Show Bell r Adano r. r d I Ic c 9 John Jolt n Hersey s I c-I ey S z- z e c w w. N. N u u. r t A TURI UR r M x THE 1111 STOR THUS FAR FR The Amen merl merlean can ean troops arrived at Adano dano a seaport In Italy with Ith Major Me Victor tor the officer In charge S rg ant north Borth Son an MI MP was to be In charge of M security line The Major set s t out Immediately ly to win the friendship of the citizens and to Im Improve prove their living conditions He lie deter to replace their th lr hell bell which he the hei i Germans had taken Major talked stalked with Father the towns town's leading priest He lie explained to the priest what nhat hat he wanted to accomplish for the people o of Adano dano and secured the promise of the priest to call rail attention fat at al mass to the posted cUll cl cis Il Instructions The Major promised the priest that he be would attend mass the next day CHAPTER IV 1 You Vou could have read the procla procla- proclamations proclamations which our friends will post Fatta You Vou would not have had anything to lean against while read read- reading reading ing because the proclamations willbe will willbe be posted on the walls upon which you depend The hour of the read read- reading reading ing that is to say about five o'clock would have been bad for you be be- because because cause it is the hour when you are overcome with energy and are able to lift a bottle of wine to your lips But the others will read Fatta They will learn that the Americans ere are our friends They will learn of the changes They will know what to do They will avoid the punish ments merits For them Adano will be a anew anew anew new town and life will be different For you it will be the same You will w do wrong and you will be pun shed Adano will still be a place of fear ear Look at the lazy Fatta people Do not be like him Read the proclamations Acquaint yourself yours ell with the new I have cried And Mercurio Mercuric Salvatore moved the he drum around behind him and marched off of to the several other places convenient for shouting and andIn andIn andIn In his own way he told the people about bout the changes chan es which were to I tome I Father could not re reo remember remember member when so many people had come to the Church of San Angelo It was a pleasure certainly it was wasa B a pleasure to have so many come to the Church of San Angelo But now Father had hada a II thought which made him very un I easy What if the Mister Major I should not come Think of the shame Think of how the other i priests would laugh Think how this vanity this large crowd would com com- plain Think of how his own faith faith- faithful faithful ful would flock on later Sundays to the other churches Think of preach preaching ing tag to empty pews It was already five minutes past seven The senior acolyte had al already ready whispered In his ear that it was time to begin the mass And the Mister Major had not come The Mister Major at that mo mo- moment moment ment was sitting in his nis is office hay have having hayIng ing a breakfast of fruit and discuss discuss- discussing ing log with Borth and with the usher Zito who never went to church the matter of the bell belh Major Jop Jop- polo eat sat with his feet on the huge desk eating fruit Borth sat on the end of the desk also eating ealing and the little Zito stood at attention in front of it not eating but wishing he were In the Church of San Angelo meanwhile Father was growing frantic Most of the heads in his crowd his lovely crowd kept turning toward the door instead of facing the silver crucifix which survived the fire of 1553 In his office Major said They took the bell bel away on the fourteenth of June That is a month less two days That is not so much time Considering how things are done in our Army perhaps not much has been done with the bell Where was it sent Zito Zito said To the provincial gov gov- government government at the town of mare Major said Perhaps It got no farther Perhaps the bell is still stin sitting in Its crate In mare Zito grew excited Do you think that is possible he asked The Major said It is possible JVe iVe must find out And he took a piece of foolscap from his brief case and began a aletter aletter aletter letter To Lt Col R R. N. N CA CAO 0 O. O Provo of mare From Major V. V CAO CA O. O Adano Provo of Re Bell belonging to town of Adano Undersigned would very much appreciate your initiating investigation tion of records of provincial gov gov- government government of to see if il you youcan youcan can tan trace The service in the Church of San Angelo was taking a most unusual course Having completed the sup supplication Father started reciting