"You really married me only to keep out of the Army, didn't you, Orville?" I rose to a sitting position, bit my lips but nodded. Recalling all of the things I had read in books and had seen in the movies about war, I started quivering with fear. I wailed, "Oh Constance, can't you do something? Isn't there some way to save me?" I grasped her around her knees and began to sob. Suddenly I received a stinging slap across my cheek and was pulled to my feet and shoved into a chair. Several more slaps brought me out of my hysterics. I avoided looking into Constance's scornful eyes. "Forgive me", I said. "It's just that I've been dreading this so long- that " I faltered, not knowing of a convincing ex- planation of my cowardice.

"Poor boy! It would be a shame sending you into the Army, feeling as you do. I'll help delay this if you wish it that way. Of course you will have to take all the blame when they catch up with you. That is inevitable. Now I'll have a friend of mine drive vou across the Canadian border to Northwest, a little town where my mother and fa- ther live. There you'll be safe as long as a year, at least. Do you want to do that?" This offer seemed almost too good to be true and I certainly did not hesitate in mak- ing up my mind. Almost before I knew it I was in the car, one of Constance's trucks to be exact, and driven by one of her drivers. I was hidden under a large piece of canvas and arrived at my mother-in-law's without any border incident.

I found the house in great disorder. Mrs. Vickers was try- ing to make beds, cook, and attend her husband - all at the same time. It seemed that all her household help had left for more remunerative work at war plants. I rather disliked my mother-in-law at first sight. She's a tall, fair, rather maidenish woman with large eyes that had a wise, penetrating look. She powdered her face thickly and painted her lips in the shape that has become the universal device of sensual- ity for all women - from the newly mature to the very old. Mrs. Vickers, past 50, was foreman of her home and was for- ever on the watch for new face lotions and skin packs. She