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His black eyes twinkled, and he shook with laughter when I sat up, clasped my hands, and said: "Oh, dear? Were they the men who were standing around Charlie? Why I had not dreamed of them being surgeons!" "Did you not know by their shoulders traps?" "Shoulderstraps? Do surgeons have shoulderstraps? I thought only officers wore them!"
He called me, clutched my dress, and plead: "Mother, can't you get me a blanket, I'm so cold; I could live if I could get any care!" I went to the room where the men lay smoking on the blankets; but one of them wearing a surgeon's shoulderstraps, and speaking in a German accent, claimed them as his private property, and positively refused to yield one.
"Well, surgeons are officers, and you can know by my shoulderstraps that I am a surgeon." "Oh, I do not mind you; but Dr. Baxter! How I did behave before him! What must he have thought? And he does not allow women to come here!" "Well. You passed inspection; and as you propose to stay with us, I will have a room prepared for you."
He was there to accompany her, but she declined going without me, and I went along, walking close behind them, as the pavement was narrow. He did not seem to notice that I was there, was troubled with the weight of his diploma and shoulderstraps, and talked very patronizingly to the lady at his side, until she turned, and said to me: "Do you hear that?"
Lord! there isn't another lady in the world could 'a done what you've done; an' I know you're a lady! Them women with the fine clothes is trying to pass for ladies, but, Lord! I know no lady 'u'd dress up that way in a place like this, an' men know it, too just look at you, an' how you do make them fellers in shoulderstraps stand 'round!"
"When you first came to me in Washington, Albert, seeking warcontracts for your microscopic business, I suppose there was even then a mark upon your forehead, but I was too heavy with the guilt of my own affairs to see it. We all have our price, Albert, sometimes it is another star on the shoulderstraps or a peerage or wealth or the apparent safety of a son....
At any rate she looked startled, and I think pressed a button on her desk. A pinkfaced, whitemustached gentleman came hastily through the door behind her. The jacket of his uniform fitted snugly at the waist and his bald head was sunburnt and shiny. "What's this? What's this? ... going on here?" I saw the single star on his shoulderstraps and ventured, "General Thario?"
I'd rather you'd buck-and-gag me. But you are to blame for it yourself. You ought to have more sense than lay it into a Lieutenant-Colonel and Provost-Marshal that way. But you did give it to him fine, the old blow-hard and whisky-sucker. He's no more fit for shoulderstraps than a hog is for a paper-collar.
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