Weidman, Jerome "Dummy Run"

This short story is set in a seamen's dockside waiting room in an unnamed Canadian Maritimes port during World War 2. With a fierce ice storm raging, crew in port on liberty are stranded ashore. Communication by the waiting room's staff with a Polish crew, seemingly stymied by a lack of understanding between Polish and English speakers, takes place despite the inadequacies of having no language in common.