The Bluffton news. [volume], August 17, 1944, Image 7

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 17,1944
w.
PRATT
CHAPTER I
It never in the world ever oc
curred to Mr. Winkle that he would
be drafted and sent off to the wars.
War was for young men, not for a
settled married man of forty-four.
There was talk of the Army not
wanting the older men, but nothing
had yet been done about this. The
thing being done was what Mr. Win
kle received in this morning's mail.
When he reached in the mailbox and
took out the communication from his
draft board, his hands trembled a
little. Peering through his metal
rimmed glasses, he read that he
was classified 1-A.
He knew what that meant. After
ten days’ time, he wns subject for
induction into the United States
Army.
He stood there on the front steps
of his house, a small man engulfed
by a tremendous event that toppled
over his world and sent it bowling
off into space like a cannon ball.
He thought:
Not he, who had been married for
twenty years. Not he, a former
careful accountant who was now the
conservative proprietor of a modest
general repair shop located in the
alley back of his house. Not he,
with his overly active and morbid
imagination. Not he, who was no
man of action, but was afraid to
death of guns or violence of any sort.
Not he, with his stored-up mem
ory of how, as a boy with his .22
I
I
Ml
Peering through his metal rimmed
glasses he read he was classified 1A.
rifle, he had shot a squirrel. The
tiny animal fell from the high
branch where he aimed at it, land
ing with a thud on the hard ground.
When he held the warm, fuzzy body
in his hand, he was sick at heart
at what he had done. In later life,
when he stepped on an ant, or
squashed a spider, or even swatted
a fly, Mr. Winkle felt squeamish at
taking life.
Upon being called by his draft
board last week for physical exami
nation, Mr. Winkle had thought that
the strange doctor appreciated his
dyspepsia, his nearsightedness, his
caved-in chest, his good beginning
on a paunch (even though otherwise
he was skinny enough to be under
weight), his jumped-up pulse at the
slightest exertion, and his general
make-up of no great muscularity.
Never before had Mr. Winkle
known himself to be such a physi
cal wreck.
The doctor pursed his lips at the
Visual evidences of this close ap
proach to the grave. He frowned
in such a manner as to give Mr.
Winkle reason for counting on his
not being recommended. And though
the doctor and the members of the
draft board, working their mysteri
ous ways, had not committed them
selves on the result, it still hadn’t
seemed real to Mr. Winkle that he
would be seriously considered as a
soldier.
The notice couldn’t mean him. He
looked at it again, to see if, possi
bly, there had been some mistake.
But he saw his name typed out
boldly Wilbert George Winkle.
The thought of going in and tell
ing Mrs. Winkle about it swept over
him. The prospect of this was one
of both panic and intense interest.
Certainly it would take a lot of the
strong wind out of her sails.
Mrs. Winkle, during recent years,
had developed into a positive indi
vidual who was prone to run her
husband the way a locomotive en
gineer kept his hand on the throt
tle. Mr. Winkle never liked to put
this into the actual term of hen
pecking, but nevertheless that was
the true state of affairs.
Now he wondered how Amy would
take it. There was little she could
do about it. She wouldn’t be able
to argue with this, nor impose her
will in any way upon it. He felt
a little sorry for her, for he knew
that deep down, in spite of her sharp
words and orders, she loved him and
he loved her. Beyond his specula
tion on how she would receive the
news, he had a reluctance about
telling her.
Yet he didn’t see what else he
could do. With a sigh, he went into
the house.
Mrs. Winkle was already behind
her half of the newspaper in the
breakfast nook, which was all the
dining room their small house pos
sessed. Mr. Winkle, in his mind,
w/nkle
GOES TO WM
||1
W.N.U. RELEASE
could look Tight through The paper
and see her, a well-filled-out lady of
exactly his own age. To a person
seeing her for the first time, she
appeared dainty in spite of her
plumpness, quite feminine, and of
an eminently good nature. It was
a shock, upon second glance, to
notice the way her lips pressed
themselves together and the per
petual frown that creased the other
wise smooth pink skin between her
blue eyes.
Amy paid no attention as Mr.
Winkle carefully stepped over Pe
nelope, the third member of the
family.
Their sad-eyed spaniel was set
tled on the floor with her black muz
zle resting on her paws. At eight,
Penelope in her dog world was ap
proximately Mr. Winkle’s compara
tive age in the human world. She
was as amiable and mild as Mr.
