Page:Firecrackers a realistic novel.pdf/251



What a silly song, Wintergreen commented. Of course, Michigan water isn't like cherry wine. It isn't, she asserted, with an air of authority—had not she herself been born in Michigan?—like any kind of wine at all. It's like water, just like water anywhere; just like, she went on, in an attempt to explain her meaning more fully, the water in the Hudson River, or the water we drink. And who ever heard of a Nigger wanting to go back to Michigan?

On this last day of the siege Paul made one final attempt to ply the girl with liquor, but she was more than usually well provided with refusals. He thought of another way to please her: he would flatter her by inviting her to order the luncheon. He had cause to regret this rash act. She began by asking for alligator pears stuffed with crabmeat and bathed in mayonnaise. A filet mignon, flanked by side dishes of lima beans, green peas, and French fried potatoes, was to follow. She chose chocolate ice-cream on apple-pie to conclude this repast. As she raised no objection to Paul's drinking, he ordered a cocktail.