Show tr IA fell E Y aa THEo I 1 H ip RE coral P PRATT R T RELEASE THE STORY THUS FAR forty four year old wilbert winkle winise who operate R repute hop la in the alley back ol of his home ome ll 11 notified by till hs draft board that he Is in IA I 1 A lie ile breaks break the bad news to 0 o his hl dom domineering wife am amy y who now bates to part with him on arriving at camp mr winkle winkl ll Is given his physical and to his great rp ise and dismay Is 1 accepted I 1 or eer vice H he e 1 ll 11 sent lent to camp n thou thousand sand m miles n a from home where he meets meats I 1 mr tinker a man of jils own a age 5 0 alcor after much hard training mr 1 winkle 0 1 li called lied to la before his bis su perlor officer and told old he ll Is over ever 38 and can so go home it he chooses but winkle w inki lays 2 hou bo 11 stay a a y in the army ile he oct graduates bradu from N motor 0 r mechanics mechanic school CHAPTER IX mr winkle peered at him through his glasses and blinked he has seen the army work other wonders even on himself but never a miracle like this all right ight 11 he murmured 1 I suppose se freddie went ent on 11 im rn responsible tor for you being tailed called pop too 1 1 I 1 dont mind mr winkle as ared him in tact fact I 1 rather brather like it I 1 me said mr tinker 1 I dont fjald believe it IVIS its somebody else pretending to be him hes a reformed character er 11 jack agreed I 1 freddie looked it at the bar im slot not so reformed I 1 wont buy everybody a drink over their glasses in the noisy bar freddie explained how he had BOY A V WAR A im not fia so BO reformed I 1 we wont it buy I 1 ss drink f ome come to see the light H he was uv articulate tic about it the rho kid here did it he said indicating jack when I 1 figure the army made him almost up to licking me I 1 thought it must have something even tor for me I 1 got a look at myself I 1 mean what I 1 had been I 1 even like my mustache what about the alphabet mr winkle inquired he so bad freddie answered when you get to know him I 1 you see jack asked hes aou got go the right attitude ot of course he may still nied need a little polishing here and there thele but im doing that jack gave a practical demonstration of 0 this when Fr eddies gaze Van wandered dered to girls to in the bar come on he be told freddie youre a strictly USO type now the next day mr winkle Winkl ewas was given a weeks furlough the permanent post to chith he and the other motor mechanics school graduates were to be sent bent be ready to receive them tor for this length of 0 time he could if he wished return home at his own expense he sent amy a telegram and then boarded a train amy was at the station to meet film at first they just stared at each other without being able to do anything else it was an awkward moment then amy cried oh ob wilbert Wl lbert I 1 think I 1 would ever tee see you again agai nl they embraced he felt clumsy when he be kissed her it was almost as stran strange ge corning coming back to her as ws it t was leaving her why said amy 1 I hardly know you she slier seemed ned surprised she touched the buttons of his uniform how are you he asked im toe she examined him again in some admiration 1 I never thought look like that in a uniform mi form and your stomach its lone gone have to have your pic aure arture taken take well vell he asked again how are you amy im fine r she he repeated mr winkle drove tor for the novelty tf df feeling a regular jugular car under his hands bands it seemed light and danger lus am after the trucks and command tars with which he had dealt lately in his bis field training he sensed amy looking at him jf you youve ve put on weight she A inoke its in an aggrieved tone 1 I 1 wrote you about it he reminded inin ded at lea least stten ten pounds twelve twelve and a half you never did that before she sounded still more hurt no matter how much I 1 ted fed you it the cooking reassured he assured he her r its the exercise and being outdoors that makes you eat cat more though he knew s she he felt elt better after lie he said this a restraint ie remained between them they found they could not at once and easily tak take e up where they left off the months in between during which each had had another life interfered and came between them thein they had to get to know each other all over again mr winkle sensed her staring at him anew in a different way lie he glanced at her and saw thai that her gaze was contemplative searching a little suspicious he feared that she was reverting to being a termagant an and d that the effects of his suddenly being made into a soldier were wear ingoff he su supposed he be sure about that until alter after the war and he returned if he did to his regular life wilbert Wl lbert she asked did you see any women 1 I told you id send you a postcard when I 1 found somebody else he said you get one did you no she admitted slowly she sat staring at him and he be turned to look her tor for an instant straight in the eye im glad I 1 she told him in a low voice mr winkle was happy when she dropped the subject it was his turn to feel hurt when they reached the house and sneaked inside so none of the neighbors would see him penelope Pene lobe instead of greeting him joyously as would have been expected scrunched scrunch ed down on the floor growling and barking and glaring at him with disapproval mrs winkle scolded her but it made no impression even when mr winkle spoke to her coaxingly and let her sniff his hand slie she accept him or have anything to do with him so far as penelope was concerned he was a stranger to in his own house it was barely daylight when he a wakened awakened he expected to hear the bustle of many men moving and cursing and the bugle its dreadful call he listened not quite sure of where he was he heard amys light breathing he looked at his watch it was exactly he tried to go back to steep sleep again this ibis was the morning of his kingship but the king