouri Savings Bank and withdrew the money in his account.Then he went next door to the Santa Fe Railroad ticket office in town and bought a ticket to Los Angeles with a thirty-day stay in Flagstaff, Arizona.He stopped again at the stationery store, and when he came out he went to the Public Bank, found his safe, and drew out of it a box full of gold coins.He asked to use the bank's lavatory; the safe he rented here entitles him to that.
The gold coins were scattered in thirteen pockets throughout Lazarus' coat, vest, and trousers.He doesn't look so neat anymore, a piece hangs here and there, but the gold coins don't clink if you're careful.He walked very carefully, prepared change in advance when taking the tram, and did not sit down after getting on the tram, but stood at the rear of the car.All the way he was on tenterhooks until he got back to his apartment and locked the door.
He made himself a sandwich, and after eating he set to work with his needlework.He put the gold coins into the small pockets on the suede vest that he had made before—sewed the pockets to death, and then put a suit vest of the same pattern on the vest.Lazarus forced himself to do it slowly, aligning the seams neatly so that no one else could see the mystery of the vest.
By midnight, he made himself another sandwich and resumed his sewing.
After he felt that the vest fit well and that there was nothing wrong with its appearance, he put the money vest aside, spread a double-folded blanket on the place where he had just been doing needlework, and put a heavy and large Ottoman on it. River typewriter.He began to manipulate the clanging monster with two fingers:
Kansas City, April 5, 1917 AD
My dearest Razu and Laurie,
Emergency situations.I need you guys to pick me up.I hope to be able to reach the fountain on Monday, April 9, 1917.I repeat, it was April 9th, 1917.I may be a day or two late.I would wait there for ten days if possible.If you have not received me, I will choose to meet you in 1926 (-926) as agreed.
Thanks!
Lazarus
Lazarus typed two originals and wrote two nested sets of envelopes, one with a local contact on the outermost set and one with an address in Chicago.He then wrote a statement of sale:
I sell and transfer to Ella Johnson my interest, title and title to a Model T Ford (Engine No. 1290408) which I have received for a dollar already received and good and friendly hospitality.I warrant to him and his successors that this property is completely free of any obligation and that I am its sole owner with unrestricted rights of alienation.
Theodore Branson
April 6, 1917 AD
He put the statement in a blank envelope, put it with the other envelopes, drank a glass of milk, and went to bed.
He had slept for ten hours, and the shouts of "Extra! Extra!" in the street hadn't bothered him; he had anticipated the extra and subconsciously ignored it.He will continue to rest and he will be very busy for the next few days.
After his body clock woke him up, he got up, showered and shaved quickly, then made a big breakfast and finished it off.Then he cleaned out the kitchen, taking the perishable food out of the freezer and throwing it in the bin on the back porch.He turned over the service card for ordering ice cubes, which said "No ice cubes needed today," put another fifteen cents on the ice box, and emptied out the tray that received the melted water from the ice box.
Next to the ice box was a quart of fresh milk.He didn't order milk, but he didn't specifically say no to milk either.So he put six cents in an empty bottle and wrote a note telling the milkman not to deliver him any more milk until he next left his money.
He prepared a small bag with toiletries, socks, underwear, shirts and collars (to Lazarus these starched collars symbolized all the taboos that bound us so much; no These taboos, the times would have been better) Then he did a quick search of the apartment to see if he had left behind something personal.The rent was paid until the end of April; with any luck, he would be on board the spaceship Dora by then.If he is unlucky, he should be in South America.If he was less lucky, he'd use another name elsewhere—anywhere; he wanted "Ted Branson" to disappear without a trace.
In a short time he was at the front door, armed only with a handbag, a coat, a winter suit, a chess set of ivory and ebony, and a typewriter.He dressed and carefully put the three envelopes and the train ticket into the lining pocket of his coat.The money vest was hot, but comfortable; the gold coins spread out nicely.
He put everything in the backseat of the car and drove to the postal service on the south side, where he delivered two letters, and from there to the pawn shop next door to Leisure Time Pool Hall. The shutters of the "Swiss Garden" were down, and a "Closed" sign hung outside.Lazarus noticed this and laughed to himself.