Winkle himself. Never having been
allowed a husband, she had a rather
droopy disposition. Now, in her mid
dle age, she had given up hope and
no longer pretended to any interest
at the sight of a male, but simply
sniffed loftily or ignored the meet
ing altogether.
Penelope, Mr. Winkle thought,
was no more prepared for the large,
adventurous and dangerous things
of life, such as war, than he.
He sat heavily in his place in the
breakfast nook. From behind her
paper, Mrs. Winkle demanded,
“Anything for me?”
“No-o,” answered Mr. Winkle.
At his drawing out of the word,
Mrs. Winkle put her paper aside and
looked at her husband. She didn’t
see what he had received, for he
held it below the table. But from
the look of Mr. Winkle and the tone
of his voice, she knew at once.
Mrs. Winkle was the first to speak
again. Her frown deepened and her
lips were tight when she stated dis
approvingly, “Wilbert, your notice
has come.”
Silently, Mr. Winkle handed over
the notice to her.
Mrs. Winkle took it in at a single
glance. Her face went white. Her
frown disappeared and her mouth
softened. She looked bewildered, as
if props had been knocked out from
under her and she had no solid
ground to stand on. She said breath
lessly, as if caught off guard,
“You’re going to war.”
Mr. Winkle cleared his throat so
as to be sure he could control his
own voice, trying it out this way
without first chancing how it might
sound. “It means,” he explained,
"I’m just being passed on to the
Army doctors.”
“You’re going to war,” Mrs. Win
kle repeated in a whisper. Now she
looked actually frightened, amazed,
and hurt.
It had been years since Mr. Win
kle had seen such expressions on his
wife’s face. They affected him deep
ly. He began, “Now, Amy—”
“You’ll be killed!” Mrs. Winkle
wailed.
At this excitement, and --rhaps
at the new, strange tone in Mrs.
Winkle's voice, Penelope began to
howl.
Mr. Winkle had counted on no
such behavior on the part of his
wife. He had become so accustomed
to her shrewish ways that he hadn’t
pictured them being punctured so
abruptly.
He realized what a blow it was to
her. She was threatened with not
having him around to order about.
To have him removed from her
and sent off to war destroyed her
defenses and left her bewildered and
alone. It revealed the basic af
fection she had for him. Mr. Winkle
reflected* that it was taking the
greatest war in history to accom
plish this.
From the look on her face, Mr.
Winkle almost expected Amy to be
gin weeping. But she didn’t. She
just sat there staring at him, her
eyes bright and wide and dry, and
he sat staring at her. They re
garded each other awesomely while
Penelope continued to howl.
Penelope was interrupted by the
shrill ringing of the telephone. Mr.
Winkle made a movement to go into
the living room to answer it, but
Mrs. Winkle, with a rather wild look
on her face, started before he did.
She appeared to want to do some
thing definite.
Sitting in the breakfast nook, Mr.
Winkle heard her voice.
“Why, yes ... I suppose so,” she
faltered. “Just a minute.”
Any hesitancy didn’t sound like
Amy at all. Rather, it sounded like
the Amy of years ago, when Mr.
Winkle married her.
Her voice came again, calling in
to him, “It’s the newspaper—they
want to come out and interview
you.”
Alarmed at this, and at Amy ask
ing his advice about something in
stead of deciding it herself, Mr.
Winkle asked, “Me? Now? Here?”
Mrs. Winkle gave an affirmative
answer to each of these questions,
her words sounding like strangled
chirps.
Mr. Winkle thought, desperately.
Suddenly, he wanted to lash out at
something. “Certainly not,” he said.
“I can't wait around here. I’ve got
to get to the shop. And I don’t—
tell them I don’t want to be inter
viewed.”
Mrs. Winkle passed on his views
over the telephone. They didn’t
seem to make much impression, for
Mrs. Winkle, after listening to what
was said in reply, kept agreeing
doubtfully, “Yes yes, but—-oh,
I can see that’s probably right.”
She hung, un and came back. She
appeared to be slightly dazed.
“They said,” she told Mr. Winkle,
“that you’re already something of a
celebrity—from being the first mar
ried man in the older men’s classifi
cation to be drafted—and that it’s
your patriotic duty to set a good
example. They’re coming out here
to take pictures of—of us both.”
"I won't do it,” he said. “And
you shouldn’t—”
“But, Wilbert,” Mrs. Winkle pro
tested, "it won’t look right if we
don’t.”
“I don’t care how it looks. Where’s
my hat?” He was emboldened to
be peremptory. “Where’s my lunch
box?”
