Late. In Madison, Wis., when Circuit Judge Robert S. Cowie arrived at work an hour late, he held himself in contempt of court, set a fine of $5.

1492. In Albany, Christopher Columbus, a waiter, failed to get into the Navy, but waited his turn in the draft. His order number: 1492.

Fugitive. In Cairo, Ga., Morris Jones, Negro, a fugitive from a New Jersey reformatory, asked to be kept in a Georgia jail rather than be returned.

Deferred. In New Britain, Conn., a man obtained draft deferment because his occupation was investigating applications for occupational deferment.

Doe. In Raleigh, N. C., authorities discovered that the man holding Social Security number 123,456,789 was one John Doe.

Black-Widower. In Los Angeles, Fred Cody asked for a divorce. He said his wife put Black Widow spiders in his bed.

Draftees. In Camp Lee, Va., Henry A.

Wallace, Harry Hopkins, Joseph P. Kennedy and Elmer Davis found themselves doing their year's military service together.

Mumps. In Rochester, N. Y., when three of William Callahan's kids came down with mumps, their two cats caught them too.

Oscar. In Miami, delighting jaded press agents at season's end, Oscar, a 175-lb. seal lost from the aquarium nine years ago, hopped into a Gulf Stream fishing boat, wolfed a mess of fish, was recaptured.

Watchful Waiting. In Mechanic Falls, Me. (pop. 1,999), citizens, mindful of "impending war clouds," called a town meeting, hired a night watchman.

Theft. In Torrance, Calif., county supervisors found out that thieves had stolen an unused, million-dollar glass factory--building, machinery, raw materials--piece by piece.

Army Wife. In Atlanta, an enterprising lawyer turned up an 1864 statute specifying as adequate grounds for divorce: "that the husband is in the military service of the U. S." Lieutenant. In London, a temporary commission as a lieutenant of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps was granted one Hermann Goring.

Conductor. In Syracuse, N. Y., a man stole a bus, drove along collecting fares for three hours, then disappeared--with the fares.

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