Show il 1 Z A 1 ft we i to r adam 0 aj y f jolin john her sen IM jl lr i Q THE STORY titus THUS pail the amerl tan can troops arrild at a adano adana with major coppolo jop polo the arigot officer in charge sergeant nl borth was as in charge ol of majr major ft as determined I 1 ty the to re tb the e own bell stolen by the nazis and in 10 other was to build confidence mins the he people lie ile wanted to start he Gher roc on out t again and arranged nh fth ilent aleut livington senior naval old cor to lo open the waters to their heir boats boals lie he allotted lillon rd the earls carts to enter the city with iab fijoj and water despite orders order from general er 11 aladin man in that thai the carts be kept out ot of the eliy city capt arvi reported to head quarters the earl cart orders ghen by the th major by sending off the delayed letter to 10 headquarters CHAPTER X at each crich meal there v were ere also some idlers in the place but they just came in to listen to the noon and six thirty broadcasts from rome on the day that mayor nasta carrie came down from brorn the hills major coppolo and captain purvis had just finished their pasta and were talking about the stuffy navy fellow livingston when hen they heard an unusual noise out in the street there were shouts of anger and whistles but the noise outside grew and seemed to be coming up the street and soon several of the idlers who had been listening to the radio in the restaurant ran out As the noise grew still louder the two women picked up handfuls of fruit and ran out pursued by their guests then the owner of the place and his wife and son ran out with their mouths full of pasta and eggplant finally major coppolo said lets go see what it is so he and captain purvis ran out too with their napkins in their hands this is what ahat they saw up the center of the street a forlorn looking man walked he was 72 very short and rather heavyset heavy set his clothes were dirty and torn his shoes were covered with dust his face was very sad and he walked slowly hanging his head there was only one proud touch to his whole figure and that was a pair of pince nez spectacles balanced on his big nose behind the man keeping a safe distance as if there still might be some dynamite in him a large crowd walked shouting and whistling its derision the derision was ten times louder than it would otherwise have been because this was the first time the people of adano had ever been able to express their feelings toward this man eyen even behind their own closed dor doors i s they had held their tongues about mayor nasta in the past because he seemed to have ears in every house and his eyes peeked in every window and his punishments were sadistic but now they shouted what they thought fascist pig they shouted this was what they shouted most but they also shouted the murderer always goes back to the scene of his crime they also shouted where is is mayor nastas whip now curiously the two women shouted and there was a kind of pride in the way they shouted there was a priest in the crowd and he shouted Blaspheme rl there were some children in the crowd and they ran along shouting bigl pig pig the anger of the mob bordered on violence when the unhappy mayor got opposite the albergo dei Te one of the women raised her arm arid and threw a plum at him it missed him and splashed in the street A boy of twelve threw a stone then several brickbats brick bats flew and the shouts of long repressed altred hatred became shrieks of revenge captain purvis looked at major coppolo and major coppolo said weve got to put a stop to this captain purvis was not a subtle american but he was a brave one he ran out in the street between mayor nasta and the crowd he held up his hand and shouted stop stop you ignorant fools the crowd kept coming A stone flew past captain purvis toward mayor nasta captain purvis pulled his pistol out of his pocket that was enough the ones in front held back the others and the mob halted in the street captain purvis went back to the sidewalk mayor nasta seeing that he was saved ran over to his deliverers and he stood in the gutter blubbering his thanks americans oh my friends thank you for saving roe me from these ungrateful people I 1 have served them for years and see how they behave I 1 am all lalone one americans I 1 have been in the hills all alone for days no one would stay with me all the others gave themselves up I 1 have thought everything over I 1 wish to help you if I 1 can 11 and he rattled on his voice going higher and higher someone in the mob shouted mister major if you help that man you are not our friend major coppolo acted quickly to save the situation he walked into the street and held up his hand for r silence blenc he was careful to make it his is left hand so that it would not be e mist mistaken aken for a fascist salute go home people I 1 will take care are of this man as he deserves he is under tinder arrest and the major said quickly to captain purvis in english arrest him purvis show this gang that youre arresting him 11 this purvis was the kind of thing captain enjoyed and as he clapped his hand heavily on mayor nastas shoulder he shouted 1 I wish I 1 understood Eye this is is wonderful the crowd broke up slowly mumbling of revenge its protests at being deprived I 1 purvis said who is this little squirt anyway they sure hate him dont they major coppolo said hes the one who used to be mayor oh he is is he well according to what borth says got plenty of reason to hate him and the captain kicked mayor nasta in the seat of the pants simply because he know the italian for youre a little squirt mayor nasta whimpered in italian what are you going to do with me if you are are going to kill me please tell me first dont shoot me from behind what major coppolo did with mayor nasta was to take him up to his office everyone even little zito who had once worked for mayor nasta even darpa the weasel like vice mayor who had once worked with him everyone made faces of disgust when they saw mayor nasta and some made obscene remarks within his hearing when word passed around the palazzo that mayor nasta was back i NI I 1 0 t J captain purvis pulled his pistol out