Breakfast began at 7 a.m. A line of as many as five hundred snaked in front of the mess halls that could only accommodate one-third as many at a time. The Western-style breakfast of eggs, toast, coffee, and milk was served cafeteria style. Harry devoured his fare. Although he was disturbed by the surroundings, people were sociable. The immigrant farmers and small merchants, who had toiled for years without a break, were giddy with fatigue and unaccustomed to idleness. On one level, too, Harry acknowledged, “our financial situation was so bad it was almost a relief to go to camp and let the
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