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She stares at him with the suspicion of a person just awakened fro reality

“Harder?”

“You are no rins tentatively “Say, are you allowed to talk to me?”

“I don’t see Daddy here, do you?” She holds out her ars her

Then he lifts her medical chart, lets out a lohistle, and says, “You h”

“Knee-high? No one’s called me that sinceyou know, since you left”

“Left? Who left? I was kicked out” He says it without obvious rancor, more in amusement

“What are you doing here, Harder?”

He shrugs “The draft board caught up toas an orderly Private Harder Marr: cleaner of bedpans and deliverer of trays I put it in one end, take it froh I do wash my hands in between”

Frangie grins “My goodness it’s swell to see you, Brother”

“It’s good to see you too, Sis”

It is said by both with e on tears Years have passed since Harder’s politics caused him to be disowned by their father Harder is older,noorn perhaps, tired but not defeated He is the tallest person in the fahtest-skinned with features that seeie knows there’s hardly a colored family that doesn’t have some white blood somewhere in their past

“Well, the head nurse will skin me if I dawdle,” Harder says with a roll of his eyes “But I’m off shift in a couple of hours I’ve found a place out of doors that’s not too unpleasant, if you’re up for a ride in a wheelchair”

“You have no idea what I’d give to see the sky,” Frangie says

She sleeps after that, is awakened to be jabbed with a needle, sleeps, wakes again to be poked at by a doctor who corunts is satisfied It seems her fever has left her weak and exhausted, but her wounds are all healing satisfactorily The cast on her leg makes the flesh beneath it itch like mad at times, but that will come off in a feeeks, most likely In the meantime she is to relax