PART III
WINGS
| [CHAPTER I] |
| [CHAPTER II] |
| [CHAPTER III] |
| [CHAPTER IV] |
| [CHAPTER V] |
| [CHAPTER VI] |
| [CHAPTER VII] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] |
CHAPTER I
"Boom, boom," said the city of New York, "we have gone to war!"
And all the other cities, big and little, said a boom-boom of their own. A mighty nation had gone to war.
A time of singing. Songs on the lips of crowds. Lights in their eyes. High-pitched, garbled words, brass bands, flags, speeches.... Mine eyes have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord but we don't want the Bacon, All we Want is a Piece of the Rhine(d).... A brass monkey playing "Nearer, My God, to Thee" on a red banjo.... Allons, les enfants ... le jour de gloire est arrivé! You tell 'em, kid! Store fronts, cabarets, hotel lobbies, sign-boards, office buildings all become shining citadels of righteousness beleaguered by the powers of darkness. Newspaper headlines exploding like firecrackers on the corners. A bonfire of faces in the streets. A bonfire of flags above the streets.