Mr. Daytobham offered a gun for his typewriter, but he would charge five dollars more for Lazarus to take the Colt of his choice.Lazarus didn't bargain with him and mortgaged the winter suit.The coat was left at the pawn shop, and he held a pawn ticket, a pistol, a box of ammunition, and three dollars in cash.He actually gave the coat to Mr. Daytobham, since he never thought of redeeming it.But Lazarus got what he wanted, plus three dollars more.Now the property that was no longer needed was cleared, and this last deal pleased his friend.
The gun was the right size, and the left pocket of Lazarus' repurposed vest was just enough to make do as a holster.As long as he wasn't bouncing around -- an out-of-the-way behavior for this apparently respectable citizen -- no one would notice it.A kilt was better for concealing a pistol, and it was easier and quicker to draw it, but that was all he could do in his current clothes.Fortunately, the previous owner of this gun was a practical person and removed its front sight.
Now that he's done with Kansas City, there's only one thing left: saying goodbye to his first family.Then he would take the first westbound Santa Fe train.Grandpa had gone to St. Louis, which was troublesome, but there was nothing to think about it.This time he's going to break in himself and tell a convincing story.The fact that the chess set was a gift for Woody was convincing enough for him to come to the door in person; the sale statement gave him an excuse to talk to his father.No, sir, it's not exactly a gift.Somebody has to drive it before the war is over.If something happens and I don't come back... well, that'll make things easier—you know what I mean, sir?Your father-in-law is my best friend and in a sense my kin, since I have no kin.
Yes, it worked, giving him a chance to say goodbye to everyone in the family, including Maureen, without telling a lot of lies.This is the best way to lie.
Only one thing—if his father wanted to recruit him into his own service, he would have to lie: Lazarus had made up his mind to join the navy.No offense to you, sir; I know you just got back from Plattsburgh training, but the Navy needs people too.
He wouldn't tell such a lie unless it was absolutely necessary.
He parked behind the pawn shop and crossed the road to a general store.There he made a call:
"Is this Brian Smith's house?"
"yes."
"Mrs. Smith, this is Mr. Branson. May I speak to Mr. Smith?"
"I'm not mother, Mr. Branson; I'm Nancy. Gosh, you'd take me for her! That's horrible!"
"It's terrible, Miss Nancy."
"You're looking for my dad? But he's not home; gone to Leavenworth Base. He's reporting there—we don't know when we'll see him again!"
"Oh, that's it. Please don't cry, don't cry!"
"I'm not crying. I'm just a little sad. Do you want to talk to Mom? She's home...but she's in bed."
Lazarus's mind was spinning rapidly.Of course he wanted to talk to Maureen.But -- that would make things worse, the situation is complicated enough. "Please don't bother her. Do you know when your grandpa will be back?" (Can he wait until he comes back? Oh, damn it!) "Oh, grandpa came back yesterday."
"Yes? Can I speak to him, Miss Nancy?"
"But he's not home either. He was in town a few hours ago, probably at the chess club. Would you like to leave him a message?"
"No. Just tell him I called . . . I'll call again. Well, Miss Nancy—you don't worry."
"How can I not worry?"
"I can see into the future. Don't tell anyone, but it's true; an old gypsy woman saw that I had this power. Your father will come home, and he wasn't hurt in the war. I know that."
"Well... I don't know if I should take your word for it - but it sure makes me feel better."
"It's true." He said goodbye to Nancy softly, and hung up the phone.
"Chess Club——" Grandpa will definitely not hang out in the pool hall today.But the Chess Club is across the street, so it doesn't hurt to check it out.If not, he would drive to Benton Avenue and wait for his grandfather in a place where he could see his house.
Grandpa is there.He sat at the chess table, but didn't even pretend to be thinking about chess; he just sat there sulking.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson."
Grandfather looked up. "What's good? Sit down, Ted."
"Thank you, sir." Lazarus sat down in another chair. "Nothing good, I suppose."
"Huh?" The old man looked at him as if he had just noticed his presence. "Ted, do you think I'm in good shape?"
"Yes, it goes without saying."
"May I walk twenty miles a day with a gun?"
"I think I can." (I'm sure you can, Grandpa.)
"That's what I told that little slick guy in the draft. But he told me I was too old!" Ella Johnson seemed on the verge of tears, "I asked him what rule says forty-five is too old But he told me to go away, said I got in the way. I told him to come out and say I could beat him; and whoever he chose. But they threw me out, Ted, they put I kicked it out!" Grandpa covered his face with his hands, and after a while he took his hands away, muttering to himself, "Before that bastard soldier learned to pee standing up, I was already wearing an American military uniform."
