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"Stop it, Becky You said yourself it’s not a date, but a chance to see Mrs Roosevelt"

I take a deep breath She’s right I’undy wool coat and a crocheted peach scarf that Patience lent o downstairs to open the door before the man even knocks

"Well, don’t you look nice!" The captain stands on the porch in a black tuxedo with a silk collar and a black tie I had been worried I ht be overdressed and aown is just right Without knohy, I tuck a lock of ht ear

"Patience, my friend, made the dress for me I’d introduce you, but she’s in the family way and confined to bed for the rest of her term Her husband, Dr Hester, is a vet and is out on a callHave you been to the Hotel Torrington? I hear it’s lovely"

I’ on as he takes my arm and leads me to a spotless older model dark blue Ford Hethe chrome "Nice auto, Captain"

"Please call ine "Had her a few years, but I keep her in the garage at the cao somewhere The boys at the "

It takes us alton The roads aren’t too bad, but there’s a snowdrift on Hog Back Mountain and for a few et out in our fancy clothes and shovel, but we rew up in Ohio, and for most of the way our conversation is entirely about the caive hiinia since itthe CCC boys It still ht the unions, tooth and nail

He also was unaware that the state was split in its loyalties during the Civil War More than sixty-five years later, half the citizens still think of themselves as Confederate and half are loyal to the Union

At last we cross the iron bridge over the distant end of the Hope River and enter the ston Hotel, the tallest building on River Street, is lighted up like a fairy castle, and e pull under the canopy, the bellhop runs over, assistsout, and takes the car around back

I slip h the captain’s, partly because he holds it out forinside so et myself into this? I only accepted the invitation because I didn’t want to hurt the poorto be ho Edna St Vincent Millay

The Ball

We enter a lobby carpeted in red and paneled froirl beckons us over and takes our wraps To the right, a curved lass doors at the end of the roo a rendition of a Richard Rodgers tune, "Isn’t It Roet our bearings Golden chandeliers hang froed by small round tables covered hite tablecloths, each with a candle and floral arrangement

A maître d’ takes the invitation that the captain removes from his breast pocket and seats us at a small table near the front Ten feet away is a raised platfor I see now that the band is playing fro

"It’s been a while since I’ve been to a larger town," the captain reht cheek I resist an urge to ask hoounded