Show M y THEODORE THEODORE PRATT sf goible goirle GOSTOW AA M ft RELEASE FAR forty lour four STORY THE biuk who operates y caola rold r arsi old repair wilbert W shop hop back h t of big 1 ha leonle me ls Is ge n e ral draft 0 ld board that he be ls is ln in d by his 0 used to his hi domi the bad news new breaks ja A ind tramps tp off bl to wife amy y meeting lassing kissing her goodby without even k pork call the next t night 11 and shake bors irb scar solemnly and the pa hod bead I 1 their the front aront publishes his big picture on per winkle tacks a CLOSED 6 sign ign over winkle confides her wor mrs his lt shop 1 she cars ra he be might tet get interested ries other ether wom women feen but wilbert says she has ha to in winkle leads the he about othene to va worry rry ind and they march off behind drift it parade the martial music sends send a he be ban band abill bill up OP his sp spine ine CHAPTER V mr winkle sure if this was said in the right spirit he was glad clad amy appear in time to hear it lie he had been watching for her and during the last of the six blocks he saw her hurrying along her face was flushed to keep up she waved to him and mr winkle wondering if it was the correct thing to do waved back after they arrived at the open air bus station there was a quarter ot of an hour of confusion whose details mr 11 winkle TInkle never rl remembered very yell vell the tees left their formation and searched out their respective spec tive cami families lies mr winkle found his wife and dog penelope was enlivened by the excitement to yap several times mrs irs winkle said you looked very military im the leader he told her the horn of the bus honked tears welled in mrs winkles eyes im not going to cry she Z WHEAT acs 4 is 1 N ji 11 01 7 r 7 NN things were fast getting out 0 of hand band announced and the tears spill over but remained in her eyes when she blinked them back fast he and amy looked at each other solemnly they embraced they arid each other very close they kissed and kissed again while the band played women wept and handkerchiefs and flags waved the next thing mr winkle knew ras has that he found himself seated in the bus and the vehicle was getting under way looking back he saw mrs hars winkle holding up penelope so that she could see him go to war penelope interested b u t looked the other way not all of the bus was occupied by the draft contingent there been enough of them to charter a vehicle for their sole use he sat alone not because he thought ought himself as the leader any better than the others nor did he care to be aloof he would have welcomed somebody to talk with but none one of 0 his charges joined him jack pettigrew sat up beside the driver the bus stopped and several more people got on one 0 of them was a young blowzy blonde mr winkle watched at ched fascinated as freddie ma neu eu vered the beside him roi out ol of his seat and grinned winning ly at the tee blonde she sat beside freddie eddie at once and they began an animated conversation this broke the tension the draftees brought with them from their send off ii they hey laughed ched and began to i vw ta and joke and discuss their voyage in m voices voice s just a little too loud w to be natural at noon the bus stopped at a sched aled k station s ta alon tor for lunch mr winkle herded lus his charges to the counter inside the glass ess front roadside res tau rant where rehe he produced the proper paper to meals for them as I 1 guests EUM of the government freddie remained outside talking to HI the blonde she was catching ani a bus here tt treddie ile let freddie eddie alone until ne he had his ms own wn meal then he went out to get e and a told neddie freddie if you want ter something to eat bet come in t W Wui IT inkle L right with you pop mr 0 freddie ya went back to the counter until HUM took hs his time he waited f he H ant n the blondes des new bus pulled in in put her r on it and then joined 11 tl clothe it others othe it at him so some c me of the men looked in in VW admiration a tion and envy t freddie die would ya you have done ii quiren qu tred ired of mr winkle wink lc it if 10 one on 0 the t bus with her anc and I 1 away mr winkle regarded him severely alt I 1 have done a thing that would be for others you get very far you mean with the blonde freddie inquired end and received his laugh i he kept up a horseplay of saying that mat this was as far as he wanted to go that hed had a nice ride but would now go back home when this wore thin he introduced a new subject still proud to fight pop he inquired mr winkle kept his temper we all ought to be well im not freddie declared im I 1 m not going because I 1 want to and I 1 dont care who knows it I 1 dont want to be any darned soldier lugs all they are going to make me into a lug mr winkle looked around no one except the contingent from spring ville maris s seemed emed to have heard these re remarks the men listened with interest some of them looked startled 1 I dont think you ought to sa say Y such things mr winkle advised who says that pop who says says icart I 1 cant say what I 1 want well began mr winkle this a free country pop cant a man say what he wants tell me that pop when mr winkle reply freddie was infuriated taking out his resentment on an him as if holding mr winkle personally responsible for his being drafted tell me that you old coot and dont act like were in the army already before mr winkle could gather his outraged senses jack pettigrew pushed through the group of men and came up to freddie his thin face was white with anger dont talk like that to mr biale winkle he ordered freddie turned on the revolving stool to mr winkle ignoring jack how about that pop should I 1 talk like that to you jack made a lunge at freddie who whirled placed his hand on the boys chest and shoved him back jack crying imprecations returned to the fray with clenched fists freddie jumped up to meet him mr winkle was gripped with dismay things were fast getting out of hand in fact they were already well out of hand the proprietor of the place was yelling a waitress shrieked and customers called out mr winkle heard his