The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1945-02-01
LOVE kFFIRST flight
kENFsI OTIS CARNEY ~
this was definitely the psychia'

trlSt'S province.
''Those Nicean banks of yore,"
said slowly. If he wanted
wheels within wheels, he would
get them.
'Nicean barks of yore!" he cried.
Everybody leaned toward the
psychiatrist for an Interpretation.
I nodded.
1T wasn't your mother or a
cousin?" he probed.
I think it was Mr.. Higs' first
chance to prove himself, and he
was banking heavily on a STAN
dard fixation. The secretary
watched intently, convinced there
was a lot of "that" bound up in
my everyday Navy life.
whats all this got to do with
it, Higs?" snapped Mr.. Wells, who
had no use for the psychiatrist.
eff a man can't think of Nicean
whatevers and release the brakes
too"-he wagged his feet some
more-"then the Navy doesn't
want him."
"Dowd, you wait outside a min
ute," urged Mr.. Higs.
After I closed the door, the dis
cussion mounted and fell in waves
on Mr.. Higs. I could hear the
muttered rumblings as the Board
fought to just decision. There
was a copy of the Corpus Christi
Caller Times on the sofa.
turned to the editorial page and
the opinions of great minds as
another might reach for aspirin.
There she was, a mighty bulwark.
I read, To-day went to see the
government workers. club estab-
lished in Mrs. Evelyn Walsh Nc
Leans garage"
If she could save Mrs. Mclean,
she could save me. Farther on
the column continued: II walked
to the White House to find it was
rapidly getting colder. When
opened my windows last night,
looked out at the solitary sentries,
who are always the last human
beings I see at night and the first
l see in the morning. I wished
could do something to keep them
warm
In moments of stress one is apt
to distort his personal problem,
but if it came to the worst I de-
termined then and there to 90 to
her. I would not shove in ahead
of the Camp Fire Girls. I would
wait patiently in line with Mrs.
Evelyn Walsh Mclean, conf
dent that neither Board, nor
brakes, nor bleary-eyed psychia-
trists could harm me as long as
she was there. And she promis-
ed to be there a long, long time.
"Mr. Dowd," said the secretary.
l walked into the room with
new assurance.
Mr.. Wells rose. Ensign Higs
stood over by a window, his
hands behind his back. It ap-
peared that his vote had not been
counted.
"Aviation Cadet Dowd," began
Lieutenant Commander Wells, ''it
costs the Navy twenty-seven
thousand dollars to train you. To
date we have squandered approx
imately fourteen thousand to that
purpose. 1t is the considered
opinion of this Board that we are
in too deep to expel you, and
therefore we have decided, in
spite of the risk, to continue your
flight training"
'Thank you, sir" I beamed.
On my way out, Mr.. Wells
called: "Dowd, about those Nicean
barks. Couldn't you, wouldn't
you "
eyes, sir" I said, and left.
=
I once took some vocational
tests at the Stevens Institute in
Hoboken. The results proved to
everybody's satisfaction that as
far as science could tell had no
scientific bent whatsoever. If
any additional evidence were
necessary, remember Mr.. Clos
sup, back at Anacostia, was NOV
ed to shout at me, 'There is not
a mechanical gene in your entire
makeup"
I believe there was one in the
beginning, but it collapsed early
in life when Father kept bringing
me "Zeus Chemical Sets" to play
with. Like many forward-think-
ing men he believed science might
yet save us, and he was determ-
ined I should know about it.
Sometimes he brought home two
sets a week. Nobody in the
household dared throw the things
o1v% &a-r 9oo,~ &L~x, s~~ 81. eS~@ - &c -