The Bluffton news. [volume], December 14, 1944, Image 7

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THURSDAY, DEC. 14. 1944
THEODORE
PRATT
(Conclusion)
He didn’t know when he left the
fox hole and with the others ran
upon the beach with a rifle in his
hands. He was astounded, once, to
note the bayonet on the end of the
rifle, and that he had plunged it
into a Jap soldier and was having
difficulty in getting it out. Twist, he
He wasn’t aware that other men,
live men, were in the fox hole with
him.
thought, that was it. He twisted,
and the blade came free. It was
true what they said.
He felt a sharp sting in his left
shoulder.
On top of his head there was a
blinding clang.
His helmet was knocked off.
Something crashed on his bare
head and after that he was aware of
nothing.
Mr. Winkle opened his eyes cau
tiously. He had been conscious for
a few minutes, but he couldn’t place
where he was.
The first thing he saw was the
face of Jack Pettigrew. Jack had
only a head, which floated in the
air all by itself. The mouth in the
head said, “Hello, Pop.”
“So you made it, too,” observed
Mr. Winkle.
‘Made it?’ Jack’s head in
quired.
“We’re dead, aren’t we?” asked
Mr. Winkle. “You were dead the
last time I saw you. This is Heav
en, I suppose. Or is it—?” In some
panic he demanded, “Which one?”
The head laughed. “We’re in an
Army hospital just outside of Los
Angeles.”
The rest of Jack came into focus.
Clad in pajamas and a bathrobe, he
was sitting on the edge of a white
bed. There were lines of white
beds.
Mr. Winkle looked down at him
self. He seemed to be all there.
He wriggled his toes to make sure.
His left shoulder felt a little peculiar
and he had a slight headache, but
otherwise he was intact.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“We’re supposed to be on Talizo
You—and the Japs ...” He looked
around, as if to see the Japs swarm
ing up the beach.
“The Japs,” Jack grinned, “didn't
get anywhere. We’ve taken the
whole island since then. You saved
it. You’re a hero. You’re going to
get a medal. The President told
about you in one of his speeches.”
“The President .” Mr. Winkle
faltered. This was the second time
the President had paid some atten
tion to him.
“And look at these papers.” Jack
rummaged in a locker between the
beds and then held the front pages
of newspapers so Mr. Winkle could
read them. One of them was The
Evening Standard. Mr. Winkle took
it and saw big black letters which
said:
WINKLE, HERO OF TALIZO
He dropped the paper. He was
dizzy. “You’d better start at the
beginning,” he begged Jack.
“I’m supposed to call the nurse
if you wake up,” Jack said. “You’ve
been out for five weeks. You're not
supposed to talk.”
“You do the talking,” Mr. Winkle
ordered. “And lots of it.”
Jack himself had merely been
knocked out and wounded by the
explosion of the lucky shell in the
fox hole. Mr. Winkle had been found
on the beach with a bullet hole
through his shoulder and a bad con
cussion. At first it was thought he
wouldn’t live. The doctors did a
job on his head in the infirmary at
Talizo. Another and more thorough
piece of work was done after they
were shipped back to the States on
a transport. Jack assured Mr. Win
kle that he was all right now.
“You don’t have to worry,” Jack
said. “Mrs. Winkle knows. I went
home to see my folks. I’m here
now only for a check-up before I
join my new company. We’re head
ed for the Philippines this time.”
“You left out something,” Mr.
Winkle said. “The most important
part. The Alphabet, Freddie, and
the others .”
In a low voice, Jack said, “I was
the only one.”
It was a moment before he could
ask about Mr. Tinker. Then he
spoke only his name.
“No,” Jack told him.
At least, thought Mr. Winkle, Mr.
Tinker had got his Jsp himself.
Mfl. W/NKLE
GOES 70 WAR
W.N.U. RELEASE
He would always cherish thinking
of the sight of Mr. Tinker with his
hands around the Japanese officer's
throat.
“That’s why I want to go back,”
Jack said.
“I’m going, too,” Mr. Winkle told
him.
“Well,” said Jack, “I don’t know
about that.”
Mr. Winkle worried about Jack’s
last remark. He didn’t find out
about it until Jack had once again
departed for the South Seas, and
he had exchanged letters with Amy,
and was sitting up in bed. Then he
had a conference with the Chief
Medical Officer of the hospital and
a Captain from Headquarters.