"I'm sorry, sir."
"It was my own fault. I brought my discharge card...I forgot to put my date of birth on it. You say, Ted, if I dye my hair, go to St. Louis, or Joplin —Will it work? Probably will?”
"Maybe." (It's useless, I know, Grandpa...but I remember you managed to convince the National Guard with these tricks. But I can't tell you that.)
"I'm going to try! This time I'm going to leave my discharge card at home."
"Can I drive you home? My classic car is parked in the back."
"Well... I guess so. Might have to go home after all."
"Do you want to drive around and be quiet?"
"Good idea, if it doesn't bother you."
"No trouble at all."
Lazarus drove in silence until the old man's anger subsided.Sensing this, Lazarus turned around and turned east, back to Thirty-first Street.He stops the car. "Mr. Johnson, can you listen to me?"
"What? Tell me."
"If they don't take you—even if you dye your hair—I hope you won't be too disappointed. Because this war was a terrible mistake."
"What do you mean?"
"That's what I mean. (How much to tell him? How much can I make him believe? I can't hide everything - it's Grandpa... he taught me how to shoot, and a lot of other stuff. But Will he believe it?) Fighting this war does no good; it only makes things worse."
Grandfather stared at him tightly, frowning. "Which side are you on, Ted? With the Germans?"
"no."
"Was that a pacifist? Come to think of it, you never said a word about this war."
"No, I'm not a pacifist. I don't support the Germans either. But if we win this war—"
"You should have said 'when we won this war'!"
"Well, 'when we win the war', the end result will show that we've actually lost. We'll lose everything we wanted to win in the war." Mr Johnson abruptly changed tack. "When will you enlist in the army?"
Lazarus hesitated. "I have a few things to do first."
"I think that's your answer, Mr. Branson. Goodbye!" Grandpa swore, fiddling with the door handle.He stepped out of the car door and stood on the side of the road.
Lazarus said, "Grandpa! I mean 'Mr. Johnson'. Let me send you home, please!"
His grandfather stopped, just for a moment, and glanced back at him. "I won't ride in your wreck...you cowardly coward." He strode up the street toward the bus station.
Lazarus waited, watched Mr. Johnson get on the tram, and followed the tram.He didn't want to admit that there was nothing he could do to make up for the broken relationship with his grandfather.He watched the old man get off the car on Benton Avenue, and wondered if he should catch up with him and have a word with him.
But what can he say?He understood how Grandpa felt, and why he felt the way he did.Also, he had said too much, and there was nothing to undo or correct what he had said.He drove aimlessly down Thirty-first Street.
He parked on Indiana Avenue, bought a copy of the Star from a newsstand, went into a grocery store, sat down by the soda fountain, ordered a cherry soda, and pretended to read the paper, making his presence here Appears to appear reasonable.
But he couldn't read it at all.His eyes were fixed on the newspaper, but his mind was lost in thought.
The soda guy wiped the marble countertop in front of him and walked around him.So he ordered another fruit soda.After this happened a second time, Lazarus asked for the phone.
"Local or long-distance?"
"local."
"Behind the counter selling cigarettes, you pay me."
"Brian? I'm Mr. Branson. Can I speak to your mother?"
"I'm going to find her."
It was his grandfather's voice that came out of the phone:
"Mr. Branson, I am amazed at how thick your skin is. What do you want?"
"Mr. Johnson, I want to speak to Mrs. Smith—"
"no."
"—because she has been so good to me, I want to thank her and say goodbye to her."
"Wait a minute—" he heard his grandfather say to others, "George, you get out. Brian, you take Woody, close the door, and keep it closed." Mr. Johnson's voice continued Back on the microphone, "Are you still there?"
"Yes, sir."
"Listen, then, and don't interrupt me; I'll just say it once."
"Okay, sir."
"My daughter won't talk to you, not now, never—"
Lazarus said quickly, "Does she know I'm going to talk to her?"
"Shut up! Of course she knows. She sent me to answer you. I wouldn't talk to you myself. Now, I have something to say to you too—don't interrupt me. My daughter is a decent Married woman, her husband has gone to the front at the call of the country. So don't pester her, don't come here, or you'll get shot. Don't call, don't go to the church she goes to. Maybe you think I Just kidding. Let me remind you, this is Kansas City. It's only twenty-five dollars to break two arms; double that and they'll kill you. If it's both - break your arm first, And then there's a discount for killing you. I can pay sixty-two dollars and fifty cents if you make me do it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Understood."
