U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [141]
-355-She paid the taximan and went down the stairs to the Long Island Railroad. Her knees were shaky and she felt desperately tired as she pushed her way through the crowd to the information desk. No, she couldn't get a train to Great Neck til 2:13. She stood in line a long time for a ticket. A man stepped on her foot. The line of people moved maddeningly slowly past the ticketwindow. When she got to the window it was several seconds before she could remember the name of the place she wanted a ticket for. The man looked at her through the window, with peevish shoebutton eyes. He wore a green eyeshade and his lips were too red for his pale face. The people behind were getting impatient. A man with a tweed coat and a heavy suitcase was already trying to brush past her. "Great Neck and return." As soon as she'd bought the ticket the thought came to her that she wouldn't have time to get out there and back by five o'clock. She put the ticket in her gray silk purse that had a little design in jet on it. She thought of kil ing herself. She would take the subway downtown and go up in the elevator to the top of the Woolworth Building and throw herself off.
Instead she went out to the taxistation. Russet sunlight was pouring through the gray colonnade, the blue smoke of exhausts rose into it crinkled like watered silk. She got into a taxi and told the driver to take her round Central Park. Some of the twigs were red and there was a glint on the long buds of beeches but the grass was stil brown and there were piles of dirty snow in the gutters. A shivery raw wind blew across the ponds. The taximan kept talking to her. She couldn't catch what he said and got tired of making random answers and told him to leave her at the Metropolitan Art Museum. While she was pay-ing him a newsboy ran by crying "Extra!" Eleanor bought a paper for a nickel and the taximan bought a paper. "I'l be a sonova . . ." she heard the taximan exclaim, but she ran up the steps fast for fear she'd have to talk to him.
-356-When she got in the quiet silvery light of the musuem she opened up the paper. A rancid smel of printer's ink came from it; the ink was stil sticky and came off on her gloves.
DECLARATION OF WAR
A matter of hours now Washington Observers declare. German note thoroughly unsatisfactory.
She left the newspaper on a bench and went to look at the Rodins. After she'd looked at the Rodins she went to the Chinese wing. By the time she was ready to go down Fifth Avenue in the bus --she felt she'd been spending too much on taxis --she felt elated. Al the way downtown she kept remembering the Age of Bronze. When she made out J.W. in the stuffy pinkish light of the hotel lobby she went towards him with a springy step. His jaw was set and his blue eyes were on fire. He looked younger than last time she'd seen him. "Wel , it's come at last," he said. "I just wired Washington offering my services to the government. I'd like to see 'em try and pul a rail-road strike now.""It's wonderful and terrible," said Eleanor. "I'm trembling like a leaf." They went to a little table in the corner behind some heavy draperies to have tea. They had hardly sat down before the orchestra started playing The Star-Spangled Banner, and they had to get to their feet. There was great bustle in the hotel. People kept running about with fresh editions of the papers, laughing and talking loud. Per-fect strangers borrowed each other's newspapers, chatted about the war, lit cigarettes for each other.
"I have an idea, J.W.," Eleanor was saying, holding a piece of cinnamontoast poised in her pointed fingers,
"that if I went out and talked to your wife as one woman to another, she'd understand the situation better. When I was decorating the house she was so kind and we got along famously."
-357-"I have offered my services to Washington," said Ward.
"There may be a telegram at the office now. I'm sure that Gertrude wil see that it is her simple duty."
"I want to go, J.W.," said Eleanor. "I feel I must go."
"Where?"
"To France."
"Don't do anything hasty, Eleanor."
"No, I feel I must . . . I could be a very good nurse