sleep any more harsh habit interfered refusing fusing him his crown it being also his bis accustomed time to eat he be felt hungry after a time he got up quietly pu on hla his bathrobe over his bis pajamas and went out downstairs penelope growled snarled when he spoke to her and snapped when he made to pat her he wandered outdoors just as a strange newsboy delivered the paper the boy looked at him startled then interested then wise and went away whistling mr winkle approve of such precocious behavior in one so young he investigated the kitchen over penelopep Pen elopes continued protests and devoured odd assortments of food he had an in idea that tickled him sometime later with a daintily prepared tray and the newspaper resting at one side of it he went in to awaken amy her eyes went wide and staring as he saluted and announced breakfast in bed tor for you queen mr winkle visited his shop to see that his tools and machines were in good order he made small repairs about the house he had his photo graph taken so that amy could have him up over the mantel while he was away or it if he ever return he talked with mr wescott who first laughed outright at the sight of mr winkle in his uniform and then was prone to be triumphant about his prediction tor for him what did I 1 tell you he crowed youre being used as a mechanic just like I 1 said stay right here formerly he and mr wescott had considered together the large and broad scale aspects of war and now his neighbor expected that as an actual military man he would have some expert ideas our antitank guns mr wescott inquired are they going to be able to stop the germans 1 I dont know a thing about them said mr winkle but surely in your training mr winkle coughed apologetically 1 I never saw one mr wescott considered A little attle of his pompousness left him and he be proposed perhaps I 1 be asking such questions you probably have your orders not to let out any military secrets no said mr winkle that it I 1 dont know any m military secrets tanks asked mr wescott ive never seen a tank mr wescott stared at him he dropped the subject and took up the mediterranean campaign how Is it coming along mr winkle asked do you mean to say you dont know demanded mr wescott well said mr winkle 1 I hardly ever eversal sa saw w a paper in camp since ive been home ive glanced at the headlines a little but I 1 read the details much you splutter ed mr wescott above all ab people you in th the service there much time to think nit about it mr winkle apologia apologized zed but you dont even sound inter ested 1 mr wescott complained somehow said mr winkle ive come to leave that up to the tha generals of course said mr stiffly yes of course he gathered the forces of his indignation and scolded pettishly all ali I 1 can say is Is that you arent any more of a soldier than I 1 thought I 1 be toolate too late mr winkle realized that he had offended his neighbor thal thai mr wescott thought he meant to squelch and ridicule him as an armchair strategist that had not been his intention at all it was simply that he and mr wescott had grown apart that they had become strangers er domestically the winkles were as happy as they ever had been they lived the few days he was home like a honeymoon taken up from where it was dropped many years before amy seemed intent on making up to mr winkle the period she had been shrewish and he decided to enjoy this no matter what might amigh I 1 happen after the war she sewed on several buttons tor for him and though her way exactly the manner in which he had learned to sew he was delighted to have her do it it alter after that first morning mr winkle managed to stay in bed long enough tor for amy by getting up very early to bring him his breakfast there the weather was fine and mrs winkle squandered her hei gasoline ration by going on a picnic with him every day into the woods on these trips even penelope agreed to wag her tail sluggishly at pa the soldier though she still accept him wholeheartedly they spoke little ot of the war and his portion ot of it not that they took it for granted or had become fatalistic about it but they wished to forget it during the time they had together only on the day of his departure did the war come again between them once more he held her in his arms she wept and he felt like crying 1 ing too then when they parted i tor 0 r a fleeting instant before they spoke poke or moved again he saw that she he looked at him defiantly nearly with antagonism but it a but the king sleep any more hen pecking look it was like the unreasonable anger of a person who loves another a great deal when the other has put himself in mortal dan ger sergeant technician wilbert Wl lbert george winkle would have preferred to be alone in one of the upper berths rather than occupying a lower berth with corporal technician tinker but that was the way the army said it was to be on the troop train roaring through the cold night and that was the way it was mr tinker besides taking up mo most s t of the space with his bulk leav leaving in g only a lew few inches tor for mr winkle was in addition restless because having boarded the train at night none cona of them even knew in which direction it was going AU all they were sure of was that they were being shipped to an embarkation bar kation port mr tinker twisted nearly knocking mr winkle out of the berth and stared out the windows window not a star he said debbe I 1 read them anyway but you say you can 1 I think were going south the ma man n above them called down what do you think were going to the civil war demanded 1 I hear they aint finished fighting it down there yet naw maw another differed its it east that means england and the NOS ties this was for mr tinkers tinker sake to devil him about being sent t to 0 fight the germans instead of the japs it matter which way som someone cone else wanted to know you aint going to getoff and catch another train are you TO HE BE CONTINUE DI |