Evening star., 1960-08-22
The
Rambler
Gets A
Telephone Call
By GEORGE KENNEDY

Mikado, Koko, the Lord High
Executioner, confideS that he
has "a little list" of his Sc
lections for decapitation.
One of them is that Singu-
lar anomoly, the lady nov
elist. I'm sure she won't be
missed"
The Rambler haStenS to
say that he does not join in
this 19th-century prejudice
against the female blue
stocking. That line from the
ditty was accidently brought
to mind by a telephone call
last week.
A woman in Pittsburgh
called The Star and asked
for the name of a reporter
who had written the story
of her telephone marriage II
years ago. All she could re-
member was that his name
was George L." She
kept the line open a half
hour while Star librarians
searched the files. They
found the story, but it had
no by-line. She left her
name, Mrs. Bermce Trainor,
and her Pittsburgh number.
When asked about it, the
Rambler remembered the
story. He wrote it.
A glance at the clippings
refreshed his memory. Her
name was Bernice Lynch.
She came from a small town
in West Virginia.
The circumstances of our
meeting were these:
A lawyer named Simmons
in the Tower Building tele-
phoned me. He said a young
woman had called at his Of
fee and asked him to check
the legality of an intercon-
tinental telephone marriage.
He found that such a mar
riage would be perfectly
legal. The prospective BRIDE
groom was an enlisted man
at our Army Air Force base
at Para, Brazil, the jumping
off place for Africa. His
name was Bernard Trainor,
a corporal. The ceremony
would be that evening in Mr..
Simmons office. Would 1 like
to attend?
1 WAS THERE that eve
ming with a photographer.
The bride-to-be was a pretty
girl, fairly tall, well proper
toned and of serious mien.
She was wearing q herring
bone suit that was a little
on the sweet side. She was
accompanied by a Rev. Mr..
Storer, who was assistant
pastor of Mount Vernon
Methodist Church.
That was the start Of a
vigil of several nights. On
the first night, radio-tele-
phone contact could not be
made. On the second Pvt.
Trainor could not be found.
Next day I telephoned the
office of Robert A. Lovett,
Acting Secretary of War.
(Stimson was overseaS.) His
Secretary's name was O'Day.
She was Irish, so I played on
her heart strings with this
tale Of frustrated young love.
A half hour later Mr..
Lovett called me back.
I'm a little old and bald
to be playing Cupid" he said,
but I've given orders that
a message go through so that
Corpl. Trainor will be avail
able at Para to answer a
telephone call tonight"
THAT SNAPPED THE
STORY up on Page l, and
that night in the lawyers
Office we toasted the newly
weds-to-be in champagne
But another long vigil ended
finally with word that the
colonel in Para said he didn't
give a continental what the
Acting Secretary Of War said
he wasn't going to order ar
unwilling enlisted man to an
swer the telephone.
Bernice Lynch went bach
to West Virginia. Two years
later she wrote me. She wa.
Mrs. Trainor. They had con.
tinued corresponding. Wher
Corpl. Trainor was dis
charged and returned hom'
to Seattle, she went out there
and they were married.
A few years later, a sac
letter. He wanted a divorce
They had two children.
Then this telephone cal
last week. The Ramble.
called her back. 1t was ;
joyous woman who answered
She had called him to tel
him that her first novel wa
about to be published-"t