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Show 1 GOESTOWIR fL f PRATT W.N.U. RELEASE S that deep down, In spite of her sharp words and orders, she loved him and be loved her. Beyond his speculation specula-tion on how she would receive the news, he had a reluctance about telling her. Yet he didn't see what else he could do. With a sigh, he went into the house. Mrs. Winkle was already behind her half of the newspaper in the breakfast nook, which was all the dining room their small house possessed. pos-sessed. Mr. Winkle, in his mind, could look right through the paper and see her, a well-filled-out lady of exactly his own age. To a person seeing her for the first time, she appeared dainty in spite of her plumpness, quite feminine, and of an eminently good nature. It was a shock, upon second glance, to notice the way her lips pressed themselves together and the perpetual per-petual frown that creased the otherwise other-wise smooth pink skin between her blue eyes. Her voice came again, calling la to him, "It's the newspaper they want to come out and interview you." Alarmed at this, and at Amy asking ask-ing his advice about something in-stead in-stead of deciding it herself. Mr. Winkle asked, "Me? Now? Here?" Mrs. Winkle gave an affirmative answer to each of these questions, her words sounding like strangled chirps. Mr. Winkle thought, desperately. Suddenly, he wanted U lash out at something. "Certainly not," he said. "I can't wait around here. I've got to get to the shop. And I don't tell them I don't want to be inter-viewed." inter-viewed." Mrs. Winkle passed on his views over the telephone. They didn't seem to make much impression, for Mrs. Winkle, after listening to what was said in reply, kept agreeing doubtfully, "Yes . . . yes, but-oh. I can see that's probably right" HAFTER I t& world ever oc-Winkle oc-Winkle that he would lit . to the war. lung men. not for a Jman of forty-four. of the Army not ;rme. but nothing done about this, me eJ;;easwhatMr. Win-to Win-to this mornings mail. he(i in the mailbox and ommunieation from his hi, hands trembled a rt through his metal-, metal-, be read that he Il-A. !liat that meant. After .e he was subject for :o' the United States iere on the front steps I imall man engulfed ,0UJ event that toppled Id and sent it bowling like a cannon ball. , had been married for ,. Not he, a former etant who was now the proprietor of a modest ;f ihop located in the I his house. Not he, rij active and morbid Not he, who was no a, but was afraid to or violence of any sort. J) his stored-up mem-as mem-as i boy with his .22 She hung up and came back. She appeared to be slightly dazed. "They said," she told Mr. Winkle, "that you're already something of a celebrity from being the first married mar-ried man In the older men's classification classifi-cation to be drafted and that it's your patriotic duty to set a good example. They're coming out here to take pictures of of us both." "I won't de if he said. "And you shouldn't" "But Wilbert," Mrs. Winkle protested, pro-tested, "it won't look right if we don't" "I don't care how it looks. Where's my hat?" He was emboldened to be peremptory. "Where's my lunch box?" He saw them both where they were kept ready for his departure to business. He snatched them up almost savagely, and clamped the hat on his head. He hadn't felt so aroused for many years. He didn't quite know what to make of the way Amy paid no attention as Mr. Winkle carefully stepped over Penelope, Pe-nelope, the third member of the family. Their sad-eyed spaniel was settled set-tled on the floor with her black muzzle muz-zle resting on her paws. At eight, Penelope in her dog world was approximately ap-proximately Mr. Winkle's comparative compara-tive age in the human world. She was as amiable and rruld as Mr. Winkle himself. Never having been allowed a husband, she had a rather droopy disposition. Now, in her middle mid-dle age, she had given up hope and no longer pretended to any interest at the sight of a male, but simply sniffed loftily or ignored the meeting meet-ing altogether. Penelope, Mr. Winkle thought was no more prepared for the large, adventurous and dangerous things of life, such as war, than he. He sat heavily in his place in the breakfast nook. From behind her paper, Mrs. Winkle demanded, "Anything for me?" "No-o," answered Mr. Winkle. At his drawing out of the word, Mrs. Winkle put her paper aside and looked at her husband. She didn't see what he had received, for he held it below the table. But from the look of Mr. Winkle and the tone of his voice, she knew at once. Mrs. Winkle was the first to speak again. Her frown deepened and her lips were tight when she stated disapprovingly, dis-approvingly, "Wilbert, your notice has come." Silently, Mr. Winkle handed over the notice to her. Mrs. Winkle took it in at a single glance. Her face went white. Her frown disappeared and her mouth softened. She looked bewildered, as if props had been knocked out from under her and she had no solid ground to stand on. She said