The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-02-21

E33*a zz5 NE3 that the con- Bill Garrigus munity is be
 hind him, and not too far behind to be of some help.
 Election of officers at the Red Cross also promises excitement and surprises. The local minister has been very active seeking wO- men who will run for office and keep the good work progressing in a manner to bring credit on the valley. Here, at least, we pre- dict lively contest. Red Cr0ssers are not as bashful as veterans
 Forty eight hours leave! Think of it, folks, our youngsters who are going to the wars are getting more furloughS than they know what to do with. The army is showing intense social conscious ness and the transportation fa- cilities are clogged almost every weekend with men in uniform fitting home and then back to the cantonments.
 It didn't used to be that way. An old time Colonel would receive 8 request from a recruit to go home on leave to Grandmother funeral and he would almost al- ways remind the soldier that flu. nerals outside" did not concern the army. When 8 man got three stripes, if he kept his service rec ord clean and watched his salutes smartly, he might get one fur Tough during each enlistment per- iod, if he was lucky. Under the Old-style discipline, journeys off the reservation were not cOnsid- cred necessary. Soldering was a trade where the journeymen were on call "A hours of very day.
 Once we received forty eight hours leave, but our left leg was in cast, pay day was eight months overdue, and the nearest railroad was on the other side of the mountains. Red Keegan used that frrlough. after borrowing a pair of shoes and a pair of pants from wandering YMCA man who was stranded in our town.
 Pat Gaffney got a forty eight hour leave and travelled from the Rhine to the River Shannon Country. He bought two quarts of Irish whiskey, 8 black thorn, and piece of the Blarney Stone. When Pat returned, the whiskey was gone, the walking stick was broken, and the mement0 from Blarney Castle looked like any other stone. He went to the guardhouse and never enjoyed an- other furlough.
 Happy Goodwin didn't believe in formal furloughs. When Hap wanted to see the world outside, he just traveled on his own with out papers of any sort. Once, after a prolonged term in the mill, Pri- vate Happy borrowed a dollar from the writer in Mississippi, journeyed to chilly Detroit, came back and reported for duty in North Carolina, and had five dol- lars in his kitsack to prove that he could make his way in the world. While Hap was away, package came for him with De- troit postmark. All hands stood around when he finally received that gift and all eyes opened wide when humble Happy unwrapped an expensive compass. "Huhl" Happy said, "She wants I should find my way back there by quicker route"
 Happy never saw Detroit, or the c0mpass-giver again. We shipped for France. G0Odwin's battery un- loaded under fire and fought through the streets of Chateau Thierry. They went on to San Mihiel and from there to Argonne hell. Up there, somewhere near a citadel on a hill overlooking the Mouse River, Happy stopped a chunk off a high explosive shell. We buried the compass with Hap- py, under an old crooked apple tree. Happy's last leave came the day before the Armistice. It was- mt for AS hours. It was for eter- nifty.
 Explorers used to spend millions