the Litany of Saint Joseph i seph It was the longest litany l he e could think of offhand and he repeated the words without any sense lense of their meaning Joseph most valiant Joseph most obedient Joseph most faith faith- faithful tul ful w. w mirror of patience pa tience lover of pov poverty erty model of workmen ornament nt at af f the domestic We lIle guardian of virgins safeguard of families Suddenly Father broke off He had had bad an idea He beckoned again to the senior aco aco- acolyte acolyte lyte lyre and whispered in his hi ear Have Hv old Guzzo ring rina the ben bell Now father Do as liS I say Hurry flurry And then the priest resumed In his hollow voice consolation of the poor hope of the sick patron pa pa- patron patron tron of the dying terror of the de de- mons And the people responded Tray Pray for us The priest said Protector of the Holy Church The people were just in the mid middle dIe dle of responding Pray rray for us when 1 hen they heard a stroke of the bell over their heads Worship had to slop stop while the bell rang for its vibrations shook the whole church In his office Major blotted the letter leller and folded it Borth said What time is it The Major looked at his wrist wristwatch wristwatch wristwatch watch Seven twenty six he said Borth forth said In Italian Zito if you are such an expert on bells what Is that one ringing for at seven twenty six in the morning and all alone Zito said said- It is strange That is isa a church bell From the tone I would say it was the bell of San Angelo San Angelo The Major jumped up He said I promised the priest I 1 would come I got thinking about the old bell Zito show me the way Run Zito this is terrible Zito darted out of the door and the Major ran after him Three or four Idlers sitting in the morning sun thought it was undignified of the new American Major 1 to chase little Zito through the streets If he wanted to punish Zito ir b A a l t i I Ih Ic h c y The Major ran after him why did he not send some of his military police after him It did not suit his office to chase Zito him him- himself himself self especially since it was unlikely that thai he would catch him The acolyte Ludovico sitting on the steps of the Church looked up in amazement at the little Italian be being ing log chased by the American officer He lie wondered why the American was chasing the Italian The pair had run right past Ludovico up the steps of the Church before it occurred to him that thai perhaps this was the Amer American ican scan Major He got gol up quickly and ran up the steps after the two of them but he was too late they were already inside the door The entire congregation stood up The lazy Fatta Fatla even stopped lean leaning ing log against the pillar There was a considerable amount of murmuring and as the Major walked up the aisle puffing and wiping the sweat from his face many people whis whispered whispered Kiss your hand kiss your hand As soon as he saw a pew that was not too crowded Major gen genuflected and slid into it Zito imi imi- imitated imitated him and squeezed into the same pew which was too crowded then The congregation seated itself Father cleared his throat His confidence which h had very nearly left him was now very much in evidence He had his crowd and end he had his Major Major couldn't help no no- noticing noticing noticing two heads In the pew rigs t in front of him One was the head of ofa ofa ofa a man and it was bald The other was the head of a woman and it was blonde By tilting his head hea d a very little bit Major was able to lind find out that the bald head belonged to his Interpreter Giuseppe He was not able by tilting to see Lee the face fa ce of the blonde head but he could tee see that the hair was arranged fas fas- fastidiously fastidiously with no loose strands If you remember said the priest we were told that Ameri Amen Americans cans attacked priests and attacked and killed women and end were all Protestants But right here now ii is iian isan an American of Italian descent who is attending mass mesa and It Is Just as AI reverent as you are toward the Church of at San Angelo He is a very busy man He if is to so busy that he be had bad to nm rim all aU the way to church and even en then was he hoc latE lUe But nut Bute the e lire ate very glad to ha e him here Father Fa ther spoke sp with feeling We are glad that he heis heIs heis is one of us Because of this man I believe that the Americans me ore memy my friends You must believe e the same thing my children Major noticed that tub skin of ot the neck below the blonde bl hair hall though clean was quite dark daik and he wondered whether the hair was as naturally blonde He