"He told me," Frank went on, still holding the slip of paper in his
hand but making no attempt to open it, "that his mother had died when
he and Jimmy were young and that since then his dad had been father
and mother both to them and that he had worked himself nearly to death
to give them a chance for the college education that he had had. He
said that the one thing that had always threatened to floor the old
boy was when either he or Jim got mad and threatened to give up school
and go to work so as to take some of the load from the old pater's
shoulders. So they were glad, actually glad, when the war came along
and gave them a chance not only to serve their country and earn some
money-- even if it was only a miserable pittance-- so that they could
send some home to their dad and feel that they had stopped being a
drag upon him. He used to tell me," Frank went on, for the spell of
those old thrilling times was strong upon him again, "with tears in
his eyes-- and I'll tell you there was no braver man in all the
American army than Arnold Dempsey; he was good for two Boches any
day-- that it would be the happiest moment of his life when he got
back to the old country and announced to his proud and admiring pater
that he had come home to turn the tables; that Jimmy and he were going
to make the old fellow take a rest and do the work themselves for a
change.
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