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Show iygA Bell Ad&nojfei : Sc-!0. ' -w. n.o. rt.TuR -TTS -TSri," T11K STORY THUS FAtl: The American Ameri-can troorM arrived In Adnnc.wlUl Major joppolo, the AmRot oftlcer In charge. Sergeant north was In charge of security. securi-ty. The Major was determined to hold the confidence of the people and to replace re-place their bell stolen by the Nazis. Despite De-spite orders Issued by General Marvin, barring carts from the city, Joppolo recalled re-called tho order, to permit food and water wa-ter to enter the city. Lord Runcln, high British ofllclal on tho Amgot, approved of Joppolo'i plans. The Major found out that tho American generosity was responsible re-sponsible for a troublesome black market. mar-ket. To stop this condition ho placed a celling on all prices. He also barred troops from tho city. going to tie an attack. All he woujd i not believe was that the Germatt would succeed. , Mayor Nasta said: "The Americans Ameri-cans will not stop it. The Americans Ameri-cans may be friendly, but they are not good fighters." Margherita, the formidable wife of Craxl, said with a threatening look: "Liar!" But Mayor Nasta said: "This is not my opinion. This is the opinion of the son of Afrontl, the noisy cart-man. cart-man. You know the boy. You know that he is honest. He says that the Americans are timid in battle. He says that our own troops could even beat the Americans." Mercurio Salvatore, the crier, was reduced to saying: "I do not believe be-lieve it." Mayor Nasta said: "It is true. This boy fought in Tunisia. He says that at the place called El Guettar the Americans did not press their attack, he says that they behaved like frightened men and were de- feated. The British can fight, per-! per-! haps, but not the Americans." The formidable Margherita said: " "It is a dirty lie," but there was tlons and accusations. He made sure that the son of Afrontl the noisy cartman had not deserted. He checked with Intelligence at IX Corps to make sure that the Germans Ger-mans were not expected to counterattack counter-attack on the twenty-third. He even went so far as to check with Cap-1 tain Purvis. I When he was ready, Sergeant Borth went to Major Joppolo. "Major," "Ma-jor," he said, "we've got to put Nasta away." The Major said: "What's he done?" "He's been planting rumors against us. I hate to admit it, but he's done it very systematically and very skillfully." "What kinds of rumors?" "Oh, all kinds. He has quite a few people thinking that the Germans Ger-mans are going to put on a major counterattack next week. He ever has some of them believing that yot haven't been doing right by certaii young ladies in this town." Major Joppolo blushed. "Tha isn't true," he said. "I know," Borth said. "I checke Into it. But they tell me the Miste Mirtr Tnalr imA If hft mntl' CHAPTER XVII The Lieutenant said: "Sure he was. It's easy to see he was. And if General Marvin ever lays eyes on this Information copy, it'll be just too bad for the Major." "Yes, sir," said the Technical Sergeant, to be on the safe side. Lieutenant Butters said: "Here, you file these, I'll take care of th Information copy." "Yes, sir," the Technical Ser no anger In her voice, it was nearly drained of conviction. ' This man Nasta was a very persuasive per-suasive man. He had persuaded himself into office, and he had persuaded per-suaded the people Into fear of him, and now It was easy for him to persuade per-suade them to mistrust the Americans. Ameri-cans. Mayor Nasta said: "The son of Afrontl told me that in the interior geant said, taking the copies. The Lieutenant said: "That Mar- I vln trimmed me down once for something I didn't do. I never have liked him. I don't know this Major, but I think it would be a shame If he caught a trimming Just for this." "Yes, sir," the Technical Sergeant said. Then he frowned and added: "You aren't going to get me in trouble, are you, sir, like when that letter to Colonel Norrls from the P.R.O. got lost'?" "No, don't worry." the Lieutenant Lieuten-ant said. But the Technical Sergeant did ed to." I "Cut It out," the Major said. ' "That's what they tell me," Borth said. "They say these particular girls don't smell of fish, but their old man knows a good fish when he sees it." "Cut the kidding," the Major said, and that echo was In his voice. He changed the subject quickly. "When are you going to arrest Nasta?" "In the morning, when he comes In for his daily worship." "Okay," the Major said. "Let's keep him In the prisoners of war ,oo in a fpw rinvs. and not send vorry for several days, until ne got s jp the courage to ask the Lleuten- - jnt: "Sir, what did you ever do - about that Information copy I made or General Marvin? You didn t throw it away, did you? Colonel Norrls is liable to ask me about it. "I wish I had thrown it away' Lieutenant Butters said. "I didn't 5 have the guts. I put it in the cou- g rler pouch for Algiers. You know V how much stuff we've been losing on that run. I thought maybe' The Technical Sergeant, relieved , of his worry, smiled and said: It might get lost accidentally on pur- pose?" ! Mayor Nasta had just come out from his daily repentance before Sergeant Borth. He walked across the way to the broad sidewalk in front of the Palazzo. Every day knots of people gathered on that sidewalk, some just to pass the time of day, sorne to air their perennial complaints, some to get in