Project Gutenberg's The Ordeal of Colonel Johns, by George H. Smith

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Title: The Ordeal of Colonel Johns

Author: George H. Smith

Illustrator: Rudolph Palais

Release Date: June 4, 2010 [EBook #32688]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction June 1954.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

[Illustration]

_The Ordeal of_ COLONEL JOHNS

By George H. Smith

Illustrated by Rudolph Palais

_Colonel Johns, that famous Revolutionary War hero, had the
unique--and painful--experience of meeting his
great-great-great-great granddaughter. Now maybe you can't
change history, but what's there to prevent a soldier from
changing his mind about the gal he is going to marry?_

* * * * *

Clark Decker winced and scrounged still lower in his seat as Mrs.
Appleby-Simpkin rested her enormous bosom on the front of the podium
and smiled down on the Patriot Daughters of America in convention
assembled as she announced: "And now, my dears, I will read you one
more short quotation from Major Wicks' fascinating book 'The Minor
Tactics of The American Revolution.' When I am finished, I know that
you will all agree that Rebecca Johns-Hayes will be a more than
fitting successor to myself as your President."

Decker looked wildly about for a way of escape from the convention
auditorium. If he had only remained in the anteroom with Professor
MacCulloch and the Historical Reintegrator! After suffering through
four days of speeches by ladies in various stages of mammalian
top-heaviness, he hadn't believed it possible that anyone could top
Mrs. Appleby-Simpkin for either sheer ability to bore or for the
nobility of her bust