Evening star., 1942-02-07

eF~]AS
@ in America as 1t
has never been
Henry McLemore. promoted before.
Here is how it works:
In their painstaking search for
SubVersive agents, the F. B. I. gum.
shoers refuse to overlook a sinels
lead or clue. They investigate every
lead, no matter how remote 1t may
seem. track down every clue no mat.
Ter how old the trail may seem.
Bloodhounds 60 to them for lessons
IN patience and stick-to-itiveness.
one OF the first steps in an In.
Vestigation Of a person who has
been mentioned as possible agent
OF an, enemy country is to visit hts
next door neighbors. I was visiting
a friend here the other afternoon
when an F. B. I. agent sent In his
card. He was disguised as a broker.
presume, because he had on a
oouole-breasted suit. snappy pair
OF brogues, and that look of resie-
nation that brokers have worn for
the past few months.
He explained that the family
which lived next door to my friend
had been reported as friendly to
the enemy, and he would like to
know any and everything about thu
members Of it.
Here was q great chance for nv
friend to lay 1t on to his neiehbor
and fully expected him to. because
1 happened TO know that the two
families had not gotten along any
too well, and that the fence between
the two houses was not SO much a
property marker as it was q sort of
picket-referee that kept the respec-
tive heads Of the households from
having at one another.
He didn't disappoint me. He
didn't peg his neighbor as a SOY.
because, as he explained to the
agent, he didn't know anything
about any such activities, but he
gave him the full works along other
| lines.
He said to put his bones anywhere
but IN the adjoining front yard. He
said he was sinister character who
not only kept his radio on 20 hours
a day, but kept 1t tuned in so loud
that 1t shook the rafters of houses
q block away. He damned him for
not returning a rake he had bor-
rowed three years before, and for
parking his car in front of the drive
way that wasn't his. He let him
have 1t for everything the poor
nelghbor had done in the way of
petty annoyances for the past six
years.
He was still letting his neighbor
have the works when the agent got
up to leave.
And he is the sort of man." nv
friend was saying as the agent
bounced down the front steps, 'he is
the sort Of man who leaves a light
on all night that shines In your
bedroom window, and who won't
take care Of your cat when you 60
away for the week end"
That doesn't sound like a promo
ton Of the neighborly spirit, does
it? But 1t is. You see, with rumors
and counte-umors as thick as they
are these days, any man is likely to
have his name given the F. B. I. as a
suspect of one sort or another, and
have an agent question his neighbors
about him. So, in order to get a good
report, he must work at being bet
ter neighbor. Before this war is over,
citizens from Seattle to Savannah
will have learned to be better
neighbors.
There1l be more cake swapping
and coffee and sugar swapping, more
Let me help you clean the snow
OF your sidewalk, old fellow" stuff
than there ever was before.
A fellow isn't going to run the
risk Of having a neighbor give him
black eye with the F. B. I. lust
because he wouldn't lend his garden
hose, or his telephone or a pound Of
butter or cupful of sugar.
When the neighbor's kid runs over
his rose bushes with his bicycle he'll
curb his temper. resist the tempta-
ton to whack the brat with a bras
sic, and say, Nice riding, son. I
though for moment you might fall
when you hit that first patch of
flowers"
When the neighbor returns home
late at night and wakes I'D every
one In the block with his slamminp
OF garage doors. his neighbors will
forgive being awakened and hone
that OIL Charley had a good time at
the poker game and won the money.
Speaking for myself, I know that
I am going to try to be a better
neighbor from now on. don't want
the finger put on me by the folks
next door who are tired of chasing
my chickens out of their yard and
listening to me practice the ac-
Gordon at midnight.
From now on. I'm practicing al
IL, not midnight.
distributed By McNsusht Syndicate. Ine)