IT SHOWS THAT SINATRA CAN BE A GOOD INFLUENCE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 291, 19 January 1945, Page 18

IT SHOWS THAT SINATRA CAN BE A GOOD INFLUENCE

(Written for

The Listener

the bunch of flowers wrapped in coloured paper, was whistling "I'll walk alone, because to tell you the truth..." He was whistling it quite nicely, having apparently no trouble at all in getting the quarter notes, the off-the-notes. He a to be quite unself-conscious about his whistling attracting some attention. Occasionally he sang the words, and he sang nicely too. Watching out this way and that, he sat in the middle of the seat in the arcade. A collar and tie showed beneath his battledress tunic, his trousers had sharp T solid young soldier, with

| creases, and he wore polished tan shoes. His big, full-moon face was shaved very smooth, and his straight reddish hair showed trimmed and glistening, where his Field Service cap didn’t cover it, He had New Zealand shoulder flashes, but no badge of any rank. "] don't mind being lonely .. ." The thin little oldish civilian sitting next to the soldier looked just shabby, nondescript, and rather grubby-and perhaps he was a little drunk. He had his tobacco tin on his knee, and kept holding up a tissue, trying to get the light im order to see which side was gummed. Finally, while he opened his tin, he held the tissue by the corner in between his lips. And when he was at last rolling his smoke he said to the soldier: "Been overseas, eh?" "And Vill tell them [fd rather... Yes," the soldier said. "Greece, Crete, tight through."

"T bet you had some good times over there." "Dreams we fashioned the night . . « Not so good; I was in the infantry," the soldier said, The stout old party sitting at the end of the seat had her hat covered with trimmings that looked like pieces of sugar-bag. She wore a rusty black coat, ample enough to cover her from the neck to the ankles. She had a walking stick and this, together with the way she looked over the top of her glasses, which, besides being cracked were held together with string, somehow gave her an air of dignity. She had been petting the big stray mongrel dog that grinned with its

mouth hanging open and slowly wagged its tail, but now kept trying to put its paws up on the old party's knees. She had threatened it, and now she hit out with her walking stick. The dog gave a whimper and its tail collapsed, and the soldier stopped whistling. "Lady," he said, "never ill-treat an animal. Hit a dog, and you strike a blow at man’s best friend. J’'ll always be near you..." The civilian said; "You'd have some good times, What about Cairo? What about the girls?" "Never looked at them," the soldier said. "Each night in every prayer... Those foreign women aren’t in my line," he said. * * * argument going on between the two workers who were sitting on the (continued on next page)

Coed TOM prevIONs panes other end of the seat while they waited to go on night-shift was getting louder, "I tell you," said the younger one, "he worked on that job and his name was Dago Smith. Listen. . ."’. and he twisted round until his face was nearly in the other man’s. The other man sat back with his arms.folded, looking at his boots down the straight length of his body. "Wait until you're a bit older, boy," he said, "you'll learn." And he suddenly pushed the younger man away from him, The younger man stood up and said, "All right, if it’s a fight you want..." But the soldier got up and went. over and pushed himself in between them, "Listen, mate," the soldier said, "never lift your hand against a fellow-man, /’l/ be lonely .. ." "Hey," the younger man said, "who do you think you are, anyway?" "Smell," the soldier said. And he offered his bunch of flowers, "Beautiful things," he said, "they make a man feel glad he’s alive and walking God’s earth. I'll walk alone..." . The soldier sat down again and the civilian said:

ter than we get here. Six per cent — huh!" "There are dreams I must gather... Never touch the stuff," the soldier said. "Never have touched the stuff. Dreams we fashioned the night .. ." But just then the soldier saw his date, all done up to the nines, coming round the corner. He sprang to his feet and clicked the heels of his tan shoes together, "Well, sweetie-pie . . ." he said. And he bowed as he handed her the bunch of flowers.

F.

S.