"Then go your way!"
"Wait a minute! Mr. Johnson, I don't believe you'd hire someone to kill—"
"You'd better not take that risk."
"—because I think you're going to kill that man yourself."
There was a momentary pause on the phone.Then the old man smiled slightly, "You may be right." He hung up the phone.
Lazarus drove off in his car.Soon, he found himself driving west on Lynnwood Avenue.He noticed this because he was passing by the church his family went to.There he met Maureen for the first time—
He would never see Maureen again.
Never again—even if he comes back and tries to avoid the mistake he made this time.There is no paradox.This error is an unalterable part of the space-time framework, and all the subtle concepts in Andy's mathematical theory, all the advanced functions installed on Dora, cannot erase the fact that this has happened.
Lazarus stopped the car in front of the Linwood Building, which was very close to Brooklyn Avenue, and he had to think about what he should do next.
Drive to the train station and take the next westbound Santa Fe train out of here.As long as any distress letter can travel through time and reach its destination, he will be picked up on the spacecraft on Monday morning.The war and all its troubles would be history long ago again; "Ted Branson" would be someone Grandpa and Maureen had known for a short time and then quickly forgotten.
Too bad he didn't have enough time to etch the messages when he wrote those distress letters; but even so, one of them might still make it through time.If you don't get one, go to the rendezvous point in 1926 and wait to be picked up.If none of the letters ever made it to their destination—there was always the possibility that he was trying to use the delayed delivery system while it was not fully established—then wait until 1929 and carry out the planned rendezvous. .That was certainly no problem; the twins and Dora would be ready to carry out that plan no matter what the conditions.
So why is he in such a bad mood?
This is not his war.
After enough time, Grandpa will know that the predictions he blurted out are absolute truths.After a while, Grandpa will know how France expresses its gratitude to the United States, and how the United Kingdom expresses its gratitude.There is no gratitude between countries, there was none before, and there will never be any in the future. "Supporting the Germans"?Not really, Grandpa!Something at the heart of German culture is rotten, and this war will lead to another war in which German atrocities will be a thousand times more brutal than the crime for which they are now blamed: the gas chambers , The stench emitted by the large-scale burning of corpses, this stench will travel through time and last forever——
But he couldn't tell Grandpa and Maureen these things, nor should he try.The best thing about the future is not knowing anything.The good thing is that no one ever believes her words.
Two people from the past world, misunderstood the real reason why he thought this war was pointless - was it that important?
But the truth is, it's really important, very important.
He could feel the bump on his left rib; it was his gun.
A gun could protect his gold coins, but he didn't give a damn about the gold coins.But the gun is also a "suicide option" switch.
Don't think about it, you fool!You don't want to die, you just want the approval of your grandfather and Maureen - Maureen's approval.
The conscription station was at the post office headquarters, far from the city.It was late but it was still open and there was a long line outside.Lazarus gave an old black man a dollar to sit in the car and reminded him that there was a small handbag in the back of the car.He promised to pay him another dollar when he came back.He didn't mention the vest with the money and the pistol, both of which were in the handbag now.In fact, Lazarus wasn't worried about the car or the money, which might make things easier if they were stolen.He lined up at the end of the line.
"Name?"
"Branson Theodore."
"Have you ever been a soldier before?"
"No."
"Age? No, date of birth - preferably before April 5, 1899."
"November 11, 1890."
"You don't look that old, but that's it. Take this paper and go through that door. You'll see a bunch of big bags, or pillowcases. Take off your clothes, put them in a bag, and take Take the bag, give this paper to a doctor, and do as he says."
"Thank you, Sergeant."
"Let's go. Next."
There was a doctor in military uniform and six assistants in civilian clothes.Lazarus read the eye chart correctly, but the doctor didn't seem to be listening.Checks are very lax.Lazarus saw only one person who was rejected; according to Lazarus' rough judgment, this person was already in the advanced stage of tuberculosis.
Only one doctor seemed to be hoping to find the problem.He had Lazarus bend over and spread his ass apart to check him for a hernia, and then he had Lazarus cough and palpate his abdomen. ""
"I don't know, sir."
"Has your appendix been removed? Yes, I can see the scar. I can feel the sutures; the scar is barely noticeable. You are a good surgeon; wish I could do such a beautiful operation .Maybe it's just some excrement piled in there; take a little laxative and you'll be out tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"You're welcome, son. Next."
