The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-09-07

Hecteu, Ii De able TO tell when ]
see you again.
Threatened with this test, Mr..
Winkle accused, "All you're doing is
putting ideas in my head"
She drew back. "Why, Wilbert
Wsnkle!" she cried angrily, and
again there peeped forth the Amy
of recent years. do you know
what you're doing? You're placing
the blame on me for your being un-
faithful"
MIR. Wrinkle felt that, having been
given his trousers back, he should
retain them. 1t was no time to uuib-
bic about that or shirk il. "You
wait till I am," he retorted testify.
III send you a postcard. And
on it" he said darkly. "I'n also
ask why everything you're saying
doesn't work on your side of the
fence, too"
Instead of the frown between her
eyes returning, and the pressing to-
gether of her lips. as Mr.. Winkle
half expected, Amy's blue eyes SIM
ply went wide.
They stared at each other. first
with shock and then with horror. On
the eve of his departure for the bat
tlefront, they were quarreling, say
ing cruel things because they were
upset.
Each recognized that neither of
them meant what he said. Contri-
ton entered into both of them at the
same time.
Mrs. Wrinkles eyes filed with
tears and she flung herself at Mr..
Winkle, wailing, "Oh, Wilbert, you're
going to war and you'll ceme back
without leg or an arm or--or
and haven't been nice to you for
long time, not nice at all and
OH Wilbert, Wilbertl"
She sobbed, letting out all the
shame that had been hers since the
morning his notice arrived, and all
the fear that she, too, had kept hid
den during the last days.
Now 1t was Mr.. Wrinkle who held
her, and patted her, and assured
her.
This made him feel strong and
manly, and almost good about going
to war.
In the morning, before they drove
downtown, taking Penelope with
them because they felt she. too,
should see him off, Mrs. Wrinkle
fused and fretted over him.
you've got your pills?" she
asked. ''The big bottle we had made
up for your"
Mr.. Winkle patted his pocket and
the pills, in their bottle, ratified.
s'You haven't taken out your rub
bers again?"
Mr.. Wrinkle shook his head.
Mrs. Winkle contemplated, her
brow furrowed for a moment, but
she could think of nothing else. "I
still can't believe you're really 60
ing" she said.
Maybe I'll be back tomorrow"
''Oh, Wilbert, I know it isn't the
thing to say, but l hope you will
be-" Anxiously, she asked, IF you
aren't, are you sure you're going to
be all right?"
81 don't see why not" he an
swered stoutly.
He wondered how much he fooled
her.
Certainly he didn't fool himself.
Mr.. Winkle had been trying to
look on the bright side of it. If his
country needed him, he should 60
and do his duty; if he didn't, per-
haps there wouldn't be any country.
He argued that the war was the
greatest thing that had happened in
history and he wanted to be a part
of it. But that thought was sus-
tanning only up to the point where
he considered what his part might
be.
Now that the moment of leaving
was here, all he could think was:
Will I ever return? Will I ever see
Maple Avenue, and home again?
AS he drove away he looked back,
to catch last glimpse of the house.
Still craning his neck when he
reached the corner, he nearly col
lided with truck which wasn't saw
ing its tires, eliciting shrek from
Mrs. Wrinkle and a protesting yelp
from Penelope.
In front of the post Office he got
out and Mrs. Wrinkle took over the
wheel. She would meet him with his
bag at the bus station, to which Mr..
Winkle understood he was to march
in parade.
Mr.. Winkle negotiated the stairs
to the second floor of the post office
feeling little as if he were mount
ing a scaffold to his DOOM. When ne
walked down the hall and into the
draft boards room he found that
most of the other men were already
there.
Three members of the board, in
cluding the clerk and the chairman,
who was clad in a blue American
Legion uniform and made a very
official appearance, sat before ta-
BILE at the front of the room. They
shuffled papers with a grave air.
The draftees themselves sat on
collapsible chairs and with uneasy
expressions alternated between re-
garding each other and the men al
the table.
Mr.. Winkle took a seat in the
rear row. Some of the men, he
saw. recognized him from his pic
ture in the paper. A few of them
gave him brief smiles or mods, tenta-
tive invitations to being comrades in
arms. Or recognition that he was In
the same boat with them. Mr..
WsvLIa .w.L.-L