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Show THIS BUSINESS j SUSAN THAYER lf HfLJl "FOR A COTJNTR Y MKE THIS" He started for work so regularly regu-larly that we said we would set our clocks by Jimmy the boy next door. Month in and month out, rain or shine, the side door of the house would slam and he'd start up his old jallopy at exactly the same time each morning; 35 minutes past seven and he'd be off for the garage which he hoped to own part of in a year or two. Then, three weeks ago, he got a letter from the war department. His draft number had been called and yesterday he came over to say good-bye. "How do you feel about it?" I asked him, watching to see if there was any sign of disappointment disappoint-ment on his face. "Fine," he said. "Just fine." "But your job?" I went on. "It will be here when I get back. And maybe I was getting into a rut. Maybe I need to be away from it a while. Besides, it's only for a year. And a year . . ." He looked out across our yard jwith its early Spring green to the vacant lot next door where he'd played ball when he was a kid and still sometimes when he got home early enough. "A year isn't much to give to a country that gives a fellow as much as this one does. My folks never had much money, as you know. But I got a good education. Then, when I wanted a job at th1; garage instead of running the dairy as Dad does, Mr. Hughes I gave me a chance. I guess I've made good. I've helped in the office of-fice the last six months besides working on cars. I've been abl-e to j do things for the folks and save some money besides and I've had a lot of fun . . . "I want other boys to have the same kind of opportunities I've had . . . oh, like a chance to play ' ball when they're kids, to go to school as long as they wan-t to and to work at things they like and to save money. If my going into the army is going to help keep those opportunities, I'm willing. Besides," Be-sides," he added, grinning, "I want to own that garage some day and the only way I can be sure of it is to help keep this country tire kind where men are free to own businesses and to go ahead as far as their abilities will take them." So it looks as we'd be setting our clocks by Jimmy again some day . . . for hard work and ambition ambi-tion of that kind are bound to succeed suc-ceed in a country whose industrial system welcomes the man of ability. |