The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-11-30

In the alley back OF his home, Is nottffed
by his draft board that ne is in Ia. He
breaks the bad news to his wife. Amy.
and marches of to work without kiss.
ing her goodby.
CHAPTER IL: He opens his shop the
following morning. his imagination work.
Ing overtime. bullet had just sped
through his body; he found himself dy-
ing in some strange. foreign land. A
"reportographer'' from the Evening
Standard calls to take his picture and
get his story. and the next day his picture
appears on the front page under the
headline. Wrinkle Proud to Fight"
CHAPTER III: Telephone calls of COM
miseration pour In. The pettigrews drop
in that evening. Mrs. Pettigrew weeps
over her son. Jack. who is being called.
Mr.. Westcott next door neighbor says:
III you're the kind OF a soldier we're
going to have. God help u.s." Mr.. Winkle
makes out his win and tacks a sign read
ing CLOSED over his shop Amy
packs his bag and includes a pair of
rubbers.
CHAPTER w: Mrs. winkle confides
her worries. She fears Wilbert might
get interested In other women. He prom
Amy and Mr.. Wrinkle drive to the draft
board. A fellow draftee calls him Pop"
The draft board members shake his
hand. Mr.. Wrinkle takes his place at the
head of the draft parade. and marches
of behind the band.
CHAPTER ": Mr.. Wrinkle kisses Amy
goodby at the bus station and Is off TO
the wars. On arrival at camp. he Is
given his army physical and Is ashamed
of his skinny physique. He Is still count
ing on his dyspepsia to save him. He 10
passed along from doctor to doctor while
his spirits sag
CHAPTER vi: To his utter dismay.
Mr. Wrinkle is accepted by the army and
takes the oath of enlistment. He gets
his dog tags and so many shots" he
cannot remember what they all are for.
He is sent to Camp Squibb. thousand
miles from home. where he meets Mr..
Tinker. a plumber-a man of his own
age. They become very friendly.
CHAPTER VII: Mr.. Tinker tells Mr.
Wrinkle that he wants to get just one Jap.
with his hands. to avenge his kid brother.
killed at Midway. Any more that he
gets will be gravy" Mr.. Winkle gets
KIP and some bayonet practice. He for
gets to take his pills for three days
straight and realizes he has no further
need for them. His first day on the range
comes along. but he only plows up the
ground.
CHAPTER VIII: Mr.. Wrinkle is called
before his superior officer and told about
the new regulations. Being over 80 he
can get a discharge II he wants It, He
said he would like to stay in the army.
and is recommended for motor mechan.
les school. Mr.. Tinker is classified the
same. but is unhappy about it. He says
he is not In the army to be nursemaid to
a jeep. Mr.. Wrinkle Is given lesson in
locating the trouble in a combustion en-.
gine. according to "army procedure.
Mr.. Winkle takes a short cut adjusts
the carburetor, and gets bawled out.
CHAPTER TX: Granted a weeks fur.
lough. Mr.. Winkle goes home. Amy
says she hardly knew him. Their dog,
Penelope. growIs at him. Amy complains
that Wilbert had never gotten fat on any.
thing she fed him. After the furlough
Mr. Winkle and Mr.. Tinker are shipped
TO an embarkation point.
CHAPTER X: This is iti' Under the
realization of this, Mr.. Wrinkle. now a
sergeant, nearly falls out of the berth.
Each day at the embarkation point they
are marched to a ship at the pier, and
then back One day they kept on going
straight up the gang plank. Mr.. Winkle
perks up when he learns that Jack Petit.
grew. Freddie Tindall and the Alphabet
are aboard. The Alphabet congratulates
Mr. Wrinkle on being a sergeant.
CHAPTER XI: They land on the step.
ping-stone island of Talizo. Mr.. Wrinkle
and Mr.. Tinker report at one OF the
shops and are amazed at the equip
ment. Mr.. Wrinkle writes TO Amy.
One of the shells from the plane'i
cannon had exploded in the fox hole
The bodies of the men lay about
some of them half buried. Freddi,
was sprawled over the gun, as j
protecting it. Sergeant Czeideskrow
ski was on his back, his open eye!
staring straight up at the burning
sun and not blinking. In a tangled
pile, Mr.. Winkle caught sight o
the side of Jacks still face.
A single thought ran through hin
repetitiously. How will / ever tel
the Pettigrews? He asked himself
How will | ever tell the Pettigrews'
The sound of surging water mad'
him turn his head.
Out of the mist had come a fiat
nosed japanese assault boat.
Behind it, but somewhat off Il
either side, were two more.
Mr.. Winkle sank to his knees
both to get out of sight and becaus
his legs wouldn't hold him up an.
more.
After a moment, he knew that h
must do something. He realized tha
the whole position on Talizo Nigh
be lost if the men in those assault
boats ever landed and infiltrate
through the Jungle.
He found himself scrabbling abou
in the sand of the fox hole for tn
field phone. 1t wasn't in sight.
He saw the Signal Corps wire lead
ing up out of the hole. He grabbe
it, and started pulling on it.
A broken piece of the shattere,
phone came into his hands.
He dropped it from nerveless fir
gers.
Helplessly, Mr.. Winkle watche,
the leading assault boat come or
Now it was less than a hundrel
yards from the beach.
He looked back at the jeep. Ur
less the bullet holes through it
windshield meant more than the,
appeared to, the car would still run
He could get back in it to Civ
the alarm at the next post.
But by that time, the Japs woul
have effected their landing.
Mr.. Winkle wished that it was no
he who had been placed in this posi-
ton. He wanted, fervently, for it t
be another man, a fighter, a killer,