The Major's Daughter by J. P. Francis Page A

its neck, the brown paper bag around it rolled back as a collar. Amos held the door open for Dolly and she slid inside. Henry did the same for Charlene and then climbed in beside her. She had apparently refreshed her lilac perfume, because she gave off a haze of fragrance, slightly tinged by the scent of gin.
    â€œNow, this is an adventure,” Amos said, pulling away from the curb. “You girls ready for a little adventure?”
    â€œOf course we are,” Dolly said, turning in her seat to glance at Charlene. “Aren’t we ready for an adventure, Char?”
    â€œMy friend saw the German camp and she said one of the men had red eyes,” Charlene said. “You wouldn’t notice it right away, not in full sunlight, but right near evening his eyes caught the sun and she swore they were red. Like a wolf or something.”
    â€œA couple of them have tails,” Dolly said. “I know that for certain. I have it on good account.”
    â€œWhat, were you in the showers with them?” Amos asked.
    Dolly shrieked in mock offense. The car jerked across the road and Amos settled it back too rapidly and the tail fished out a little. Henry held the back of the seat in front of him. Charlene’s perfume had begun to make him a little seasick. He rolled down the window beside him. Fog laced the roads and puffed as the car passed through it.
    Henry dozed for a while. When he woke, Charlene had the rye bottle in hand and shoved it against his shoulder. They had arrived at the camp. It wasn’t much of a place, Henry saw. He took a drink and climbed out when the car stopped. Amos leaned hard on the horn.
    â€œWake up, you German shits!” Amos yelled in between honks. “Heil Hitler, you Heiny bastards!”
    Dolly giggled. Charlene walked close to the fence and stared inside.
    â€œIt’s too dark,” she said. “I can’t see anything.”
    â€œThe guards are going to chase us off,” Henry said. “We should go.”
    â€œI’ll go when I’m good and ready,” Amos said. “It’s a free country.”
    He honked the horn in one long blast. It sounded terribly loud in the darkness, Henry thought. He walked off a few paces and peed against a maple, happy to be away from the horn noise. Amos joined him. Amos had trouble staying steady on his feet. Henry offered to drive back, but Amos shook his head.
    â€œI got it,” he said, zipping up.
    He honked the horn some more. There was nothing to see, Henry reflected, except when the searchlight passed over the interior of the camp. He could make out guard towers posted on each side of a square, and he saw the fence topped by razor wire, but otherwise it was difficult to make out any details. It was too early, or too late, for the German soldiers to be about. They would still be in their barracks, asleep.
    â€œOkay, let’s go,” Amos said, letting off the horn. “You girls satisfied?”
    â€œWe didn’t see anything!” Charlene said. “I wanted to see something.”
    â€œAt least you can say you’ve been here,” Amos said. “Climb back in. I have to put my little brother to bed.”
    â€œI can put myself to bed,” Henry said, bored with Amos’s constant reference to his age.
    â€œNo, it’s my job to look out for you, little brother.”
    Henry climbed into the backseat. Charlene climbed in, too. Amos grabbed Dolly and kissed her and rolled her a little on the hood of the car. Dolly fought him off and crawled into the car, laughing.
    On the way back, near Eden Road, Amos pulled the car onto a dirt turnout and told the girls they had to take off their clothes to get a ride back.
    â€œStop it!” Dolly said, laughing. “You’re so naughty!”
    â€œI’m serious,” Amos said in a voice that Henry didn’t recognize as coming from his brother. “Get out and peel off. I want to see both of you. The whole