touch with the town's mean little lawyers, whose office was that sidewalk. Mayor Nasta walked up to one such knot. There were about ten people, and he found that they were discussing the war. He waited for his chance and said: "I got some news from the Interior In-terior yesterday afternoon." Mercurio Salvatore the crier was so far gone in boldness that he said. We have no desire for news from him to Africa till we've questioned him a bit. I'm sort of glad to have him put away." The next morning Mayor Nasta was somewhat surprised to see, besides be-sides Sergeant Borth in his office, two other men wearing brassards marked MJ. He said, as suavely as ever: "Good morning, Mister Sergeant." "And what crime would Mayor Nasta like to repent this morning?" Borth asked. "Is it not the Mister Sergeant's turn to pick a crime?" the Maybr "Perhaps it is, perhaps it is. Well, let's see. This morning I think Mayor May-or Nasta will repent the crime of not having made good use of his freedom. He will repent the crime of having talked against the Americans." Ameri-cans." , Mayor Nasta turned pale. Bortn stood up. "He will repent the crime of having hav-ing invented false rumors, of having hav-ing told the gullible people here In Adano that the Germans were planning plan-ning a counterattack for next week." . . Mayor Nasta turned his head ana looked at the door. Borth motioned to the M.P.'s to step Into It, and "Hew'ill also repent having said , slanderous and false things about Major Joppolo. Also he will be o 1V1"JU1 " T, . . -.hnut the son 1-l I V This man Nasta was a very per suasive man. the Americans behaved themselve the one who Is no longer Mayor. , Mayor Nasta remembered the , time when he would have put the crier In jail for a whole year for , saying something like that but now , he said: "This news came from the , Ln of your friend Afronti the noisy cartman. The boy deserted on the first day of the Invasion and he is nowhere. .Perhaps you know him. He is an honest boy. The Mayor's poison was beginning begin-ning to take hold. "If that is the case," said the lazy Fatta. who was 'to be found on this stretch of sidewalk every morning, U I that the case, what did he say that was 6rseaifthga;'our friends the Ge, mans are mounting counter- ere is nothing new In that said Father Pensovecchio They have counterattacked before. They counterattacked near Vicinamare and it did them no good. They " ere thrown back. They will be very badly, mey wci s-..----us along the coast because they had to have a beachhead, but in he in-terior in-terior they have been d.fferen t. Ne-gr0 Ne-gr0 troops have raped seven Italian irls. There has been much. looting. The lazy Fatta said: "I hear that American, looted house of.Quattrocchi right : here B Adano. They did much damage Mayor Nasta said: "Yes, that is true? I talked with Quattrocchi yes- terTdhey formidable Margherita said: -mat happened?" This , w. thing close to home and she on sidered anything that happen Adano more or less ner v property, to use a. goad May0rdalatVroyedfohu;dred can vandals destroyc and seventy thousand lira wo stuff in Quattrocchi J honae. i 10TeS' Tty tS 'taTan art is ' ' Ser they did :r ri-5 ri-5 use the, w, is what very sorry tnai nc of the cartman Afrontl." Mayor Nasta was white as a sheet. "Lies! They are lies I he SaBorth said: "Mayor Nasta Is excitable ex-citable this morning. And he had grown so calm about h I, repent ances. Why is he excitable this yor Nasta was excitable because be-cause he knew he was caught, "to." he shouted. "My enemies have been lying against me. Rorth said: "Is this a lie? Is t a i Ueaaldyeaterdaymornta,. ' thy " And Sergeant Borth - itr n " dating this man, , and thrown back again. " -Not this time," said BjJ t- "This time they will emp oy five fresh divisions. e ck29thnzersandthedPilSoen3 sr: time s'wm btheTr. back. They intend to push the Amer b n? the twenty-third, at four morning of the iwe fifth and the twenty-eighth. The impressionable one, .were beginning be-ginning to believe , him Laur-fla. Laur-fla. the unmarried one. about on this sidewalk r,Ssh;idmTheCtCehnty-third,thatls nButrr- attack." Even the cne willing to believe that in DVocchl told me, the American : Major had told him. rtfwuTrbeite.0 said: That 1 friend." The Mister Major is our me"u was , annoyed rspokTfounoughtobeheard .MN.- said.,- h- hruldndhePUpunisrUmer. hi' unpredictable," Mayor "He is " Y wiu see. I Nasta hIsPneow" hesaid. bow-must bow-must be gn f"3' u me fact that mg to the circ e M tt embar- J "'Jiiyr he -id. "not forget the twenty-third." to the aldewatt : to trontof d.ffer zo, and he woul I appr ent group, an5 Dsame thing. Prettymn Br th allowed this lo go Sergeant Bonn , a e Ser. on for several days. gr geant Borth was a caret He witedHUenhad his informers trap Mayof Naa new exaggera- he made a very terrifying snow o. - rBhfa'dtothetwoMs ta English: "Take him away. boys. He's getting noisy. y0MayorNast. said stubbornly: Te-40 016 PrnearstadTdnoCt make, very MSy?r ?? ft cage. TheAmerl-good TheAmerl-good start in the ' Iullan. cans had .forty jea rf , speaking Top Sergea the guard. The , waIk. Nasta saw he rushed up W to the enclwure" t0,bimi shoidd not have been im-take. im-take. I sho u t mlstake ... prisoned. 11 Top Sergeant: "l "Tslow Brtklynese Italian. I said softer mistake? We have -You are b"0"1" au mistakes severalmstakhee.iatrine here must clean wm hrverTrieoJ cleaning the |