I let up on the accelerator, only to gradually reach again the 60 m. p. h. which would, I hoped, overhaul Herry and the blonde, and as there were cars whose drivers apparently had something more important to catch than had I, Mrs. Major Roebuck settled down to practicing on Corporal Johnson the kittenish wiles she would need when making her duty call on Colonel and Mrs. Somebody in Sante Fe.

When Johnson ejaculated ``Howsabout my buying us all a nice cold Co-cola, Ma ' am?'' Mrs. Roebuck smilingly declined and began suddenly to go on about her son, who was ``onleh a little younguh than you bawhs.''

Johnson never would have believed she had a son that age. Mrs. Roebuck thought Johnson was a ``sweet bawh t' lah lahk thet,'' but her Herman was getting to be a man, there was no getting around it. ``Just befoh he left foh his academeh we wuh hevin dack-rihs on the vuhranduh, Major Roebuck an Ah, an Huhmun says' May Ah hev one too'? just as p ' lite an -- an cohnfidunt, an Ah says' Uh coahse you cai n't', but he says' Whah nawt, you ah hevin one'? an Ah coudn ansuh him an so Ah said' Aw right, Ah gay-ess, an his fathuh did n uttuh one wohd an aftuh Huhmun was gone, the majuh laughed an tole me thet he an the bawh had been hevin an occasional drink t ' gethuh f' ovuh a yeah, onleh an occasional one, but just the same it was behahn mah back, an Ah doa n think thet's nahce at all, d' you?''