As suspected, nothing gets past Father and the next evening he gives us a sound lecture on the evils not only of begging from others but also of chewing gum. Gum, it seems, can damage every part of your inner workings, from stopping you breathing if you inhale it to stopping up your digestive system if you swallow it. I wonder why the Americans have come to fight the Germans, as it appears that most of them will die from gum before they even get going. Father’s final warning is directed at Jack. He does not want to hear that he has been asking for gum from the Americans.
~ Dot May Dunn, Around the Village Green
