Show M A F yf A THEODORE THEODORE PRATT S GOSTOW 0 em W N RELEASE THE or STORY TOPS TOP FA MB 7 fo toor gintert winkle WB owns OW rota nd st general repair pair hap shop in III the tb aney 1 tl of oil ills tome home is I 1 notified by his hi d draft raft ble that mat be is in IA 1 A he H is I 1 very much bach ward thought that hit his as be b nd had i 1 physical handicaps would keep him it lie he breaks the ul bad 11 news new to his ha W amy any who ho has h always alway domineered domine ered without kissing work oes to and BI goes I 1 win goodby his picture appears in the aber ant next dy day under the headline ciper iner proud to right the Petti grews I 1 pay a call in the sad other I 1 isenring lila and all shake alli ll lI their heads hd V kot day tacks tach a closed sign lien over lit place 91 ct business and nd his hl wile wife ab him U CHAPTER IV mrs wi winkle akle they W will iu said when hen they find out how you catch oh eald right way if you get your ybur feet t yr ur winkle argue about it but jot let her have her way after til U he was leaving tomorrow and she would be alone except for pe ii elope he seated himself in an armchair and mrs winkle came to stand before him there was a peculiar in look ok on her face wilbert she whispered ile he glanced up he understand at first what she wanted but was prepared for it when he did by this time he was getting accustomed to lo almost any surprise shyly she slipped on to his lap and sat there it was a long time 4 4 1 J mrs bits winkle fussed bussed and fretted over ever him since she had done this and she had put on hr her plumpness since the last time mr winkle found her somewhat heavy but not disagreeably so she rested her head on his shoulder snuggling her face against his neck and he put one of his hii arms around her waist penelope gazed at them curiously as if she found the scene not quite proper 1 I mean to say anything about this she told him and im thinking of you as much as myself when I 1 do ive been worrying the she confessed about trouble you might inight get into trouble asked mr winkle what kind of trouble well she said this is the first time rile weve ever been separated do you realize that mr winkle was bewildered 1 I dont see what 1 I mean she explained that you could be tired of me I 1 mean women she came out with it in a rush you read about it every day you might you might mr air winkle was startled he hastened to assure amy that there was nothing thing for her to worry about on that score he told her he tired of her and that he interested te rested in any other woman she sat bolt upright on his lap but you dont know she stated you dont know yourself you dont know blow how it will be how 1 inquired mr winkle will it be he was suddenly pleased to find her jealous when youve been away from me long ng enough she elucidated find out mr winkle contemplated that at m the prospect of there being some thing g to what she said he thought he had better deny it with convincing cirit irit now you look here he said end when you catch me with an other wr woman you take it up then but I 1 wont be there to catch you she protested 1 I wont know a 2 thing ing about it except she reflected ted ill be able to tell when I 1 gee you again threatened with this test mr winkle inkle accused all youre doing is putting pitting ideas in my head bhe he drew back why wilbert winkle inkle she cried angrily and ogain gain there peeped forth the amy of recent years do you know i the tty youre dom doing g youre placing I 1 a blame anc on me for your being un winkle felt that having been civell yen his trousers back he should tet ble lain aln them it was no time to about that or shirk it you wait till I 1 am lie he retorted testily ill send you a postcard and on it he said darkly ill also ask why everything yoli youre I 1 re saying work on your side of the fence too instead of the frown between her eyes returning and the pressing together of her lips as mr winkle half expected amys blue eyes simply went wide mrs winkles eyes filled with tears and she flung herself at mr winkle wailing oh wilbert youre going to war and come back without a leg or an arm or or and I 1 been nice to you tor for a long time not nice at all and oh wilbert gilbertl Wil bertl she sobbed letting out all the shame that had been hers since the morning his notice arrived and all the fear that she too had kept hidden during the last days now it was mr winkle who held her and patted her and assured her this made him feel strong and manly and almost good about going to war in the morning before they drove downtown taking penelope with them because they felt she too should see him off mrs airs winkle fussed bussed and fretted over him youve got your pills she asked the big bottle we had made up for you mr air winkle patted his pocket and the pills in their bottle rattled you taken out your rubbers again mr winkle shook his head mrs winkle contemplated her brow furrowed for a moment but she could think of nothing else 1 I still cant believe youre really going she said maybe ill be back tomorrow oh wilbert I 1 know it the thing to say but I 1 hope you will be anxiously she asked if you arent are you sure youre going to be au all right 1 I dont see why not he answered stoutly now that the moment of leaving was here all he could think was W will 11 1 I ever return will I 1 ever see maple avenue and home again As he drove away he looked back to catch a last glimpse of the house still craning his neck when he reached the corner he nearly collided with a truck which saving its tires eliciting a shriek from mrs airs winkle and a protest protesting yelp from penelope in front of the post office he got out and mrs airs winkle took over the wheel she would meet him with his bag at the bus station to which mr winkle understood he