"Raise your right hands and repeat after me..."
"Save these papers. Be at the conscription station before seven tomorrow morning and show your papers to the sergeant at the information desk; he'll tell you where to go. If you lose these papers, report for duty too, Or Uncle Sam will come after you. That's it, soldiers, you're soldiers now! Go out that door."
His car was still there; the old black person got out of it. "All is well, Colonel!"
"Of course." He agreed cheerfully, pulling a dollar bill from his pocket, "but I'm a 'Private,' not a 'Colonel.'"
"They want you? If so, how can I ask for your money?"
"Of course I can! I don't need it; Uncle Sam will look after me while I'm in the army and pay me twenty-one dollars a month. So take that and the dollar and go buy a gin , bless me, Private Ted Branson."
"I can't do that, Colonel—Private Ted Branson, really. I am, sworn before you were born. You just keep the money and go fight the Germans for us."
"I'll try, Uncle. I'll give you five dollars, and you can give it to the church...and pray for me."
"Well... if you insist, Colonel Private."
Lazarus was in a good mood as he drove south on McGee Avenue.Don't worry about the little things, enjoy life! "Kay-Kay-Kay-Katy! Beautiful Katie--" He stopped in front of a grocery store, looked at the cigarette counter, and found a nearly empty carton of White Owls. .He bought all the remaining cigarettes and asked for the case as well.He also bought a roll of cotton and a roll of surgical tape.On impulse, he also bought the largest and prettiest candy box in the store.
His car was parked under an arc light; instead of starting the car, he got into the back seat, opened his handbag, and took out his vest and pistol.He began to unravel the stitches he had sewn before, not caring whether anyone would see.Using the jackknife he carried with him, he took hours of sewing apart in just five minutes.Thick gold coins slid clangingly into the cigarette case.He stuffed the box with cotton as stuffing, sealed it up, and taped it around to make it stronger.The tattered vest, the pistol, and the westbound train ticket all went down the drain, along with the last vestiges of La Vieux's worries.He smiled and stood up, dusting the dust off his knees.Dude, you are old.Why?Because you have been living too cautiously!
He happily drove off Lynnwood Avenue and onto Benton Avenue, ignoring the city's 75-mph speed limit.He was glad to see that the lights downstairs at Brian Smith's house were still on; that way he wouldn't have to wake anyone in the house.He took the candy box, the chess box, and the cigarette case, which was taped, and walked down the corridor to the front of the house.No sooner had I reached the steps than the porch light came on.Little Brian opened the door and looked out, "Grandpa! It's Mr. Branson!"
"Correction," Lazarus said calmly, "please tell your grandfather that Private Branson is here."
Grandpa immediately appeared at the door, eyeing Lazarus suspiciously. "What's going on, what did you tell that kid?"
"I asked him to tell you that 'Private Branson' is coming, that's me." Lazarus tucked all three items under his left arm with difficulty, tucked one free hand into his pocket, and took out the enlisted Standing on the document someone gave him, "Look at this."
Mr. Johnson looked at the papers. "I see. But why? From what you said, I don't think you would do that."
"Mr. Johnson, I never said I wouldn't be drafted; I just said I had other things to do first. It's true, I did have other things to do. And, I'm not sure what the end result of this war is. Not meaningful and skeptical, that's true. But whatever thoughts I have - I should keep my thoughts to myself - now is the time to get everyone together and move forward. So I went Recruiting, volunteering, they accepted me."
Mr. Johnson handed him his conscription papers and opened the door wide. "Come in, Ted!"
When he entered the house, Lazarus saw a figure shaking and went to the back.Apparently, most of the family was awake.Grandpa led him into the living room. "Sit down, please. I'll tell my daughter."
"If Mrs. Smith is resting, I think it's better not to disturb her." Lazarus said against his will. (Hey, Grandpa, don't you go! I'm going to sneak in and be with her. But it's a secret I'll always keep in my heart.)
"Don't worry. It's something she'd like to know. Well, that file—can I show her?"
"Of course sir."
Lazarus sat and waited.A few minutes later, Ira Johnson returned and returned his enlistment certificate. "She'll be right down." The old man breathed a sigh of relief. "Ted, I'm so proud of you. Earlier today, you let me down - I said something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry, I apologize to you .”