own voice crying now look herel look herel save t that hat for the germans or the japs V 0 the men laughed jack subsided glaring freddie made ironic grimaces an armistice had been declared in the premature war mr winkle breathed with relief he certain that he liked the responsibilities of leadership he counted the men carefully as they got back on the bus making sure freddie was among them his glance caught that of jack whose eyes were hot and who said im r going g hig to get him I 1 im going to get him plenty all right mr winkle calmed him 1 I appreciate your standing up for me but youve done one enough another hours ride got them to their destination and they descended at a busy station where they were transferred to another bus this was already half filled with soldiers elect like themselves hello fresh meat one of these greeted them from the highway three miles out of town the entrance to the camp was no more than a dirt side ide road where two armed guards stood and a sign declared this to be a military reservation and that no admittance was allowed having been invited they were admitted after passing through a quarter 0 of f a mile of thick woods they came to a great cleared space in which stood a hidden city there were many wooden buildings some of them of one story others of two stories dust rose from the passing of their own and other vehicles and from march ing feet the bus stopped before a building which had a sign on it saying induction checking station standing the ground before up or sitting on this were perhaps fifty more tees they stared at the newcomers who d descended esc ended from the bus no one spoke in the atmosphere of patient waiting and weary an anxiety biety mr winkle looked about somewhat at a loss lie he know what to do next A tall thickset sergeant holding a sheaf of papers in in his hand came out of the building he looked at the new arrivals and asked huskily 1 who chos the leader mr mi winkle went forward the sergeant gazed down at him mr winkle saw the mouse recognition look come into the mans face the it showed in amys then same wy way the hsk ergeant Sr geant took on an expression to be ean he m if to s ay as surprised iff ile in quiren at anything faw got em sent all to john him mr winkle said id he had and a turned el this re lieveld aw over the him group of his papers comman d he but just a leader no longer was other because of like any he chehad this had ht and been because of t the mouse look given he felt deflated and not in the least like a lion the sergeant went inside mr winkle waited with the others their eyes K went frequently to t what r smiles y the door there were were on any faces nervous ones the sergeant ca came me out again in a foghorn voice he began calling names it was nearly an hour dur clur ing which other busses arrived before reached the springville Spring ville men were mr winkle found himself in a small room passing down a line of soldier clerks sitting at desks in place of his own papers an information card was given to him which he was instructed to hang around his neck by the cord card attached thus ticketed he took his place in line down the hall and finally into an enormous room where many men were in the process of being examined here mr winkle saw was where his fate would be decided he was told to drop his bag by the wall under a clothing hook and strip shivering he stood in line clad only in his socks and shoes and information card it was humiliating when he compared his skinny y physique with the more robust bodies about him several men glanced at him as if to say he amount to much he began to run a gantlet of doctors and medical assistants assistant sj each doctor had one part of the body to examine mr winkle was accustomed to having his family physician make something of a fuss over him cajoling him and treating him like a living breathing human being instead of a skeleton within and around which was gathered a certain amount of flesh and certain organs now he felt like an automobile being put together on an assembly line in a factory his card was taken away from him and in its place there was daubed in iodine a number on his his chest that he was sure was the final ignominy he was questioned question edt weighed measured poked tapped and the inner workings of his is structure listened to he was asked to read a chart without his glasses and with them he regretted each letter he made out but he as he had half planned bring himself to cheat his eyes were good enough to fight a war even his pulse was found sufficiently calm after he had been set running in one place for a minute without going anywhere well he reflected he really counted on any of these things to save him it was his dyspepsia he was banking on he was laid on a paper covered table his stomach was kneaded air winkle went forward the th e ser geant gazed down at him and he was asked this on your record about dyspepsia mr winkle detailed and evet ever boasted about his acute intestinal difficulties and the need he had tor for his pills he was kneaded sor some more as if he were an automobile no longer but a piece of dough the doctor gave a skeptical grunt a deprecating snort and wrote some thing on mr winkles record sheet mr winkle to his horror gathered that his dyspepsia had bad made little impression that it had let him down tank at this completely as he was passed on to the nex next doctor his heart hear t beat so fast that hat the doc doctor tor who applied a stethoscope to it took it away and actuary ally looked at him saying S patiently expect 1 I expect it from the kids but not from mr tinkle winkle was abashed he ac aused SST himself him self of behaving like a whom he child like jack pettigrew banding tensely on guard with saw iss a strained taut expression on his boys and in face then mr winkle went through he never expected to a ex perien ce have ha all during duran a the days leading up to i and during the first of the ex th ls ining groces 5 he hoped fervently that arn he would aou be reject ed he had for it but n OW he even prayed toping would be h found himsl lf if hoping he accepted to BE CON CONTINUED |