“That skull of yours is fine,” the
doctor told him. “Best man in the
country did it.”
“But it won’t stand another knock
from a rifle butt,” the Captain point
ed out.
“It won’t get one,” said Mr. Win
kle. He spoke almost snappishly at
the Captain. He could read in his
face the message he brought. “I’ll
keep out of the way. The other time
was just an accident.”
“Quite an accident,” the doctor
said dryly. He shook his head. “And
your arm .”
Mr. Winkle knew about his arm.
Because of the bullet that had gone
through his shoulder, he would nev
er lift his left arm above his head
again. It was perfectly good below
that for ordinary use, but as far as
the Army was concerned he was re
garded as incapacitated.
“Listen,” he said to the Captain,
pleading with him this time, “mostly
I reach down working on a motor.
I can still—”
“You’ve done your duty,” the Cap
tain told him. “More than your du
ty. I’m sorry. I know how you
feel.”
•Mr. Winkle was amazed at the
extent that a mouse could be
changed into a lion. At the same
time he knew that he was not all
lion. He was both creatures. He
smiled to himself wisely. Before,
he had been taken too much for a
mouse. Now he would be taken
too much for a lion. He knew that
each existed in all men, no matter
what they had done, or, for that
matter, hadn’t done.
A year ago he quailed at the pros
pect of being drafted. If anyone
had told him then that he would be
depressed at being discharged from
the Army, and that he wanted to
go back to war again, he would
have thought him crazy.
Mr. Winkle enjoyed, instead of
shying from, every moment of his
reception when he arrived in Spring
ville. He beamed at the huge crowd
waiting at the station. With satis
faction, he saw and heard the Amer
ican Legion band which had turned
out for him alone this time. He
read the banners and posters peo
ple carried. He admired the deco
rations, one of which read unasham
edly: “Our Hero.”
There was Amy embracing him
and murmuring brokenly, “Wilbert
Wilbert ...”
“Look,” he said. Right there be
fore all the people he lifted his arm
to shoulder height, telling Amy,
“That’s as far as it will go.”
Amy stared at him, embarrassed
and stricken. The crowd hushed.
“It’s good enough for holding
you,” Mr. Winkle told his wife, put
ting his arm around her.
The crowd roared its approval,
while Amy, blushing, whispered to
him, “Wilbert, you’re changed more
than ever.”
The Mayor stepped up and gave
him the keys to the city, in the form
of a large wooden key painted gold
and festooned with gay ribbons.
Then came the most important
part of the ceremony, the part that
made Mr. Winkle most apprecia
tive and brought a lump to his
throat.
His own commanding officer be
ing some distance away, it had been
arranged for the Colonel who com
manded the camp where Mr. Win
kle was inducted into the Army to
present him with the Distinguished
Service Cross.
The Colonel read the citation from
a scroll. ”... awarded to Wilbert
George Winkle distinguished
himself by extraordinary heroism
in connection with military opera
tions against an armed enemy
beyond and above his duty ...”
The Colonel pinned the medal on
his tunic, stepped back and saluted
him. Mr. Winkle was so surprised
at being saluted first by an officer,
and especially one of such tank as
a Colonel, that he forgot to salute
back. Instead, he found himself
shaking hands with the Colonel.
In the Mayor’s car, with the May
or in front and Mr. Winkle and a
weepy Amy alone in the back seat,
they paraded through the town to
the blaring accompaniment of the
band and cheering people who threw
a great many bits of* paper from
the buildings. Mr. Winkle waved
and waved his good arm, and it was
borne in upon him that it was most
men's dream come true, notably be
cause this time no one called out
derisively.
Finally they were deposited in
front of their house, where a num
ber of people were gathered. Among
them was Mr. Wescott, who had evi
dently come out to see for himself.
And having seen, he didn’t find any
reason to laugh now. He couldn’t
say anything at all when he opened
his mouth in that endeavor, but
simply stood there with his lips part
ed, gaping.
Mr. Winkle greeted him warmly
and shook hands before going on
with. Agny, up. their walk..
IT?E BLJ^riVN Ih
whom Mr. Winkle had seen at the
station taking pictures, followed
them up the walk. “Listen,” Mr.
Onward asked rather humbly, “how
about an interview?”
"No,” said Mr. Winkle, “no inter
view.”
"But
plead.