"I cannot accept your apology because there is nothing to apologize for, sir. I spoke too abruptly and did not make my words clear. Can we forget this? Will you shake my hand?"
"What? Yes. Of course! Come!" The two men shook hands solemnly. (Perhaps Grandpa can still stretch out his arms to hold an anvil now—my fingers hurt from being gripped.)
"Mr. Johnson, can you look after something for me? I don't have time for this."
"Huh? Of course!"
"It's mainly this box." Lazarus handed him the cigarette box sealed with tape.
Mr. Johnson took it, fluffing up his coat of arms in surprise. "It's heavy."
"I took everything out of my safe. It's gold. I'll come back for it when the war is over... If I don't come back, can you give it to Woody? When I was eleven."
"What? Listen to me, boy, you'll be right back."
"I hope so, too, and I'll come get it then. But I could fall off the ladder on the troop carrier and break my neck. Can you do what I say?"
"Yes, I will."
“谢谢你，先生。这个是现在给伍迪的礼物。我的象棋。我没法带着它到处跑。我本想把它送给你，但你会想出理由拒绝它……伍迪不会这么做。”
“嗯，好吧，先生。”
“这是给你的礼物——其实并不完全是上面写的那样。”拉撒路把汽车的转让声明递给他。
约翰逊先生看了看声明。“特德，如果你要把你的汽车送给我，你要再想一想。”
“只是名义上的所有权转移，先生。我想做的只是把它留在你这儿。布莱恩会开车；他现在已经是个很好的司机了，他天生就是个好司机；甚至史密斯太太可能也会想学开车。史密斯上尉回家后，他会觉得有车很方便。如果他们送我到这附近的地方训练，而且在把我派到海外战场之前给我一些休息时间，那么我也会来用车的。”
“但为什么给我一份转让声明？当然，这车可以放在我们的谷仓里，而且布莱恩——两个布莱恩——都会开它。我自己可能也会学开车。但是不需要写这个呀。”
“哦。我没有把话说清楚。假设我被送到其他的地方，比如新泽西——但又想把车卖了，我可以花一美分给你寄一张明信片，这样就很简单了，因为你拥有那辆车。”拉撒路又补充了一句，“或者我也有可能会从梯子上摔下来……这种情况下也是同样的道理。如果你不想要它，你可以把它转让给小布莱恩。随你怎么办。约翰逊先生，你知道我没有亲人——所以为什么不把事情弄简单些呢？”外祖父还没来得及回答，史密斯太太进来了。她穿着自己最好的衣服，脸上带着微笑（她哭过，拉撒路很肯定）。她伸出手，“布兰松先生！我们都为你感到骄傲！”
“谢谢你，史密斯太太。我只是路过，来对你们说声谢谢，并向你们告别。我明天一早就要出发了。”
“哦，请一定再坐一会儿！至少要喝杯咖啡，而且孩子们也要和你道别。”
