Radio and television mirror (July-Dec 1950)

mittees and si l er cups and whatnot? We got everything we need right here in Rushville Center, and we had it before these smart fellers came down here and told us we had it. What they're just finding out I known about all the years I been here, that this is the best place in the whole world to be living — this and the other towns that are like it! They don't have to give us no silver cups to go on being the kind of place that's fit for decent human beings to live!" The little office was so quiet I could hear the echo of my last words. Ma and Willy were both looking at me in some surprise. "Land o'goshen, Shuffle," Ma said at last, "maybe Willy here is right. Maybe they ought to put you up there making speeches. I don't know when I've heard a nicer way of thinking." She continued to look at me as if she was just getting to know something new about me, and I went over and sat down at my own desk and started shuffling around with my papers because I was feeling a little uncomfortable. Bashful. Wasn't like me to go shooting my mouth off that way. •Tell you the truth, though, Shuffle ' and Willy." Ma's voice had a worried tone in it now. "I got to thinking myself last night, after Evey came home and told us. Even if we don't get a silver cup, if Evey didn't hear the truth about what they got planned for us down there at the magazine — well, there's bound to be something going on in town to celebrate this. And I just hope nobody does . . . well, nothing foolish. Like . . ." Ma shook her head again, not quite knowing what it was she wanted to say, or maybe not knowing just how to say it, so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. "Oho," Willy said. "I get you. You're afraid the Pendletons, maybe, will promote themselves a big slice of celebration. All dressed up in fancy clothes and such, furs and jewels and whatnot." "Well . . ." Ma sighed. "It just ain't Rushville Center, really — not the plain folks who live here. It would be a shame if Mayor Ross got talked into doing something flashy that didn't really look like the rest of town." "Sure would," I said. "It wouldn't be representative, that's what — wouldn't represent the real life that goes on here in town. And after all that's what we got this silver cup for, for being representative." Speaking of representative, what we were doing that morning at the Lumber Yard was absoluately representative of what was going on all over town. It must have been, because if people hadn't of been sitting around hashing over the news all day they couldn't have come up with all the different stories about what was going to happen that were going around town by nightfall. Stories! You never heard such! First the whole staff of the magazine was coming down in a body with the key to New York City in its hand. Then Mayor Ross was getting called to go up to New York to get the silver cup and about eight million dollars or thereabouts as part of the award. Joseph, the young feller who's practically like a son to Ma — Joseph came round to Ma's house that night after dinner and said, laughing, that down at the Lodge Hall they were saying President Truman himself was going to make a speech about Rushville Center. Having just had one of Ma's good dinners, finished off with apple dump ling and coffee, I was feeling too mellow to be hard on anybody, but I couldn't help saying a thing or two about any danged fool who'd repeat such a story. "Not you, Joseph," I made sure to tell him, "but these other chaps down there making fools out of themselves. By gosh, this whole town's acting like a bunch of children judging from what I been hearing all day. Makes you almost ashamed to be associated with them." You see, it was beginning, that inferiority complex I spoke about. I was starting to be afraid that Rushville Center would look foolish — not in my eyes exactly, but in the eyes of these important magazine people from New York. I was afraid one or two people in town would make the rest of us look ridiculous. "Well, nobody really thinks President Truman is going to take any notice," Joseph said mildly. "Only thing is, there's something going on down in the Mayor's office, and that's one reason these stories are going around so fast and furious. There's something brewing. You'll see." Fay, who's Ma's younger daughter, looked at me with a smile. "Don't you feel proud of Rushville Center, Shuffle? Don't you want to celebrate' our being chosen as the typical American town." "Well sure, Fay, who wouldn't? But I don't ..." I struggled with it for a minute and then gave up. I just couldn't say what it was bothering me, why I had this grumpy feeling about it. I know now, though — I think I was mainly annoyed that just the fact that we were taken notice of by some outside people could get everyone in town all het up. But Joseph was right. Something was brewing for sure, and a few days later we all found out what it was. Not a silver cup, and not a key to any city either, nor yet a million dollars. Purely and simply, this magazine was sending some writers down to Rushville Center to do a whole bunch of stories about us, not just the one that had already been printed. A whole series, with pictures and everything. And after that, after all the articles had been printed one by one, they would be collected together into a real book and sold! '147 ell," I said to Ma down at the Yard " the day we found out, "this beats -all. A book about Rushville Center is something I never thought I'd see." "No, it's not the sort of thing that comes to mind," Ma agreed. She sighed. "I guess now the plans will begin to get made, Shuffle — for the greeting and all. I do hope they do the right thing by Rushville Center. Something pleasant and friendly and dignified. Let them get to know us like we really are." "I'll bet. More likely they'll be hanging out the Memorial Day flags and getting the kids from the high school in their band uniforms." The picture depressed me so much I made it even better. "And a big dinner at the Pendletons' with finger-bowls. And banners hanging all over Main Street like it was a carnival or something." Well, and you know something? All those far-fetched ideas I was sprouting off there in the office, about a carnival and what-not — you know how farfetched they were? Why, practically the first thing anybody suggested (it was all reported in the paper) was a Fair! Then after a few days that petered out, and they began developing all kinds of things. A water show, a darned old Aqua-something they were stmoux . .toy SIT-TRUE TISSUES softer, finer. stronger than ever ^^ fe Goaranteed by ^ i Good Housekeeping i I Was Nearly "Nuts" With Fiery Itch Until I discovered Dr. D. D. Dennis' amazingly fast relief — D. D. D. Prescription. 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