Evening star., 1952-09-10
The Coine Mutiny
By Herman Wouk :

W1S loue at first sight tOhen
Willie Keith, a night club piano
player, met May Wynn i0hen
she successfully applied for a
singing Job at the Club Tahiti.
That UaS before Willie tDaS
called into the Navy after Pearl
Hdrbor. May also found that
she waS fond OF Willie, but
doubted Whether anything
Uould come OF the romance
because OF their family back
grounds. She Uds the daugh-
ter OF an Italian fruit store
operator; he a Princtonian from
Ne1D England.
But the 1OdyS OF the heart
are strange, and the young man
1Dho soon DdS to enter q mid
shipman's school, fou1,d the
moose OF loue dr1iDing tighter.
III.
May Wynn's job at the Club
Tahiti lasted for three weeks.
Willie soon obtained the tele-
phone number of the Bronx candy
store, and they continued seeing
each other after Mays engabe-
ment at the club was finished.
1t was April. Their relationship
advanced to include long walks in
the blossoming new-green park,
and dinners at expensive restau-
rants. and kisses in taxis, and
sentimental presents like ivory
cats and fuzzy black bears and
a great many flowers. Willie wrote
some bad sonnets, too, and May
took them home, read them again
and again, and shed warm tears
over them. Nobody had ever writ
ten poetry to her before.
Late in April Willie received a
postcard from his draft board.
inviting him for a physical ex-
animation. Upon the sounding
of this tocSin he remembered
the war, and forthwith went to
a Navy oficer-procurement sta
tion. He was accepted for the
December class of the Reserve
Midshipmen School. This put
him beyond the clutches of the
Army, and gave him a long re-
prieve from service.
Mrs. Keith, however. took his
enlistment as a tragedy. Dis
creetly inquiring among influen-
tial friends. she found peculiar
stoniness everywhere to the idea
of getting Willie some safe duty
in the United States. So she
determined to make his last free
months beautiful. May Wynn was
doing a pretty good job of that.
but of course Mrs. Keith didn't
know it. She was unaware of
the girls existence.
Willie and May never talked
about marriage. He sometimes
wondered why he didn't mention
the subject. but he was very glad
that she was content to leave
their relationship in the realm
of wild kisses. His idea was that
the sweetness would last to be
enjoyed during the four months
of midshipmen school; then he
would go to sea. and that would .
be the convenient and painless
end.
Hero Returns Home.
The Keith home in Manhasset
al
house with heavy white pillars,
high -arching black wood-shingled
roof, and multitudes of large WIN
dows. 1t stood on a knoll in the
middle of two acres of lawns
set with soaring old beech, maple,
and oak trees and bordered by
flower beds and a thick high
hedge. Mrs. Keith's family had
presented it to her. Her income
from Rhode Island bank securi-
ties still went to keep it up.
Willie believed such surroundings
were normal.
He walked up the avenue of
naples to the front door and
entered upon prepared triumph.
His mother Rugged him. Relatives
and. neighborS, f1ourishing cock
tails. greeted the war hero.
Willie noticed for the first time
when the party went into the
living room that his father limped
and walked with a cane. After a
while Dr. Keith interrupted the
question session. Time out" he
said, while a man has a few
words in private with his sailor
SON." He took Willie by the arm
and led him into the library. How
is it. really, Willie-the Navy?"
DR.. Keithe said, closing the door.
and leaning on his cane.
Fine, Dad. I'll get by. What's
the matter with your Lego"
Nothing much. Infected toe"
I'm sorry. Bother you much?"
Some"
Willie glanced at his father in
surprise. 1t was the first time he
had heard his father complain of
an ailment. "Well-what can /
say to a doctor? You've had it
looked at?"
"Oh. yes. Nothing to be done.
1t will simply take time" Father
and son looked into each others
eyes for a moment. Il shouldn't
keep you from the company" said
the doctor, limping toward the
window. But we've really never
talked much, have we? I'm afraid
I've let your mother do all the
upbringing. And now you're off to
the wars +"
Willie did not know what to
answer. 1t seemed that his father
wanted to say something but could
not find a way to begin.
Il never got overseas myself
Willie, in the first war. Maybe
you'll be lucky, too"
I'll take what comes" said
Willie. THE Navy's spending lot
of time and work on me. Maybe I
ought to go overseas If I'm good
enough for it,"
Father Notices q Change.
r- Keith ran his fingers across