Tommaso, alarmed, drew her back to the seat.
Angela looked across the side aisle and saw Virginia in the front row. Bending low she approached and whispered:
“My own bambino—he may be president—yes?”
Virginia nodded tearfully.
Angela darted back to her seat, snatched the head cloth from her rich brown hair and seized one of her husband’s earrings. The fight was brief. The Italian struggled to save his ornaments but the wife won. He also lost a gay sash about his waist. The mother pressed the boy to her heart and whispered passionately to her man:
“We Americano now—our bambino be bigga de boss president!”
Tommaso succeeded finally in quieting her before Vassar noticed the disturbance.
“Now, Captain,” Vassar called to Billy, “give us the order of the day for the Boy Scouts of America.”
Billy sprang on the little platform, lifted his smiling face, his hands tightly gripped behind his back and spoke in firm, boyish tones:
“My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country!”