The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-11-30
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:
NIX. WZ/kHZE
1.5sSs.s G0ES W MAR
PKAt uRELEAsE
w.N.u. RELEASE

here now, in would have
known what to
Then Mr.. Wrinkle knew what to do.
1t occurred to him that he hadn't
thought of himself. of his own safe
ty. when considering getting away
in the jeep. He had thought only
to give the warning of what was
happening.
Also, he saw Mr.. Tinker living
sprawled out there on the ground.
He remembered how he had ducked
under the command car while Mr..
Tinker fired his rife. The recollec-
ton made him feel craven, especial
ly when now Mr.. Tinker would nev-
er get his Jap.
He decided that he must get him
for Mr.. Tinker.
There were the Alphabet, Freddie,
Jack, and the other men to think
about, too. 1t infuriated him that
Sergeant Czeideskrowski lay dead.
It made him see red to think that
after Freddie had been made into a
decent person, he had been killed.
His brain scared with a hot flame
at the thought of Jack.
It seemed, to be the most natural
thing in the world to pull Freddie S
body from the gun. Swiftly, he ex-
amined it. The gun was intact. 1t
needed only a new belt of ammuni-
ton.
He clawed about in the sand and
among the bodies for an ammunition
box. He stepped on soft flesh and
didn't mind it.
Digging furiously, he found what
he wanted. He stripped the nearly
spent belt from the gun, and in
serted a fresh one.
AS he worked he knew how good
and wise 1t was that he had been
trained to operate a machine gun.
He wished that he was better at it.
But rising surge of confidence
made him sure he would be good
enough.
The first boat was nearly at the
shore. Mr.. Wrinkle sighted the gun
for the spot he figured the men
would be when they stepped out.
That was what he had been taught.
He still had a moment. He en-
ployed it by coolly taking off his
glasses and wiping them dry with
his handkerchief. He wiped his face
and neck, both of which streamed
with sweat.
He glanced about.
This was where he would die.
He had often wondered in what
circumstances and in what locality
it would occur. Now he knew. It
wasn't such a bad place. He saw
it almost for the first time, the wav-
ing palm trees, the Towering hibis-
Gus.
He liked it.
It was romantic.
Amy, he thought, would be glad
to know it was such an attractive
place.
1t occurred to him that for the
first time in his life he wasn't afraid
to die. He even exulted in 1t. He
heard his voice. He was laughing.
He felt released from hard, painful
bonds. He knew that, at last, Will
bert George Winkle, in the flesh and
not in a newspaper headline, was
proud to fight.
He turned back to the gun. 1t
was nearly time.
The assault boat beached in shall
low water. Men started jumping
out and splashing through the wa
ter. He could see their faces, brown,
slant-eyed, expressionless. Mr.. Win
kle let them all get out. Then, care
fully sighting, he squeezed the trig-
ger.
There was snap and a jerk.
The gun jammed without firing.
Frantically, he worked at the gun.
One finger caught in the mecha-
nism. He tore it away. Blood
spurted, but he paid no attention.
He kept picking at the jammed
cartridge. Finally he got ii out, and
new one in the firing chamber, the
gun prepared properly.
Five men had run ahead, off to
one side. Mr.. Winkle swung his
gun around, concentrating on them
first. This time the gun fired. He
was astonished to see the men fall.
He wasn't sure if one of them got
away.
He swung the gun back, splitting
vengeance at the larger group. As
the bullets spat out from under his
hands, still new and greater world
opened before him.
This was what he had lived for.
Life had a meaning and purpose
of which he had never dreamed.