“Use the same one you printed
before,” Mr. Winkle suggested.
“That was a good one.”
Onward began to
Alone together in their house, Mrs.
Winkle dabbed at her eyes with her
handkerchief, touched his medal
with one finger, dabbed some more,
and asked, "Whoever would have
thought—?”
"Not me,” said Mr. Winkle.
"Not I,” she corrected. She spoke
a little sharply, as If trying to hide
her emotions or expressing a desire
to bring him down a peg in case his
popularity might have gone to his
head.
In trying to determine which it
was, Mr. Winkle saw the answer to
his speculation on whether or not
Amy would continue in her new re­
on
The Colonel pinned the medal
his tunic.
gard for him, or revert to the old.
He found a
support his
changed her
had him.
number of things to
belief that war had
as permanently as it
not find it comfortably
She would
to henpeck a national hero.
Finally, there was Amy’s own in
nate goodness, which she had desert
ed only temporarily, and which was
great enough for her to embrace
for the rest of their lives.
Amy had a great many questions
to ask. Because she was still flus
tered by everything that had hap
pened, she began with a somewhat
irrelevant inquiry. "Did you ever
get to see any. cannibals?” she
asked.
“Oh,” said Mr. Winkle offhanded
ly, "they’d all taken to the hills.
There wasn’t one of them around.
They couldn’t stand it.”
As soon as the words were out of
his mouth, Mr. Winkle realized their
significance. He had found the thing
to express what he felt about war,
but hadn’t recognized it at the time.
Cannibals merely killed and ate
each other, or what human beings
they could find for their meals. When
civilized man’s war came among
them, they were revolted and rv
tired from the scene.
"Why!” said Mrs. Winkle.
“Why!” She looked startled.
The commentary on human affairs
didn’t strike Mr. Winkle as being
grim. He had been through enough
to appreciate its overtones in quite
equitable fashion.
Some day the cannibals on Talizo
would be left alone again to go about
eating each other in peace.
At this thought he began to laugh.
Mrs. Winkle believed he had gone
crazy because of the operations on
his head, but between his bursts of
laughter Mr. Winkle informed her
that this wasn’t so.
The sounds coming from him
brought Penelope, who trotted in to
take a single sniff at him and then
begin to lick and jump and bark in
joyous welcome. She, too, noticed
the difference in a man who had
been to the wars and proved him
self a warrior and who at last had
found what meaning there was to it
all.
[THE END]
Lice are getting me
down
Dreaming of a white Christmas
well, we have it ani while you
were dreaming Tuesday, it would have
been appropriate to read Whittier’s
Snow’bound and before someone
objects, we hasten to admit that our
white Christmas came two weeks early
but everything els» about Christ
mas has been early this year.
mailed boxes to the boys overseas way
back in October when Christmas look
ed so far away and that snow
that swirled in Monday night was the
real thing oldtimers knew it was
coming for the almanac .said so
and to think it was the first snow’ of
the season. that’s why some of the
youngbloods showed a lack of
control in a snow’ball battle in
downtown section Monday night and
a window glass was shattered
anyway it’s an ill wind that blows no
good and there wasn’t any school
Tuesday and Christmas buying
stepped up with shoppers taking sub
stitutes in their stride—all except ny
lons and cigarettes—and to think that
grandma lived eighty years, happily,
we trust, without either sugar for
holiday candy making will be scarce—
and bacon was off the market here
over the week end
to Mr. and Mrs. B.
served their 56th 1
sary Wednesday.
A former
Get bottle of
Dr. Hkss Liquid
Louse Killbr
(cotta J4 cent or
let* per bir£).
And next tian® you
fepd tfie flock in
♦read a thin film
I the Lousa
JlUDt along the
o to rooat, their
from thia nico
the simple way
rooota. When the bird*
body beet release* turn
tine that kill lice. It I
to destroy these paste/
Sidney’s Drug Shop
Fifteen year* of business
selling Quality Heating
Prompt Service
The Parks-Klay Co.
Phone 79371 Lima. Ohio
fire
congratulations
F. Biery who ob
wedding anniver-
Bluffton will welcome a former
hometown girl Sunday night when Ola
Luginbuhl Moser of Chicago appears
as one of the soloists in the annual
Messiah concert. The wife of Virgil
Moser and daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Cal Luginbuhl, she recently made her
debut in the Chicago Civic Opera. The
start of her musical career goes back
to singing in a church choir and study
ing at the Bluffton college conserva
tory under G. A. “Dad” Lehman.