一个小时以后，他仍旧在那里，仍旧很开心——他一直很开心。他把糖果盒给了卡洛尔以后，糖果盒立刻被打开来，给所有的孩子吃。拉撒路喝了许多加了厚厚的奶油和很多糖的咖啡，还吃了一大块莫琳自己做的、上面带有巧克力糖霜的白蛋糕，过后他又接过来一块蛋糕，说自己自从早餐以后就没有吃过东西。莫琳想起身给他做饭的时候，他强烈地表示反对。最后他们达成了一致，让卡洛尔去厨房给他做一个三明治。
“这一天很忙，”他解释道，“我没有时间吃东西。你让我改变了计划；约翰逊先生。”
“是吗，特德？是怎么改变的？”
“你知道的，我想我跟你说过，我本来计划七月一日去旧金山，办些生意上的事。然后就发生了现在这件事，国会对德宣战。所以我计划立刻去旧金山，把我在那边的事情处理一下——然后再参军。我看见你的时候，我马上就要走了，东西都收拾好了。是你让我认识到德国人不会等着我处理好个人事务。所以我立刻报名参军了。”拉撒路努力让自己看起来有点羞怯、不好意思，“我准备好的行李还在外面的车上呢，哪儿也不去了。”
艾拉·约翰逊看上去有点难受。“我没有想要催你，特德。花几天时间把你自己的事料理好，这也没什么；他们不可能在一夜之间就成立一支军队。我知道，我见他们试图这样做过，在1898年。唉，也许我可以替你去一趟？我可以作为你的代理人。因为——嗯，看样子我不会太忙的。”
“不用，不用！非常感谢你，先生。我刚开始没有想明白。我是按照'和平时期'的思考方式，而不是'战争时期'。是你把我带上了正轨。我去了西联邮局，给我在旧金山的经纪人发了一封夜间电报，告诉他我想让他做的事；然后我写了一封信，指定他为我的代理人，作了公证，又去城里的邮局把这些东西都寄给他了。都安排好了，所有的事情。”拉撒路对他即兴编的这个故事很满意，连他自己几乎都要信以为真了，“最后就是报名参军。但那个手提包——你觉得能不能把它放到阁楼上？我不能拿着个手提包去当兵。里面只有一些盥洗用品。”
“我会把它收好的布兰松先生！”小布莱恩说，“就放在我的房间里吧。”
“是我们的房间。”乔治更正道，“我们会把它收好的。”
“等一等，孩子们。特德；如果丢了那个手提包，你会很伤心吗？”
“不会呀，约翰逊先生。为什么这么问？”
“那么你就带着它吧。今晚回住所后，你要重新装一下里面的东西。你一定装了白衬衫和硬领衬，这毫无疑问。这些东西你不需要。如果你有工装衣的话，带上它们，还要带上一双合脚的旧高腰鞋，可以在行军的时候穿。袜子都要穿自己的。还有内衣。我猜测——根据以前不愉快的经历——他们不会立刻备足军装。事情会很混乱，很多方面都是。你可能在参军后一个月或更长的时间里都得穿自己带的衣服。”
“我认为，”史密斯夫人郑重地说，“父亲说的是对的，布兰松先生。史密斯先生——就是史密斯上尉，我丈夫——离家前也说过类似的事。他没等收到发给他的电报就走了——电报几个小时以后才送到——因为他说他知道刚开始的时候会出现混乱的情况。”她撇了撇嘴，“他说这话的时候口气更强烈一些。”
“女儿，这种情形，无论布莱恩怎么骂都不过分。如果特德能够按时吃上饭，他就已经够幸运的了。任何一个能分清自己右脚和左脚的人都会被抓去成为一个上等兵。他们不会关心你穿的是什么，但是你要关心，特德。所以带上一些你会在农场里穿的衣服。还有鞋——舒服的、不会让你行军不到一英里的时候就让你脚上起泡的鞋。嗯，特德，你知道'冷奶酪'这个窍门吗？如果你要在一个星期、或者更长的时间里一直穿着鞋子，这个办法可以保护你的脚。”
“我不知道，先生。”拉撒路回答道。（外公，你以前教过我——或者说“以后”——这个方法很管用，我从来没忘记过。）
“如果可能的话，先把你的脚洗干净、擦干。接着用冷的奶酪涂遍你的脚，尤其是脚趾间的部位。也可以用凡士林，含有石碳酸成分的最好。要涂很多，弄上厚厚的一层。然后穿上袜子——如果可能的话，要穿干净的，不得己的话也可以穿脏的，但一定不要不穿——最后穿上靴子。刚站起来的时候，你可能会觉得像站在一桶肥皂液里。但你的双脚会感谢你的。你的脚趾不会烂，或者不会烂很多。照顾好你的脚，特德，还有，保持肠道畅通。”
"Father!"