of his pocket many people stuck their heads in the door at the end of the majors office which had once been the mayors office to have a look at him in his disheveled condition and to laugh at him to his face major coppolo said to zito and an d giuseppe 1 I want to have a talk with mayor nasta alone go and tell the people in the other offices that I 1 do not want to be disturbed not even by a cracking open of that door I 1 do not even want to be disturbed by the brushing of ears 0 on n the keyhole yes mister major mai or zito said no mister major giuseppe said major coppolo sat at the desk and said brusquely sit down mayor nasta sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk well what is it that you wish major said mayor nasta brushed his hand along the wood of I 1 the desk pathetically I 1 and he said it seems strange to be sitt sitting ing on the wrong side of this desk major coppolo said it may seem stranger to sit on the wrong side of the bars of your municipal jail what do you want mayor nasta rearranged the pince nez on his nose but he did not look major in the eye as he said 1 I just want a chance mister major you want a chancel chance major jop polo spoke angrily to whom did you ever give a chance 1 I have thought it over mayor nasta said 1 I have been all alone for days it was awful at night I 1 have thought it ove over r mister major I 1 want to help if I 1 can how many years were e you in office nine mister M major ajor after nine years in office ice you have thought it all over have you alter after nine years of graft and stealing and keeping these people down youve thought it 0 over ver you want to help helpio do you i you have other fascists in office here I 1 saw the face of darpa a minute ago I 1 saw who was my Mare of finance I 1 gargano of the carabini carabiniero Carabi eri if saw you could use these why not na nasta s the mayor and be better t 1 I have a new mayor a one u ansas this hurt who is this mayor bellanca the an honest man much more honest than the former mayor maior 11 and the former mayor said yes bellanca is honest but surely you have something for nasta nast a to do I 1 would accept something less than mayor 11 nasta rubbed the wood ot of the desk wistfully there is not much left of the old nasta he said 1 I would accept something less than mayor major Jop eyes grew angry he stood up abruptly oh you would would you yes I 1 have hav something for you to do you are to report every morning to sergeant borth of the american army you will find him in the fascio that is all you have to do each day but see that you do it nasta or you will be put in jail you mean that nasta has become a common probationer oh so nasta is familiar with the practice of putting people on probation a that is very genteel of you nasta I 1 thought all your punishments were more ingenious than that please be generous with me nasta said please give me some work to do generous nasta what do you expect for the crimes you have committed against the people of adano you deserve to be shot outright without a trial you yot i certainly never would give a fair trial unless it brought you some kind of profit I 1 am being more than generous I 1 am putting you on probation see that you behave you fascist mayor nasta was obsequious now yes mister major he said what did you say was the name of the american officer to whom I 1 must report his name is borth and he is not an officer he is a sergeant you are not worth an officer nasta 11 yes mister major 11 this is how bow it happened that mayor nasta reported once every mom ing to sergeant borth at the fascio because four or five people followed the mayor everywhere he went out of curiosity and hatred there was a small audience on an hand the next morning when he reported to sergeant borth for the first time the audience enjoyed what it saw and heard for this kind of situation was meat for sergeant borth who thought the whole war was a joke the tattered nasta stepped into one of the MP offices rearranged his pince nez and said where will I 1 find the sergeant borth 1 I am borth 1 I am nasta oho roared sergeant borth he stood up rubbing his hands so you are the mayor I 1 understand that you have come to adano to repent your sins Is that right noble mayor 1 I was told that I 1 was to report here each morning I 1 was to report not be humiliated sergeant you will call me mister sergeant mayor nasta snorted from his long habit of snorting borth said sharply listen nasta I 1 know more about you than you know about yourself you be careful how you behave here now answer my questions civilly Is it correct that you came to adano to repent your sins mayor nasta was white with anger but he said 1 I suppose you might say so thank you borth said with exaggerated ag politeness in that case you will repent one sin each morning when you report to sergeant borth would you like to choose your own sins sins or would you like sergeant borth to choose them for you mayor nasta keep himself from snorting 1 I see said borth with his over politeness you would like borth to choose very well lets see this morning we will discuss the sin of your disgraceful running away from your post in the face of the american invasion wh what at is this sin called mayor nasta what do you mean what is it called you are at a loss for words very well borth will answer his own question it ts is called the sin of cowardice mayor nasta snorted no matter what side you were on no matter if you IN were ere on the side of the crooks it was a sin to run away was it not mayor mayor nasta rearranged his pince nez with a trembling hand answer my question did you or did you not give rifles to the cara billeri and grenades to the F finance n guards make them a be beautiful atif I 1 speech about fighting to the la last t man and then run to the hills mayor nasta said with a trembling b h g voice you tell me clever S sergeant erge t sergeant borth shouted answer me probationer mayor nasta nast a said quietly 1 I did sergeant mister Serge antl 1 I did mister sergeant are you sorry tor for this disgraceful sin nasta mayor nasta could hear bear the people snickering behind him he said meekly 1 I am mister sergeant TO BE CONTINUED |