wondered about this off of and on dm during ing the mass which followed After mass he left lett quickly to avoid the embarrassment lie he knew would result from mingling too much with the crowd croud lIe He took time limE only to tell Giuseppe that thai he had a little interpreting for him to lo do that afternoon and to look Into inlo the UtE face ace of the blonde On the fifth day of the Invasion a 1 ababel ababel babel stood In line In front of the shop of the baker bahr There were many women omen mostly dressed in black and a feat felY men They talked in loud voices each clamor clamor- clamoring clamoring ing for an audience He lie has a furious energy said Maria Carolina the wife of the noisy cartman Gartman lIe He told small Zito to report for work at seven each morning Zito thought that no official would be up that early Zito went to work at seven and a half and the Mister Major told him that thai there would be a new usher unless the old usher could wake up on time lime in the morning Carmelina the wife of the lazy Fatta who was at the head of the theline theline theline line said loudly It would be pleas pleas- pleasIng Ing if the baker got up on time in the morning so that thai the Ue bread brad would Quid be ready the baker black with the i wood coke of af his oven came out to the front of the shop and roared the baker has been up since four in the morning If la Ia the baker hears remarks he Is liable to go back to bed and let the bread burn bum up Do you remember said Margherita Mar 1 the fat formidable wife do you remember how the Mayor Nasta used to hold office hours from noon until one each day the hour when we were all busy with our children And how we ve had to apply in writing to sec see him And how we had to wait ten days And how he ho would treat us when we did see him Now It II Is different You Youcan Youcan Youcan can walk In any time lime all day She paused He lie stands up when you enter she said Impressively Is that so said Laura Sofia who was not the wife of anyone and at her age was not likely to be ever everI everI I think I t shall go and see him On what whal pretext jibed Maria Marla Carolina wife of the noisy cart cart- cartman cartman cartman man To make eyes at him Oh said Laura Sofia I 1 have my complaints Just like the rest of you you even even It If I haven't litters of i chil dren drew grunting like pigs on my floor Carmelina wife of the lazy Fatta Fatla said My children are hungry It I would be nice if 11 they could get their bread on time From the depths of his shop Za Za- pulla the baker shouted The children chil children dren of certain people may stay hungry if certain people do not hold their tongues Mercurio Salvatore crier of the town of Adano was near the end of the line but even though he toned his voice down to his conversational whisper the whole line could hear him when he said I wish to tell teU you something I asked him if it I could listen to my radio lIe He said Why not crier I asked him what station I would be permitted to listen to I asked Should it be the Radio of Algiers or should It be the Radio of London which Is called BBC He said said- Reception here Is best for Radio Roma Why dont don't you listen to the one you can hear the best I 1 said Can you mean it in Radio Roma is anti It has noth noth- nothing nothing ing but slander for the Americans And he said to me Crier I Ilove Ilove Ilove love the truth and I want you to love it too You listen to Radio Roma You will hear that It Is three fourths lies Jes I want you to judge for yourself and to want the truth Then perhaps you will want to listen to the other broadcasts which you cannot hear quite so to clearly the formidable wife of said Have you listened crier Mercurio Salvatore said I 1 have listened I could detect only one onelie onelie onelie lie yesterday but It was a II big one Radio Roma said that Italian forces In the city of threw back I three vicious Allied attacks We all I knew that was In the I hands of the Americans late on the first day of the disembarkation I Carmelina the wife wile of the lazy Fatta Fatla said It U will be late on the fifth filth day before we get bread from I this baker I was wai impolite to Carmelina I because of what she said He came forward rd and threw a piece of or wood wood- coke at her ber head and roared Si Silence 51 lence lencel I IThe IThe I The missed mined Carmelina I head bead but hit bit th the stomach of crt the formidable Margherita She ad ad- advanced advanced I shaking her large flats fist Za I pulla went back beck to his bit ovens oven at as U it Uhe ithe I he be had bad not noticed where hl his hIa wood wood- coke coli went I TO ax 2 CONTINUED I |