Dead On Arrival

Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill, pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions.

Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Say, do you know what a ham is? No, I'm not talking about something that goes with eggs. I'm referring to an amateur radio operator.

Henry, for example, is a ham. He likes to use both the single key and the mic. It gets a lot of pleasure out of it, too. Well right now Henry is working his ham station.

It's located in the spare room next to Henry's bedroom. Oh, yes, the name of this story is... Dead unerripe. Where's that station you're listening to now, Henry? Well, that's Des Moines, Bill. We talked back and forth a lot.

Uh-huh. Hey, what's the matter? You ever fella get tired? Yeah. He's finished transmitting for the night. So, he's got homework to do before he goes to bed. Uh-huh. I think I'll sign off too, because I've got some of the same torture to go through.

Yeah, don't be long-winded now. Going on to nine o'clock. Don't worry, I won't. This is going to be short. Oh, sure. That's what they all say. See? I told you that's all there was to it.

Remarkable. Never saw such a short-winded young fellow know my life. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Now for some trig and then into the hay pile. Had a rough day today. What are you going to do, Bill? Oh, I'm going to read some correspondence to my Sunday school lesson and turn in.