“女儿，我是在和一个士兵说话，告诉他一些能救他性命的事。
如果这些孩子不能听这些，就让他们上床吧。 "
“我觉得也到时间了，”莫琳回答道，“至少得安排小一些的孩子先睡。”
“我不要睡觉。”
“伍迪，照妈妈说的做，不许顶嘴，否则我要在你的屁股上把棍子打折。这条命令一直有效，直到你的父亲打完仗回家。”
“我要等二等兵布兰松走了以后再睡觉！爸爸说我可以。”
“嗯。我会用一根棍子来告诉你这在逻辑上是不可能的；这是唯一能让你认识到这一点的办法。莫琳，我建议我们从最小的孩子开始，让他们挨个告别，然后直接上床睡觉。最后我会陪着特德去电车站。”
“我要开车送特德舅舅回家！”
拉撒路觉得到他说话的时候了。“布莱恩，谢谢你。但我们今晚还是别给你妈妈再增添一件需要担心的事了吧。电车几乎可以把我直接送回家……而且从明天开始，我连电车都没得坐了；我要走路了。”
“是这样”，外祖父赞同道，“他要行军。'左右左，左右左！——头昂起来，英勇豪迈！'特德，布莱恩的父亲已经任命布莱恩担任护卫中士，在他回来之前负责保证这个家庭的安全。”
“那么他就不能擅离职守，为一个二等兵当司机把他送回家了，对吗？”
“在护卫长——也就是我以及今天的长官——我的女儿在场的时候，他是不能这样做的。这倒提醒了我，趁这些小朋友和你亲吻道别的时候，我去找一些旧军装；我觉得你穿着会合适的。如果你不介意这是别人穿过的衣服的话。”
“先生，我为自己能穿这些衣服而感到非常骄傲和自豪！”
史密斯夫人站了起来。“我也有一些东西要拿给布兰松先生——二等兵。南希，你能带着伊瑟尔睡觉吗？还有卡洛尔，你能带上理査德吗？”
“可二等兵布兰松还没有吃他的三明治！”
拉撒路说：“对不起，卡洛尔小姐。我太兴奋了，都忘了吃了。嗯，能否请你把它包起来给我？我一回到家就把它吃了，它会让我睡个好觉的。”
“就这么办吧，卡洛尔。”她的母亲说，“布莱恩，你能带上理查德吗？”
又说了一些客套话以后，拉撒路按照从小到大的顺序和每个孩子告别。他抱了一会儿伊瑟尔，看着婴儿天使般的笑容，他自己也对她笑了笑，亲了亲她的前额，把她递给南希。南希抱着她上楼，很快又回来了。为了亲吻理査德，拉撒路不得不单膝跪地，那孩子似乎不明白为什么会这样，但他知道这是一个庄严的时刻；他紧紧抱着拉撒路，嘴巴在他的脸上抹了一下。
然后是伍迪来和他吻别。
这是第一次，也是唯一的一次。但拉撒路已经不再因为触摸“自己”而感到不舒服了，因为这个小孩不是他自己。在这种奇特的转世经历中，拉撒路只能从对方身上找回一些零星记忆。他不再想掐死他了——或者说，不那么经常想了。
伍迪用拉撒路还不习惯的亲昵口吻在他耳边悄声道：“那个象棋真的是象牙做的吗？”
“真的象牙。象牙和黑檀木，跟你妈妈钢琴上的琴键一样。”
“嘿，太棒了！这样吧，等你回来，二等兵布兰松叔叔，我会让你玩这副象棋的。随时都可以。”
“我会打败你的，我的棋友。”
“等着瞧吧！嗯，再见。”
小玛丽眼里含着泪水，亲了他一口，从房间里跑了出去。乔治在他的面颊上吻了一下，低声道：“你保重，特德舅舅。”然后也离开了房间。小布莱恩说：“我会好好照料你的车——我要像你一样把它擦得锃亮。”他迟疑了一下，突兀地在拉撒路脸颊上吻了一下，带着理査德离开了。
卡洛尔把他的三明治整齐地包在蜡纸里，还用一根丝带系好。他向她表示了感谢，把三明治放进外套的一个口袋里。
她把手搭在他的肩上，踮起脚尖，在他的耳边轻声说道：“里面有一张给你的便条！”——然后在他的脸颊上吻了一下，迅速离开了。
南希站到卡洛尔刚才的位置上，轻声说道：“那张纸条是我们两个人写给你的。每天晚上为爸爸祈祷的时候，我们也会为你祈祷。”她扫了一眼她的妈妈，然后把手放在拉撒路肩上，深深吻了他的嘴唇，“这不是再见，这是！”她离开的速度比她妹妹还要快，高昂着头走路的姿势和她的母亲一模一样。
史密斯太太站起来，双手捧着一本小书。“这是送给你的。”这是一本袖珍《新约圣经》，翻开在最后一页。他接过书，看着上面已经有些褪色的题字：
“赠给莫琳·约翰逊，1892年耶稣受难节，谢谢她的悉心照料。马修七世。”
题字下面，有几行刚写上去的、斯宾塞体的字：
赠给二等兵西奥多·布兰松
忠于自己和国家。
莫琳·史密斯1917年4月6曰
拉撒路咽了口唾沫。“我会珍藏它，并且随身带好它，史密斯夫人。”
她轻声说道：“西奥多……好好保重。一定要回到我们身边”
Notes:
Notes: