Battle Cry Read Online Free

been an awful lot of fun.” Her voice trembled.
    “I’ve been thinking about it a lot too. I guess we’ve got to grow up sometimes.”
    “I suppose.”
    “I’m going to miss you an awful lot. But we’ll have Christmas Holidays and all summer. I’ll get work here during the summer.”
    “You’ve decided, then?”
    “I decided that a long time ago. I wanted to go to M.I.T. But they don’t give football scholarships and I’m afraid the bill would be a little too steep for Dad.”
    “You do want to go to Georgia Tech?”
    “Yes.”
    “Have you talked it over with Virg?”
    “No. I don’t want to back down on a bargain…but I’ll never get my C.E. at Maryland…not the one I want.”
    “It wouldn’t be so bad if you went there. I’ll be going in another year.”
    “That’s the trouble. Georgia is so far away from you.”
    “I wish you didn’t have to play football.”
    “I like football.”
    “I don’t. I think I’ll be worried to death the whole time you’re gone.”
    “About football?”
    “And some other girl stealing you.”
    “You’re my girl, Kathy. You’ll see someday why I want to be an engineer so badly. They go everywhere in the world, see everything. Do all kinds of jobs—tunnels, bridges, dams. It’s a real job. A good civil engineer writes his ticket.”
    “I know how much you want it.”
    “Kathy?”
    “Yes.”
    “I don’t like leaving you. Try to understand.”
    “Yes.” She came back to his arms and he petted her gently.
    “I think if another guy ever touched you, I’d kill him.”
    “Would you…honestly?”
    “Do you suppose it will be the same, kitten? I want you to go out on dates and all.”
    “I won’t enjoy them.”
    “It will be best. Five years is a long time before we can make any real plans. I’ve…sometimes wished I could say a lot of things to you…and wished we could be serious.”
    “It’s really a problem, Danny. I didn’t think people had problems like this.”
    “I don’t guess it could be much worse—anything at all. We sure have problems.”
     
    Early morning found the contingent enlarged nearly six-fold. Throughout the night the train had halted restlessly as parting scenes were played out before its steel sides. Dawn in Buffalo. It was freezing as they stepped into the Harvey Restaurant in the monstrous station. A hot breakfast brought him slowly to his senses and for the first time he became eager and anxious to continue the trip. The full sun banished the initial shock and now he was excited about the coming adventure.
    “My name is Ted Dwyer and this is Robin Long.”
    “Forrester, Danny Forrester, and this guy is L.Q. Jones. Don’t let him scare you.”
    “How about you guys pulling over here and let’s have a little card game.”
    “Good idea. The trip along Lake Erie is a killer. We won’t hit Chicago till late.”
    “Train sure is bulging.”
    “Yeah.”
    Mile upon mile of monotonous scenery on the never-ending lake shore finally caused the conversation to dwindle and restlessness to set in.
    In the lavatory, a blustering character named Shannon O’Hearne had started a crap game. A large and unruly Irishman, he had gotten himself a band of awed followers and along with the crap game a drinking spree soon began. The group made passage to and from the toilet an obstacle course.
    The monotony was broken by a further monotony of standing in line for lunch. There were nearly four hundred men aboard now, all wanting to eat simultaneously—except Shannon O’Hearne and his followers, who drank their meal.
    At last the train got lost in the maze of rails that ushered it into Chicago. Numbed and weary they debarked, glad of the layover.
     
    Henry Forrester sat in his overstuffed chair, his feet propped on an ottoman. Bud lay on the floor, the Sunday funnies sprawled out before him. The voice of a nervous football broadcaster broke the tranquillity of the room.
    And now we take a thirty-second pause for station