He saw them both where they
were kept ready for his departure
to business. He snatched them up
almost savagely, and clamped the
hat on his head. He hadn’t felt so
aroused for many years. He didn’t
quite know what to make of the way
I
It wasn’t until he had gone some
way that it occurred to him he had
forgotten to kiss his wife goodby.
he felt, for there was fear mixed in
him, too, along with his unaccus
tomed anger. Mainly, there was
the sense of being unnerved by an
unsure Amy.
He turned, and marched to the
front door. Mrs. Winkle followed
him. "Wilbert,” she said weakly,
“you have to, and you know it.”
By the time he reached the steps
outside, Mr. Winkle had somewhat
calmed. His small storm was near
ly over. He blinked. “I suppose,”
he admitted, “I’ll have to do a lot
of things I don’t feel like doing.”
Abruptly, he strode away, down
the walk, and then along the street.
It wasn’t until he had gone some
way that it occurred to him he had
forgotten to kiss his wife goodby.
It was the first time he had neglect
ed this ritual in their whole mar
ried life. Ordinarily, he would have
been called back and given instruc
tions. But there was no sound from
Amy.
Guiltily, he glanced once behind,
to see her still standing on the steps,
her hand at her throat, watching
him depart. Penelope was at her
feet, staring after him mournfully.
It may seem curious that, though
Mr. Winkle's place of business was
located right in back of his house,
he didn’t go out through the rear
door and across the fifty feet of yard
to reach his shop.
To the Winkles thir wasn’t strange
at all. There was te a good rea
son for it.
It originated from Mr. Winkle’s
career as a public accountant hav
ing disappeared during the depres
sion. Secretly, he was just as glad,
for he had never cared much for
dealing in long rows of someone
else’s figures. He greatly preferred
tinkering with mechanical things,
for which he had a decided flair and
a delicate touch.
Pleasant View
Miss Margaret Habegger returned
to Dayton last week after spending
several days with her parents Mr.
and Mrs. Joseph Habegger.
Mrs. Dale Phillips and little
daughter spent Sunday with Mr. and
Mrs. Arthur Phillips, Sr., and fam
ily of West Independence.
Mrs. Eliott and daughter of Chi
cago are visiting in the home of
Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Carr.
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Rupright
and daughter Yvonne of Bluffton
spent Thursday evening in the home
of Noah Habegger and Mr. and Mrs.
Howard Habegger.
Mr. and Mrs. Myron Reichenbach
spent the week-end in Columbus vis
iting her brother Mr. and Mrs. O.
D. Rickly and family and Mr. and
Mrs. I. B. Rickly.
Mr. and Mrs. Marion Forney and
little daughter of Forest spent Sat
urday with her parents Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Harris.
Bernard Green left last week for
Oakland, Calif., after spending a
ten-day furlough with his parents
Mr. and Mrs. Milford Green and
family.
E. Y. Frantz, Dwight Fratz, Roy
Rogers and Leland Frantz attended
a county fair at Urbana, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Frantz
moved from Lima to the L. H.
Frantz farm, Tuesday. Mrs. Ives
Bass and sons moved to Leipsic.
The Linwood Threshing Ring held
their annual social and business
meeting in the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Clarence Fridley and son Billy,
Wednesday evening.
Effective July 31, ceiling prices on
alfalfa hay in Ohio were set at
$20.50 a ton from May through
October, at $21 a ton during No
vember, and at $21.50 for December.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS, BLUFFTON, OHIO
P&iAaHcd
They say it isn’t the heat—it’s the
humidity .... that’s the old story—
we doubt it but we’re hoping
something to get those two Siamese
twins, heat and humidity separated
and then find out which it is that
makes us hot under the collar—only
we aren’t wearing any collars these
days .... and to add to other discom
forts was that cricket invasion Mon
day night .... and locusts reminding
us that it will be less than 6 weeks
until frost and only three weeks
until school opens and vacancies
on teaching staffs of the public schools
—and college too and final word
on teaching staffs probably will be
held up until just before opening
dates and the way they signed
up for the 60 places on the Sports
men’s club one day cruise on Lake
Erie Aug. 17 left some late comers
in the lurch it’ll be the last chance
for summer vacation before Labor
day—and the boys aren’t laying any
heavy bets on a Labor day holiday
this year and speaking of one day
outings, remember way back when thb
town used to close up every summer
about this time for the Cedar Point
excursion ... went over the old L. E.