Lt. Gerald “Willie” Tipllehorn is
currently reported with the American
forces battling the Japs on Leyte
island in the Philippines.
Among the late garden products at
tracting attention in the News window’
was a large turnip raised by N. W.
Hochstettler, six miles
College road.
never
when
run
is bad.
“Jer-
Bluffton man,
who operates
Dale
a gasoline
ry” Owens,
filling station in Lima was awarded
third prize by the county war finance
committee in the window display con
test held in that city for the promotion
of war bond sales. The prize carried
with it a $25 War Savings Bond.
It looked like old times, Tuesday
afternoon when a bobsled drawn by a
team of farm horses went down Main
street thru the business section.
Meanwhile many rural residents were
snowbound and rural route carriers
were unable to make their rounds be
cause of drifted roads.
It was a big day’s work that Wood
row Little, mail carrier on Bluffton
rural route No. 1, put in Tuesday.
With east and west roads choked with
snow and north and south roads bare-
For Vigor and Health—
include meat in your menu.
Always ready to servo you.
ros
Fresh and/Salt Meats
THE Al C. & Y.
RAILROAD NEEDS
EMEN
MAKERS
1NISTS
PAIRMEN
BRA
BOILE1
MAC]
CARxftl
iSECTlONMEN
TELEGRAPH OPERATORS
BRIDGE AND BUILDING
CARPENTERS
meet WMC requirements,
are full wartime jobs and
possibilities for postwar
Must
These
good
work,
and unemployment benefits.
Call at
station
you C'
Liberal railroad retirement
the nearest A. C. & Y.
rad the agent will give
:ete information.
’Aron, Canton &
iwn Railroad Co.
iy passable, Little succeeded in cover
ing 54 miles of his regular 62 mile
route. However, to do it he drove 7‘
miles taking advantage of broken
■bride.
north on the
who was sta
Pacific where
Pfc. George Duffman
tioned in the Southwest
the days get really hot, is now getting
a taste of cold weather in his new lo
cation at the Army Air Field in Os
coda, Mich., on Lake Huron, where he
is refueling planes. George says that
up there the only certain way of get
ting out of that place during the
winter is by air, as there is no bus
service and altho there are two trains
scheduled into Oscoda daily, it’s
certain whether they will
the weather
aostoffice
sible. He returned to
Tuesday afternoon at
about three hours later than his regu
lar schedule—by the way he came
back minus his tire chains—having
Tuesday night hf* was scoring all the
local auto supply stores seeking new
chains, which by the way are about ass
scarce as sugar.
Just in case you have never tasted
bear meat, you can find plenty of
Bluffton people who will vouch for the
goodness of it since the annual meet
ing of the ^Sportsmen’s club Tuesday
night when bear meat sandwiches
were one of the main features of the
pot luck supper. The meat was pre
sented to the club by Lester Hahn who
bagged a black bear on a hunting trip
to Canada last month and has had the
carcass frozen in a locker here since
that time. The meat is dark and in a
measure similar to moose meat.
Beaverdam
Mrs. Maggie Weaver is spending
the winter month with her daughter,
Mrs. Troas Beach in Lima.
Miss Ruth Yarger was a guest at a
miscellaneous shower at the home of
Mrs. Rex Mathews in Lima, honoring
Mrs. Lloyd Taylor of Sante Fe, a re
cent
Mrs. Arthur Pugh entertained a
group of friendsat her home on last
Thursday evening, celebrating her
birthday anniversary Those enjoying
the affair w’ere: Mrs. A. J. Lutter
bein, Mrs. Harmon Downey, Mrs. G.
T. Arnold, Mrs. Ed Coook, Mrs. Rus
sell Wolfe, Mrs. Everett Rowland,
Mrs. Russell Brackney of Lafayette,
Mrs. Orville Huber, and Mrs. Ralph
Marshall.
Mrs. Martha Bassett spent the past
two week in Florida.
Marian Pugh is one of tw*o mem
bers of the Sophomore class at Heid
elberg college in Tiffin appointed ap
prentice on the staff of the college
anuual, the Aurora.
Miss Bernice Huber spent the week
end with her sister, Mrs. Gladys Wil
liams at Lansing, Mich.
