Reflections in a Golden Eye Page #3

Well, the whole shebang.

I've invited everybody...

...from Old Sugar and his wife on down.

Leonora, how can you call

a commanding general "Old Sugar"?

Oh, Alison, I've known Julius

practically all my life.

Why, he was my daddy's chief of staff.

Oh, Alison, I wanna ask you a favor.

Do you think Anacleto

could please serve the punch for me?

Well, I'm sure Anacleto

would be delighted.

Oh, thank you, honey.

Oh, and Susie's two brothers

are helping out in the kitchen.

- I've never seen anything to equal it.

- By the way, is Susie married?

Susie? Oh, good heavens, no.

She won't have anything to do with men.

She was caught when she was

about 14 years old...

...and she's never forgotten. But why?

I was almost sure I saw someone

come out of your house by the back door...

...just before dawn.

You just imagined it, honey.

Perhaps so.

- Alison?

- Yes.

I hope you'll forgive my saying this...

...but I really don't see

how you're gonna get any better...

...staying in this dark room all day long.

Now, whenever I'm sick

or tired or nervous...

...I get on the back of a horse

and I ride myself better.

Now, I know you could do

the same thing.

I know you can ride. Why, you told me

you used to foxhunt, didn't you?

Yes.

Did I ever tell you about the time

I was out foxhunting...

...with a 13-year-old girl, the whipper-in,

and she broke her neck?

Yes, you have told me every

terrible detail five times.

Your lunch, Madame Alison.

Oh, lunchtime? I've gotta go...

...but listen,

I'll see you later on tonight...

...and you be there at 4:30, okay?

Now, don't you see me out to the door.

I'll see you later, honey, okay? Bye-bye!

Anacleto,

I am going to divorce the colonel.

Madame Alison,

where shall we go after that?

That I have not yet decided.

- Do you think we might live in a hotel?

- It's a possibility.

Or we could run

a prawn boat somewhere.

We could live on the boat.

How much money

do you have in the bank?

$425.06.

Do you want me to draw it out?

No, not now,

but we might need it later.

I'll kill you,

you dirty bastard.

Please.

Oh, God.

My daddy was an eight-goal man.

I got up to four goals once myself.

Leonora, they let a lady play polo?

Why, sure, sometimes.

And I was pretty good.

Of course, my daddy

was Old Leatherbreeches.

We were stationed at Fort Myer

at the time.

The men thought

they'd have to accommodate me.

You know, a girl playing.

Well, I taught them a thing or two.

Before the first chukker was over

they had to carry two of them off the field.

I just had to go and ride them off...

- Good evening, colonel.

- How are you, captain?

Fine. Fine, thank you.

Anacleto tells me that Mrs. Langdon

will not be here this evening.

No, she's not feeling well.

I wonder, would it be all right

if I ran over for a few minutes?

Sure. You go on over there.

Listen to me.

There's nothing wrong with her...

- Where's Weldon?

- Yeah, where is Weldon?

Go on over and talk to her.

She'll be real glad to see you.

- Run along.

- Thank you, sir.

Can't you see him?

Trudging down the highway...

...the stick over his shoulder

and his precious Clausewitz in a bandana.

Who? Who?

My husband.

My horse threw me and then ran away.

Yes, sir, I know.

Private Williams found him

and brought him in.

- He here?

- Yes, sir.

He's in the stall with Firebird.

Oh, sounds like a good party.

It's probably the last party

I'll attend on this post.

- Or any other.

- Why, Murray...

Penderton called me in this afternoon.

He said, "I want you to know

what I'm doing, Weincheck.

I can't, in all conscience,

give you better than satisfactory...

...on your efficiency report."

It was quite a blow.

He went on. He said,

"It's not that you're remiss in your duties.

It's just that you lack

certain qualities of leadership."

Oh, dear.

So I said, "In that case,

I'm leaving the service."

And Penderton said, "I hoped that

that would be your reaction, Weincheck...

...because frankly, I don't see much

of a future for you in the Army."

He said he was really doing me a favor.

Well, maybe he was.

Hey, what's the joke?

The little Filipino put perfume

in a specimen of Alison Langdon's urine...

...before taking it

to the hospital for analysis.

- Who says?

- You know something else?

The same boy got through

one day to the general.

He asked the general

to stop the soldier...

...from blowing his bugle

at 6:
00 in the morning...

...because it disturbed

Mrs. Langdon's rest.

The general said,

"You know who you're talking to?"

He said, "Of course."

He was trying to say "house boy"

in French.

Weldon?

Weldon?

What in the world happened to you?

Well, the horse...

The horse stumbled,

and I fell into a blackberry bush.

He ran off, and...

Oh, my.

Well, you are a mess.

What horse were you riding?

What horse were you riding?

Firebird.

Firebird?

What in the world

were you doing on him?

You know you can't horseback

well enough to ride him.

You say he ran away?

Is he loose?

Well...

Well, he found his...

He found his way back to the stable.

Well, how is he?

He's all right.

Are you sure he's all right?

Yeah.

Any cuts on him?

No, he's all right.

Who beat him?

Nobody here, ma'am.

Oh, that son of a b*tch.

Well, certainly, horse cavalry is a thing

of the past, but that's not the point.

The point is that polo playing

is great trainership...

Training for the leadership of an officer.

That's what I say.

And the polo grounds

have produced more great leaders...

...than the playing fields of Eton anytime.

Pershing played polo, didn't he, general?

- Patton played polo.

- Summerall.

- MacArthur.

- Right.

- Devers.

- Terry Allen.

Right. It's just a damn shame that

a country as rich and powerful as ours...

...can't spend a few dollars

to buy some oats for some horses.

So Firebird's all right, is he?

You lousy bastard...

...beating my horse, my Firebird!

What did Major Penderton do?

He stood like a statue.

He did not defend himself.

She struck him time and again...

...as hard as she could,

right across the face.

His face was already torn

from the riding accident...

...which made it all the more horrible.

Was she drunk?

Everybody thought so, but she wasn't.

I should know. I was the barman.

I dispensed the drinks.

- Are you sleepy, Madame Alison?

- Not at all.

Shall I get our watercolors

so we paint for a while?

- If you like.

- I shall be back suddenly.

- Soon.

- Oh, yes, soon.

Excuse me, colonel.

Are...? Are you asleep, my dear?

Yes. Dead asleep.

Well, my God.

What a... What a debacle.

I've heard all I want to hear

from Anacleto.

Well, my dear,

you should have been there.

Mercifully, I wasn't.

Well...

...just a little kiss.

Kiss you night-night.

Good night, Morris.

Thirty, 17.

Couldn't get my breath.

I couldn't breathe.

It's all right. I am here.

Thank you, sergeant.

Parade, hut!

Code 10, hut!

Parade present!

Order!

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