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phonograph albums, many hundreds of books, a big Angora cat, and about a dozen
     potted plants. He grew some sort of green creeper on the walls of his sitting room and
     often one was likely to stumble over an empty beer bottle or a coffee cup that had been
     set down on the floor. Finally, this old Lieutenant played the violin. From his rooms
     there would come the lost sound of some naked melody from a string trio or quartet a sound
     that made the young officers passing along the corridor scratch their heads and wink at
     each other. Here Mrs. Langdon often came to visit in the late afternoon. She and
     Lieutenant Weincheck would play Mozart sonatas, or drink coffee and eat crystallized
     ginger before the fire. In addition to his other handicaps the Lieutenant was very poor,
     as he was trying to send two nephews through school. He had to practice any number of mean
     little economies to make ends meet and his one dress uniform was so seedy that he only
     attended the most obligatory social affairs. When Mrs. Langdon learned that he did his own
     mending, she got in the habit of bringing over her own sewing and taking care of the
     Lieutenant's underwear and linen along with her husband's. Sometimes the two of them went
     in the Major's car on trips together to concerts in a city about a hundred and fifty
     miles away. On these occasions they took Anacleto with them.
    'I'm putting up everything on this one hand and if I win I'll have every chip,' Mrs.
     Penderton said. 'It's about time we finished this.'
    As Mrs. Penderton dealt, she managed to pick up an ace and king from her lap and give
     herself blackjack. Everyone in the room saw this and the Major chuckled. Also it was
     observed that the Major patted Leonora on her thigh underneath the table before he pushed
     back his chair. Mrs. Langdon got up at the same time and put her knitting in her bag.
    'I must be getting along,' she said. 'But you stay, Morris, and don't break up the party.
     Good night everybody.'
    Mrs. Langdon walked rather slowly and stiffly, and when she was gone Leonora said, 'I
     wonder what ails her now.'
    'There's no telling,' said the Major miserably. 'But I guess I have to go. Here, let's
     make it one last round.'
    Major Langdon hated to leave the cheerful room, but after he had told the Pendertons good
     bye he stood for a time on the walk before the house. He was looking up at the stars and
     thinking that life sometimes was a bad business. He remembered suddenly the baby who had
     died. What bedlam all the way through! In her labor Alison had clung to Anacleto (for he,
     the Major, could not stand it) and she had screamed for thirty three solid hours. And when
     the doctor said, 'You're not trying hard enough, bear down' why, the little Filipino
     would bear down also, with bent knees and the sweat pouring down his face, giving out wail
     for wail with Alison. Then, when it was over, they found the baby's index and third
     fingers were grown together, and the Major's only thought was that if he had to touch that
     baby he would shudder all over.
    It had drawn out for eleven months. They had been stationed in the Middle West and he
     would come in out of the snow to find something such as a cold plate of tuna fish salad in
     the icebox and the doctors and trained nurses all over the place. Anacleto would be
     upstairs bringing a diaper up to the light to judge the stool, or perhaps holding the baby
     for Alison while she walked up and down, up and down the room with her jaws clamped. When
     the whole business was over, he could feel nothing except relief. But not Alison! How
     bitter and cold it had left her! And how damned, damned finicky! Yes, life could be sad.
    The Major opened the front door and saw Anacleto coming down the stairs. The little
     Filipino walked with grace and composure. He was dressed in sandals, soft gray trousers,
     and a blouse of aquamarine linen. His flat little face was creamy