Evening star., 1942-12-02

sS'''''''''''''s>' ing the adren-
Henry McLemore. alin, III give
you the narrowing details.
The obstacle course which is used
to condition the youngsters who'll
soon be wearing gold wings is COB
yards long and is laid out over a
terrain that wart hog would have
trouble travelling over, even with
the use of an alpenstock, There
are 30 obstacles or death traps on
the course and each one presents
problem that would blanch the lace
of a circus daredevil.
l was only joking when | said l
would like to have a try at the
course, but 1t. Charley Burton and
1t. Buddy Savage took me seriously
and before l could protest l was
at the course and in charge of an
officer whose name l forget but who
am sure was the stand-ln for
Warden Lawes at Sing Sing.
He suggested that I put on a
track suit I held out for a suit OF
armor, but that not being available
/ I insisted on wearing double
/ breasted blue serge and black tie.
/ ! at least wanted to look good when
I passed on.
You start the course At desk.
The official timer sits at the desk,
fanked by pair Of gentlemen
whose duty it is. am sure, to notify
the next of kin and handle any calls
from the insurance company.
The first obstacle is comparatively
simple, being nothing more than a
log hurdle that a Grand National
SteeplechaSe entry wouldn't Jump
without blindfold and a fire un-
derneath him. You no sooner get
over this than you must Jump into
a deep pit and try to get out. l was
in this pit so long l began growing
a coat like a mole I finally got out.
And, after that everything was
blur. But not such a blur that l
can't remember log cabin I got
into, sort of log cabin. Anyway
it was tremendous pile of logs and
you either had to go through or
over them.
Somehow I managed to get myself
squarely in the middle Of this log
jam. Faint cries of encouragement
reached my ears, but I was stuck.
I was in this rustic setting for so
long that termites began eyeing me
thinking I was log. This must be
the end, 1 thought. as l finally es-
capped but it was only the beginning.
bear trap loomed up--a huge
stockade of logs.
Don't let him get in there" I
heard someone cry as l struggled
up the sides He'll be in there for
ever. The State will have to feed
him"
AS I toppled into the trap I
prayed that bear would really be
in there and put me out OF my
misery. But there was no bear and
I had to carry on to the rope swing,
a device by which you are supposed
to swing yourself over rocky ra-
vine and land on soft cushion OF
boulders.
Thank goodness I was smart
enough to pay that little extra for
double indemnity" I said to myself
as I swung out over the canyon.
Manys the McLemore that has
swung by rope, but there was al
ways someone there to cut them
down. I was out there alone, dam
/ Cling over a man-made Grand Can-
yon, so let loose. / would have let
loose even if the entire Japanese
army has been waiting for me
| below
That was my last obstacle. Ten
derly they lifted me from the rocks
! and laid me out on the Georgia
soil from whence I had sprung,
while scouting parties went in
search of my blue serge suit. The
vest they found in the bear trap.
/ One trousers leg still futtered from
the log pile. My tie whipped from
splinter on the wall climb.
/ When consciousness returned 7
asked the timekeeper how I had
1 done.
"A new record" he announced.
You started on Friday and reached
here on Saturday. You are the only
competitor we have had to use a
calendar on"
You might be interested to know
that the average time of the Pre-
/ Flight cadets on the course is under
/ five minutes. and that the record is
three minutes 80 seconds. 1 didn't
meet the chap who set the record.
didn't ask but am sure they have
| sent him off to the Smithsonian
Institution to hang beside Eli Whit
/ ney's cotton gin.
| Distributed BY McNausht Syndicate. Ine)
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