& W. and everybody packed a big pic
nic basket and there were never
enough coaches for the crowd and
Charlie Hankish ran a refreshment
stand in the baggage car—had it filled
in the morning with ice cream and
pop and came back empty at night.
and the band in uniforms looking
so smart and they played on the
boat between Sandusky and the Point
.... Al Swinehart was leader—and
then came George Tipton and the
boys shed their coats after the big
picnic dinner—but they had to lug
their horns around with them—all ex
cept Hooligan Locher—he played the
piccolo and put it in his pocket and
everyone had saltwater taffy and cot
ton candy—and nobody had ever heard
of a sugar stamp ... in the afternoon
the kids played on the beach—and
everybody went swimming in those
cotton bathing suits and the mer
rygoround roller coaster .and
nickelodeon and gay young blades
strolling nonchalantly thru the Break
ers lobby ... or taking up space in
lounging chairs on the veranda ....
those were the days.
About the most permanent thing
we know of in the way of reunions is
that of the Black school of Orange
township which held its 35th annual
gathering last Thursday. The Black
school is no more. Whether for bet
ter or worse, it went with the little
red school houses swept away in the
wave of centralization of the thir
ties—but the reunion goes on. De
spite gas and tire restrictions upwards
of 100 former teachers, pupils and
friends were in attendance this year.
Mrs. Wright Klingler is president for
next year, Faery Nonnamaker is
vice president and Fern Koch secre
tary-treasurer.
The drought in Orange township
this summer has broken all known
records for that locality. The rain
last Saturday was the first for some
portions of the township since June
16—which after all is a long dry spell
any way you look at it.
We call attention again to military
censorship regulations which forbid
publication of addresses of men in the
armed forces overseas or at ports of
embarkation. This explanation is made
because of numerous requests which
come for publication of such informa
tion. It is permissible to state, for
instance that John Smith is in Eng
land, France, or other foreign desti
nation. But what is not permitted is
Cesspool Cleaning
Work promptly and thoroly
done. Prices reasonable. C'iill
Bluffton phone 171-W.
J. E. WIESS
Bluffton, Route 2
LOCAL AND LONG
DISTANCE HAULING
Every Load Insured
STAGER BROS.
Bluffton, Ohio
Amstutz
Cannery
Operates every week from
Tuesday to Friday until
further notice
MANCHURI
N
KOREA
to give the company, regiment, divis
ion, or other military unit to whhh
he belongs. The censorship bureau
explains that this information may
be given to those interested by mem
bers of the soldier’s family, but may
not be published or broadcast.
Flags will adorn Bluffton’s school
rooms when classes open for the fall
term next month. New superintendent
Ralph Lanham told the board of ed
ucation Monday night that he felt the
display of a flag in every’ classroom
was a definite contribution to morale
and the board agreed. So there will
be a flag in every classroom in the
grade building and also in the high
school study rooms.
Bluffton sport fans with a flair for
figures will be interested (in the finan
cial report of the high school athletic
association to be published soon in the
Bluffton News. Publication of the re
port was authorized by the board of
education for information of school
district patroni.
It was a Bluffton table for three
the other Sunday at Camp Van Dorn,
Miss., when Privates Karl Gable and
Ralph Althaus and T/5 Harold Augs
burger got together for dinner. The
boys said they hadn’t seen Fred Herr
man, who is also reported stationed
at the same camp.
News Want-Ads Bring Results.
Triple Threat for Japan?
v
JAPAN
honshuJ
Yellow
Sea
KYUSHUJ
With Germany completely on the defensive, beaten in actual, if
unadmitted fact, foresighted men turn to Japan as United Nations’
Enemy No. 1. What’s in store for the Nips after Germany sur-‘
renders? All signs point to nothing but disaster. Map above shows
probabilities and possibilities. Probability: We take the Bonins,
Within easy shuttle-bombing distance of Japan. Possibility: We
take bases in Kuriles, a northern path of island stepping-stones and
bomber bases. Possibility: Russia declares war on Japan, pro
vides airfields in Siberia. Photo below shows drums of 100-octane
gas being unloaded from LST on a Pacific isle. With new bases, this
precious bomber-food can be landed in bulk from tankers.
A AMUSHI RO SltSrTTTTT*'
/IN 945 Miles
Ses of SST to Ktsfro
Okhotsk
Pacific Ocean
65 per cent of
all shipments to
our armed forces
overseas ore
gasoline and
other petroleum
products.
BONIN IS.