breathlessly, breath-lessly, as if caught off guard. "You're going to war." Mr. Winkle cleared his throat so as to be sure he could control his own voice, trying it cut this way without first chancing how it might sound. "It means," he explained. "I'm just being passed on to the Army doctors." "You're going to war," Mrs. Winkle Win-kle repeated in a whisper. Now she looked actually frightened, amazed, and hurt. It had been years since Mr. Winkle Win-kle had seen such expressions on his wife's face. They affected him deeply. deep-ly. He began, "Now, Amy" "You'll be killed!" Mrs. Winkle wailed. At this excitement, and perhaps at the new, strange tone in Mrs. Winkle's voice, Penelope began to howl. Mr. Winkle had counted on no such behavior on the part of his wife. He had become so accustomed to her shrewish ways that he hadn't pictured them being punctured so abruptly. He realized what a blow it was to her. She was threatened with not having him around to order about. To have him removed from her and sent off to war destroyed her defenses and left her bewildered and alone. It revealed the basic affection af-fection she M him. Mr. Winkle reflected that it was taking the greatest war in history to accomplish accom-plish this. ... From the look on her face, Mr. Winkle almost expected Amy to begin be-gin weeping. But she didn t She just sat there staring at him. her Us bright and wide and dry and he sat staring at her. They regarded re-garded each other awesomely while Penelope continued to howL Penelope was interrupted by the shrill ringing of the telephone. Mr. Winkle made a movement to go into the living room to answer it but Mrs. Winkle, with a rather r wdd look on her face, started before he chd-She chd-She appeared to want to do some "Sifting breakfast nook. Mr. faltered. "Just a minute. Any hesitancy didn't sound hke Amy at alt Bather, it sounded to the Amy f years , when Mr. Winkle married her. tngh his metal rimmed ii he was classified 1A. I shot a squirrel. The I fell from the high e he aimed at it, land-'ui land-'ui on the hard ground. I the warm, fuzzy body he was sick at heart ;ad done. In later life, PPei on an ant, or spider, or even swatted Mut felt squeamish at ! called by his draft i for physical exami-Pinkle exami-Pinkle had thought that doctor appreciated his M nearsightedness, his St. his good beginning (even though otherwise V enough to be under-Jumped-up pulse at the Wion, and his general "o great muscularity, 'ore had Mr. Winkle a to be such a physi- ' Pursed his lips at the " of this close ap- Pave. He frowned nier as to give Mr. II for counting on his wnmended. And though n(i the members of the "king their mysteri-a mysteri-a not committed them-e them-e result, it still hadn't Winkle that he , 10"sly considered as a couldn't mean him. He to see if, possi-6n possi-6n some mistake. " name typed out rt George Winkle. ' going in and tell-Ul tell-Ul bout it swept over yt of this was one l' tatense interest take a lot of the her sails. Ufing recent years, toto a positive lndi-" lndi-" Drone to run her iii I locorriotive en-? en-? nand on the throt- never liked to put ctul term of hen-"rtheless hen-"rtheless that was ffairs. Ted how Amy would L little she could e didn't be able nor impose her ? "Pn it. He felt h. for he knew It wasn't until be had gone some way that It occurred to him he had forgotten to kiss bis wife goodby. he felt, for there was fear mixed in him, too, along with his unaccustomed unaccus-tomed anger. Mainly, there was the sense of being unnerved by an unsure Amy. He turned, and marched to the front door. Mrs. Winkle followed him. "Wilbert," she said weakly, "you have to, and you know It." By the time he reached the steps outside, Mr. Winkle had somewhat calmed. His small storm was nearly near-ly over. He blinked. "I suppose," he admitted, "I'll have to do a lot of things I don't feel like doing." Abruptly, he strode away, down the walk, and then along the street. It wasn't until he had gone some way that it occurred to him he had forgotten to kiss his wife goodby. It was the first time he had neglected neglect-ed this ritual in their whole married mar-ried life. Ordinarily, he would have been called back and given instructions. instruc-tions. But there was no sound from Guiltily, he glanced once behind, to see her still standing on the steps, her hand at her throat watching him depart Penelope was at her feet, staring after him mournfully. It may seem curious that though Mr Winkle's place of business was located right in back of his house, he didn't go ut through the rear door and across the fifty feet of yard to reach his shop. To the Winkles this wasn't strange at all. There was quite a good rea- SIt 'originated from Mr. Winkle's career as a public accountant hav-tag hav-tag disappeared during the depression. depres-sion. Secretly, he war Ant as glad, for he had never cared much for dealing in long rows of someone else's fiffures. He greatly Preferred tinkering with mechanical things. KShThad. decided fleir and . dehcaeh |