corner just said. I--I saw you getting red clear behind your ears over it.
I--I was, too, Jimmie. It's like that soldier boy was put there on that
corner just to show me, before it was too late, how wrong I been in every
one of my ways. Us women who are helping to foster slackers. That's what
we're making of them--slackers for life. And here I been thinking it was
your good I had in mind, when all along it's been mine. That's what it's
been, mine!"

"Aw, now, Gert--"

"You got to go, Jimmie. You got to go, because you want to go and--because
I want you to go."

"Where?"

"To war."

He took hold of her two arms because they were trembling. "Aw, now, Gert, I
didn't say anything complaining. I--"

"You did, Jimmie, you did, and--and I never was so glad over you that you
did complain. I just never was so glad. I want you to go, Jimmie. I want
you to go and get a man made out of you. They'll make a better job out of
you than ever I can. I want you to get the yellow streak washed out. I want
you to get to be all the things he said you would. For every line he was
talking up there, I could see my boy coming home to me some day better than
anything I could make out of him, babying him the way I can't help doing. I
could see you, honey-bee, coming back to me with the kind of lift to your
head a fellow has when he's been fighting to make the world a safe place
for dem--for whatever it was he said. I want you to go, Jimmie. I want you