Mrs. Roscoe Holmes is spending the
week w’ith her mother, Mrs. Nora
Eckenwiler who has been quite ill the
past two weeks.
Mrs. Ed Bassett is visiting at the
home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Mayberry.
The
W. S. C. S. of the Methodist
church met on Friday afternoon at the
home of Mrs. Ed Cook, with nineteen
members present. The following offi
cers for 1945 were elected Mrs.
Winter
Hog Fountains
All Metal Construction
Bluffton Implement
& Harness Co.
Bluffton, Ohio
Russell Wolfe, Pres. -Mrs. Harmon
Vice l'rs.: Mrs. William
Ymmkman. recording sec.: Mrs. Ar
thur i'ugh assistant -ec. Mrs. Everet
Rowland, correspondent sec. Mrs. I.
J. Amstutz, treas. .Mrs. Frank Hall,
pianist Mrs. Wm. Amstutz, chorister
Mrs. G. T. Arnold, sec. social and
local church activities Mrs. Chiles,
sec. of spiritual life Mrs. W. T.
Cordrey, sec. Missionary education
Mrs. Roscoe Trout, sec. literature and
publications Mrs. Ed Herr and Mrs.
Ray Zimmerman, sec. young peoples’
work Mrs. Daryl Robnolte and Mrs.
Donald Michael, sec. children’s work.
The program “Christmas in our
Homes and Settlement” was in charge
Mrs. Clayton Rupright.
Mr. and Mrs.
Ypsilanti, Mich., Mr. and Mrs. Cloyce
Robnolte and family of Findlay, Mr.
and Mrs. Leonard Hedges and family
of Lima were here Thursday to attend
Guy Ackerman of
Mrs. Robert Edwards of Bowling
Green university is spending the week
end with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Carl Barnum.
by the school on Wednesday evening,
December 13 at the H. S. auditorium.
The public is cordially invited.
Mr. aqd Mrs. Ralph Yarger and
family of Muncie, Ind., are visiting
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wm.
Yarger and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Michael and
‘amily were Saturday evening visit-
45-Plate TIGER CHIEF
Guaranteed 18
Months on a
Service Basis
$625Exchange
Battery Recharging ..............
Gamble’s
AUTHORIZED DEALER
WANTEDf
WANTED
WHOLE MILK
for the manufacture of Spray Powder
AND
SOUR CREAM
TIRES, TUBES, PONTOONS, LIFE
BELTS, LANDING BOATS
for the manufacture of Butter
THE PAGE DAIRY CO
BLUFFTON, OHIO
PHONE 489-W
The Army and Navy are still needing large quantities of
The demands are urgent—more help is needed to make these
very essential war materials.
While your farm work is light you may be able to work 8
hours—either day shift or night shift—to assist in producing
this war material. Or if you are not now in war work, you
can help our boys at the front by helping to produce these
important war items.
Paid While You Learn
Steady Work Good Pay
Good Prospects for Regular
Employment After the War
Come in and talk over the matter with Mr. Capell, 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
ors of Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth Mich
ael.
Mrs. Lillie Anderson, Mr. and Mr.-.
Wm. Younkman and grand son were
Sunday afternoon callers of Mr. and
Mrs. Morris Anderson and family at
Pandora-
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Clark and dau
ghter, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Wagner of
Lima were Sunday dinner guests of
Mr. and Mrs. John Clark and Miss
Ellen Clark, celebrating the birthday
anniversary of John Clark.
Mrs. Mary I’laugher of Dayton was
a week end visitor of her mother, Mrs.
Jane Barber and Frank BaH»er.
Mr. and Mrs. Byron Anderson and
daughter Karen Sue of Bluffton were
Sundax dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs.
Ed Cook and Mrs. Wm. Weick.
APPRECIATED
Having moved to Lima recently, af
ter living in this community for the
past 70 years, I wish to take this op
portunity to thank my many neighbors
and friends for the cooperation and
kindnesses shown me during this time.
I will be delighted to hear from my
many friends in the future. My new
address is: 1174 Rice Ave., Lima, O.
Mrs. Samuel Kohler.
Sell Produce Quickly
Most of the produce handled at the
farmers’ sections of the regional
markets has usually been sold dur
ing the first two or three hours of
trading.
".....—......
Highest Prices Paid for
All Dairy Products