Forties Memories: A Surplus Periscope and a Hidden Photograph

Iris’s era, more than mine. I don’t remember too much about Forties culture except that, after the war, a War Surplus Store popped up in Moline. Daddy was in heaven. More junk—cheap. Bob and I got a small periscope. We didn’t now what to do with it, though. No fences to peer over in our neighborhood. But we found one use. Sis Vergain was the fantasy of every neighborhood boy due to her huge magnificent breasts. So the periscope was going to be our entrée into Peeping Tomism. We planned to watch her undress, but she never left the shade open even a little. What made us think the periscope would make a difference in not getting caught, I cannot imagine. In the Forties I sent for a picture of Jane Russell in “The Outlaw.” It was an eight by ten glossy picture of her posing in a haystack in a skimpy outfit. I think I thought it was not right to have the picture but I wasn’t sure exactly why. I kept it hidden in my dresser drawer, though.

PENNY’S

I saved all the money for art school, from my salary and significant sales bonuses from selling shoes at J. C. Penny’s. I seem to have been a natural salesman. You know, I’d tell the lady four BS things about the shoe and one BS thing about how beautiful her feet were. You betchum, Red Ryder, I saw some beautiful feet all right! When I had saved enough for tuition and a little rent money, it was time to say good-bye to chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes and say hello to…