was to march in a parade mr winkle negotiated the stairs to the second floor of the post office feeling a little as if he were mounting a scaffold to his doom when he walked down the hall and into the draft boards room he found that most of the other men were already there three members of the board including the clerk and the chairman who was clad in a blue american legion uniform and made a very official appearance sat before a table at the front of the room they shuffled papers with a grave air the draftees themselves sat on collapsible chairs and with uneasy expressions alternated between regarding each other and the men at the table mr winkle took a seat in the rear row some of the men he saw recognized him from his picture in the paper A few of them gave him brief smiles or nods tentative invitations to being comrades in in arms or recognition that he was in in the same boat with them winkle decide which it was more men came in and seated themselves jack pettigrew arrived and sat gingerly on the edge of a chair he look around mr winkle counted to keep his mind busy and saw that seventeen were present AU all were here except one most of them were very young not much more than half his age AU all heads turned as the last of the draftees appeared mr winkle knew freddie tindall from having seen him decorating the main street of the town he was a fixture there like one of the lamp posts or a traffic sign he was twenty eight handsome with a thin dark mustache plastered across his lip and his clothes were too flashy freddie was a prominent member of the depression generation H he e had come to maturity when there were no jobs to be had once having formed the habit of not working he made it a career at which he excelled it was his boast that he nickel in his had never earned a life and never would as long as his held out now the fam ilys money war had come along to interfere with wit h the signal success he was making of his ambition freddie eyed the gathering with a superior air when he agreed to come in in and join the group his eye light lighted ed on mr winkle he slammed slam med his suitcase 0 on n the floor gracefully to a chair eased his frame and greeted mr in the rear row winkle hello pop nervously A tittered one man few smiled without conviction jack pettigrew who just then looked around stared the others paid no attention mr winkle was indignant it had been bad enough to have certain people PC ople laugh at him but he expected one of his fellow draftees to make fun of him he decided that freddie tindall know any better and worth bothering about but freddie was the instrument of something else that really touched him for the first time mr winkle told tol d himself that he old the others were just young the chairman of the draft board looked at his watch and then rose he made a little talk while the men all listened attentively except for freddie tindall who gazed indolently out the window the chairman explained that they had a all I 1 been chosen fairl fairly y strictly according to the selective service regulations they were being asked to do a serious thing at a serious time he knew each would do it to the best of his ability H ile wished them good luck he said that the roll would now be called earh each man at his name was to come foward and receive his papers and a small going away kit furnished by the women volunteers A leader he concluded is being appointed for you and you are required to obey him on the way to your induction center the senior member among you mr wilbert wil winkle will be your leader mr winkle was flattered he was glad for the responsibility it would help take his mind off himself freddie tindall leaned toward him and inquired how do you like being a big shot pop mr winkle saw that he was going to have trouble with freddie the men began to go up mr winkles was the last name called ile he received his kit contained in a brown imitation leather packet each of the draft board members shook his hand he was given his own papers and then instructions about a number of other documents for or the group the clerk was reading one of these his warrant of authority tho rity when the american legion band burst into sound outside on the street the clerk had to raise his voice to make the rest of the warrant heard they all trooped down to the street quite a crowd had gathered the band which had completed its first re rendition took up another at the siget sight of the group of draftees there was a scattering of I 1 tati 4 I 1 to 0 J te n mr winkle was placed at their head bead out in front by himself applause from the crowd mr air winkle saw that some of the people had little american flags which they waved those who carried suitcases piled them in the cars of the draft board members then the chairman lined up the tees in a ragged formation four abreast in back of the band mr winkle was placed at their head out in front all by himself he care for this distinction but he refuse it the attention thus d drawn rown to him and the noise and the staring cheering people bewildered him they marched off behind the blaring I 1 band and at mr r winkle get over how the music sent a chill up his spine s stirring him it been so long ago that he was firmly f convinced martial music was an evil thing spurring people to war part of the crowd walked along with the procession keeping pace with it the sporadic cheering and hand clapping kept up as more people were passed along the route I 1 the parade went right through a red traffic light mr winkle marched stiffly he tried to keep in time with the music but found it difficult and finall finally Y it he wondered what the ave up 9 gave but d other men were doing look back to see once someone in the crowd on the sidewalk called out hi grind their axis for them I 1 TO BE CONTINUED |