"I--I shouldn't have beat that pillow is all. Let me get my breathing.
I'm all right." Nevertheless, she let him relax her to his pillow, draw
the covers down from the footboard, and cover her.
"This settles it," he said, quietly. "I'm going to get a doctor."
She caught his hand. "If--if you want to get me excited for sure, just
you call a doctor--now--before I talk with you a minute--I want to
talk--I'm all right, Sammy, if you let me talk to you. One step to that
telephone, and I get excited--"
"Please, ma--"
"Sammy?"
"Yes."
"Will you listen to me and do like I want it?"
"Yes."
"I--been a bad old woman."
"That's right--break my heart."
"I got a brave boy for a son, and I want to make from him a coward."
"Ma--please!"
"I laid saying to myself all night, a mother should have such a son like
mine and make things hard for him yet!"
"Please, get it all out of your head--"
"From America what has given to me everything I should hold back my son
from fighting for. In war, it ain't your own flesh and blood what
counts; it's the flesh and blood of your country--not, Sam? I been
thinking only it's my family affair. If God lets be such a terrible
thing like war, there is somewhere a good reason for it.
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