Lifeboat Page #4

That typewriter went with me everywhere...

Rome, Berlin, Paris, London.

Oh, quit grousing.

Why shouldn't I grouse? Little by little, I'm

being stripped of all my earthly possessions.

First, my beautiful stocking,

then my camera.

I don't mind the loss of the camera

so much, but the film in it!

I get positively ill

when I think about it.

Hey, do you remember the boom

we had after the last war?

Well, the boom we're gonna have after this

one'll make the last look like a mild flurry.

Then my steamer rug goes, then my fur coat,

and now my typewriter.

Take China, for example.

400 million customers waiting to sign on

the dotted line as soon as peace is declared.

I never should've taken

the freighter, should've gone by clipper.

Me, too. I'd have been

in Spain by this time.

Spain? Were you going

for the state department?

State department? Certainly not.

I was going for C.J. Rittenhouse.

- What for?

- What for? Why, my dear fellow.

Pipe down, Ritt.

The "Gay-Pay-oo."

What are you doing

with my memo pad?

I borrowed it from you

to make a deck of cards.

Never heard such impertinence,

opening my bag.

It was open.

How about a little draw poker?

- Eh, suits me fine!

- Deal you in?

With a deck

you've made, darling?

What are you gonna play for?

- Dollar limit?

- That'll do for a starter.

- Cut for deal.

- All right.

You deal.

What are those letters

on your diaphragm?

- Love letters.

- Oh, you believe in advertising?

Open.

Never could understand this quaint habit

of making a billboard out of one's torso.

- Stay.

- Three cards.

I must say you've shown the most commendable

delicacy in just tattooing the initial...

not printing the names, addresses,

and telephone numbers.

Open.

- Nines?

- Queens.

See, how many are there?

One, two, three, four, five.

- Remind me to show you the rest of them sometime.

- Your deal, my boy.

And see you deal them

off the top.

- You mean, you're used to people dealing off the bottom?

- was justjoking.

I never thought I'd go into it.

I used to faint at the sight of blood.

What made you join

the merchant marine?

I don't know.

Never thought about it.

I suppose it was

'cause I lived in Greenwich.

Maybe it was the river

there, and the ships.

It's the first time I've ever been to sea.

I was born and raised in the wheat country.

You know, sometimes when the wind blows through

the wheat, it looks something like the sea.

Well, it's not a bad life, the merchant

marine, except for the U-boats.

After a while, you get to taking even

them in your stride.

It's rather scary the first

time, though, isn't it?

I'm glad the freighter

was torpedoed.

My dear young lady,

what an extraordinary thing to say!

- What are you doing that for?

- t's the bandage, Loot, it's too tight or something.

Oh, wait. Let me.

Holy mackerel.

- Ain't it a lulu?

- What about it, Miss?

- don't know. I'm afraid it...

- Looks more like a leg oflamb, don't it?

Get away from here.

Tell him to get back to his place

before I throw him overboard.

What did he say?

Gus, I'm afraid

your leg's very bad.

Gangrene?

Ja, gangrene.

It'll have to be

amputated at once.

I've never even assisted

in an amputation.

He says, being an enemy and,

technically, our prisoner...

perhaps you wouldn't want to trust him with

the operation, but he's willing to do it.

What the devil

does he know about it?

He says he was a surgeon in civilian life.

He's done many operations.

If he did, they were probably illegal. If he's

a medical man, why isn't he in medical service?

I don't know and I don't care.

Perhaps the gangrene

isn't legal, either, but it's there.

The leg has to come off.

No dice.

I don't want no operation.

- Darling, you want to live, don't you?

- Not with one leg.

- Don't be a sap, Gus.

- You don't understand.

- Sure, I do. Rosie.

- What's Rosie got to do with it?

- Everything. If I lose my leg, I lose Rosie.

- Of course, I don't know Rosie.

She loves to dance. It's her hobby.

It's her whole life.

- Put yourself in her place. Do you like to dance?

- Mad about it.

Well, then, what good's a hepcat with one

gam missin'? f my leg goes, Rosie goes.

- f she's that kind of a...

- Don't you call Rosie that kind of a...

I oughta know. I introduced

you to her, didn't I?

No, you didn't. Al Magaroulian

introduced me to her.

- knew her before Al Magaroulian did.

- Al Magaroulian...

The heck with Al Magaroulian.

What's he got to do with it?

- Rosie's as good as anybody.

- And a darn sight better.

- f she was the right kind of a woman...

- Kovac, you take that back.

Darling, don't you pay any attention

to this human 24-sheet.

Now, you listen to me.

I don't know Rosie, but I know women.

Some of my best friends are women.

And one of'em's "that kind of a..."

- What kind of a?

- Well, an independent creature who lives her own life.

- That's Rosie all over.

- With a heart of gold. And she gives it away.

Rosie'd give the shirt off her back to anybody.

She's got a heart as big as her head.

- And you wanna break it.

- Who, me?

Well, you'd rather die

than trust her.

Who says I don't trust her?

It's Al Magaroulian I don't trust.

He knew her before I did.

She swore to me there was

nothing between them, but...

Maybe there wasn't.

But Rosie's human like everybody else...

and it ain't like we was married,

or had a home and all.

Maybe we shoulda got hitched

before I left on that last trip.

I shoulda took care

of that insurance.

Rosie kept askin' me about it.

The kid's always thinkin' of me.

That's why you've got to think of her,

back home, putting on a big show...

laughing and dancing, pretending

to be having a good time.

And all the while, her heart's aching,

torn with loneliness and uncertainty.

Not knowing whether

you're dead or alive.

Then, at last, to find out

that you risked your life...

perhaps even died, just

because you had no faith in her?

God, forgive me.

Poor kid, she'd be

brokenhearted when she...

Well, let's go.

What are we all waitin' for?

He'll need a pail of water, Joe.

- s there any sort of anesthetic?

- Nothing.

- Nein.

- You have some brandy, haven't you?

He says brandy's better than nothing.

Did I hear brandy?

- Let me get it for you.

- Oh, thanks, Joe.

Can you open it for me?

That's right, it's just here.

- Here, darling.

- Hi-yo, Silver!

He'll need a tourniquet, a belt or something.

I'll lose my pants if I take mine off.

- How'bout your belt, Sparks?

- Here it is.

- Get it, Joe.

- t was nice knowin' ya.

Um, oh, Joe. He wants a needle and twine

from the, uh, boat kit or something.

It's in a ditty bag, Joe.

Aah!

Am I gonna feel good

pretty soon.

Kovac, why'd you want to

say that about Rosie?

- Say what?

- What you said.

- 'm sorry, Gus.

- Take it back.

Okay, I take it back.

- What can we use for forceps?

- You have tweezers?

I've got tweezers. Yes, Joe,

you'll find them in my bag.

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