Richland Center
Mrs. Emma Schaublin of Lima
and Mrs. John Badertscher were
Thursday dinner guests of Mr. and
Mrs. J. I. Luginbuhl.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Maidlow
and daughter Eileen spent Thursday
afternoon with Mr. and Mrs. Ernest
Gratz.
Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Althaus of
Lima spent Sunday’ evening with
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Marquart and son.
Noah Hochstettler and daughter
Lorena and Miss Marie Imbach
spent Sunday afternoon at the Amos
and Weldon Luginbuhl home. Even
ing callers were Mr. and Mrs. War
ren Moser and son.
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Stryker of
Lima, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Schaub
lin and family and Mr. and Mrs.
Wilford Gratz called Sunday evening
on Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Schaublin
and daughter Rachel.
Mr. George Bixler of South Bend,
Ind., spent from Monday till Thurs
day at the Amos Gerber home.
Peter Matter passed away at his
home in Bluffton Sunday. Funeral
services were held at Emmanuel Re
formed church Tuesday afternoon.
Burial was in the church cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Grant and
sons were Sunday guests of Mr. and
Mrs. J. I. Luginbuhl.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Core and
family, Mr. and Mrs. Wilford Gratz
MR. FARMER-
Most of your farm work is now finished. You may now
be able to arrange your work so you can work 8 hours in the
factory helping produce urgently needed tires and tubes.
The Army is demanding more truck tires to equip the
trucks to keep supplies,—ammunition,—and food,—up to our
fighting boys at the front.
They are requesting 30% increase in August and Sep
tember over July.
Many of our men are in the Army and Navy—yes, they
are doing the fighting for us—in all parts of the world.
So to attain the increased production demanded we need
more men for—
Mill Room-Tire Builders
Tire Curing
If you have had rubber experience that is fine, but if not
we will pay you while you learn.
Come in and talk over the matter with Mr. Capel!, our
Personnel Man. He will tell you about getting a temporary
release from A. A. A. to help in this important work.
THE COOPER CORPORATION
FINDLAY, OHIO MAIN 390
All Applicants Must Comply with WMC Stabilization Program
PAGE SEVEN
and Mr and Mrs. W. C. Schaublin
and daughter Rachel were Sunday
callers of Mn and Mrs. Ernest
Gratz.
Mr. and Mrs. John Nonnamaker
and family, Mr. and Mrs. Harry
Wingate and daughter were enter
tained Monday evening at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Chidester
and son. Water melon was served.
Mr. Nonnamaker is of the Navy.
Past week callers at the Francis
Basinger home were: Rev. A. C.
Schultz, Noah and Lorena Hoch
stettler, Marie Imbach, Mr. and Mrs.
Menno Basinger and daughter, Mil
lard Basinger, Pvt. Chauncey Ba
singer of Camp Atterbury’, Ind., Mrs
Barbara Habegger and family of
Berne, Ind., LaVere Patterson, Clif
ford Springer, Mrs. Emil A. Spring
er of Berne, Ind., Mrs. Malcom Ew
ing and Mrs. Sol Steiner. Basing
ers' have named their infant daugh
ter Donna Mae.
Mr. and Mrs. J. I. Luginbuhi
called Friday evening on Mr. and
Mrs. W. C. Schaublin and daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Marquart,
Mr. and Mrs. John Hirschfeld, Jr.,
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Marquart and son
were Sunday dinner guests of Mr.
and Mrs. John Hirschfeld, Sr., of
Lima.
John McPheron, of Lima, spent a
few days last week with Mr. and
Mrs. Harry Wingate and daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. George Eisenbeck of
Pandora called Sunday evening at
the Amos Gerber home.
Poultry’men retaining hens for a
second production year should do a
thorough job of culling to avoid
carrying loafers through an addi
tional season. Feed prices have not
dropped.
BUY NOWI
■ts-tMk unbar lana. A
onaltty Mght nt a bargain
yriMl
Bluffton Implement
& Harness Co.
Firestone Dealers
THE A. C. & Y.
RAILROAD NEEDS
BRAKEMEN
BOILERMAKERS
MACHINISTS
CAR REPAIRMEN
SECT1ONMEN
TELEGRAPH OPERATORS
BRIDGE AND BUILDING
CARPENTERS
Must meet WMC requirements.
These are full wartime jobs and
good possibilities for postwar
work. Liberal railroad retirement
and unemployment benefits.
Call at the nearest A. C. & Y.
station and the agent will give
you complete information.
The Akron, Canton &
Youngstown Railroad Co.