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Click HERE for entire The Newspaper Limo.
Click HERE for entire Don’t Forget Schuster.
Click HERE for entire Route 66-based story.

Fred ushered Dillan to a makeshift office in the far corner of the newspaper building’s 1st floor. Then, Fred motioned for Dillan to sit in the chair across from the massive, old wooden desk, while Fred settled into the large chair behind the desk. Dillan waited patiently, & somewhat hesitantly, while Fred further settled in, placing the medium-sized briefcase he carried into the building next to the desk. Fred looked around the room, as if looking for something, then turned his attention directly back to Dillan, who eyed Fred cautiously.

“Now,” Fred began, deliberately placing his hands in a wide formation on the desk’s wide top, “you asked me how I could tell you all of that, right?”

Dillan nodded.

“Well,” Fred continued, lifting his hands & motioning around the makeshift office, “before I tell you that, let me 1st apologize for these … accommodations. You see, this newspaper wants to appease the older generation with a resident historian, but is unwilling to properly … for lack of a better term … fund this operation. So, I get stuck in this … office.”

“It’s actually kinda cool,” Dillan observed half-truthfully. “I like the desk….”

“That’s the only cool … as you put it … part of this office, I’m afraid,” Fred responded. “Otherwise, it’s … well, you see what it is.”

Dillan nodded again.

“OK, so … with that out of the way, let me tell you how I can tell you all of what I told you earlier.”

With that statement, Fred launched into a long explanation. He 1st mentioned how much he is into cars & can tell different makes, models & years with nearly impeccable accuracy. Then, he explained the clipping. In the early 1950s, the newspaper, while Fred was an editor, experimented with providing re-prints of articles & photos for people on scrap newsprint. The then-owner of the newspaper was ahead of his time in worrying about all of the scrap newsprint being thrown out & wasted at the end of a printing session. So, he devised a plan to offer subscribers free reprints of anything they might want to keep, but not necessarily what was on the flip side of the newspaper clipping. The response to this venture was so overwhelming, the newspaper saw a 25% increase in subscriptions, just for that service alone. Unfortunately, when that owner died unexpectedly, the service died with him.

“So, I’m guessing that means it’ll be much easier for you to narrow down the actual publication of the clipping I found, right?” Dillan excitedly asked.

“Something like that, yes,” Fred replied. “But, 1st, your Granddad … his name is Oscar, right?”

Somewhat stunned, yet not all that surprised, Dillan answered: “Yes, yes it is. How did you…?”

Fred chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking, son. How did I, of all people, know the name of your Granddad in arguably a sprawling metropolis, right?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Dillan said, his look changing from shocked to amused.

“Back in those days … that is, when that photo was in the newspaper … this place wasn’t nearly as big as it is now, & people knew each other a bit more than we do today. I knew your Granddad many moons ago, & in fact, if memory serves me correctly, I may actually know exactly the origin of that photo, but I’ll need some time to investigate it. How long will you be in town?”

“Permanently soon,” Dillan said, somewhat explaining the work being done to the house & their intention to move in once completed.

“I see,” Fred said, “I wondered what exactly was going on there; I’ve noticed the progress. Well, give me a day or 2 … maybe less if I’m lucky … & I’ll see what I can dig up about that clipping.”

“Fair enough,” Dillan said, standing up. “I better get going. My wife & I are scheduled to meet the builder yet today.”

“Good luck,” Fred said, standing up, too.

The 2 shook hands, & Dillan left the building, not noticing Fred’s smile turn to a frown.