Show el for ja d a 1110 in 41 john herhei I 1 e w N u r z ar u t E Is THE STORY THUS FAR the american troops arrived at adano with major coppolo Jop polo the aagot officer in charge sergeant north borth was in charge of 0 security the major was determined to hold the confidence of the people and to replace the town bell stolen by the nazis despite orders issued by general marvin martin barring carts from the city major coppolo recalled the order to permit food and water to enter the city cit M cacopardo came to the major asic asking ing lor for permission to see general marvin and deliver information on important german troop movements he was given his pass and set out for or the generals headquarters he was determined to aid the americans against the nazis CHAPTER xin XHI oh said the sentry why you say you had a pass sure the generals here and he shouted the old mans in aint he buck it yeah I 1 think his nibs came in about half an hour ago yeah hes in the sentry said IVA what at you want to see him about cacopardo pulled out the tissue paper 1 I can tell you where are the germans he said right up there the sentry said pointing up the driveway to the main door of the villa right in that there door the jeep drove up to the main door there was another sentry there when cacopardo tried to go in the sentry put his bayoneted rifle across the path cacopardo jumped back alarmed 1 I am na no enemies he said 1 I have the paper to see general marvin and he stretched out the pass cacopardo learned quickly for a man his age the sentry took the pass brother I 1 doubt if you can see the general right now he said he dont like to see no one in the mornings you stand here a minute the sentry called the corporal of the guard the corporal of the guard came right back this way brother he said he led cacopardo to a man at a desk name the man said gloomily cacopardo Js Is that a first name or a last name the sour man said that is the name of my family cacopardo said how you spell that cacopardo spelled it out the man wrote laboriously first name the unhappy man said matteo you got to spell those dago names cacopardo spelled it and the man misspelled it who you want to see general marvin you got a chance of seeing him the man said theres a war going on dago what you want to see the general about cacopardo reached in his pocket for the tissue paper 1 da I can show you where are the germans he said have to talk with G two about that the man said and he pointed with his pencil first door on the right where it says colonel henderson cacopardo went to the door marked colonel henderson and he knocked walk in a voice shouted general marvin cacopardo asked upstairs Ups upstairs the impatient voice which belonged to a full colonel said cacopardo started out say wait a minute cacopardo turned around the colonel said who are you anyway cacopardo matteo I 1 was sent to see bee general marvin general marvin doe ernt like italians the colonel said what do you want to see him about you better not ask him for any favors hell kick you out personally himself cacopardo reached in his pocket for the tissue paper 1 I can show you where are the germans he said youve got no business taking that kind of thing to general marvin what do you think we have a G two section for around here you can just show that to me 1 I was sent to see general marvin that is the one I 1 am going to see bee after an argument with colonel henderson cacopardo was sent upstairs under guard was stopped and questioned by a sentry at the head of t the stairs was sent downstairs because he did not have a proper division P pass ass was given a pass I 1 was taken upstairs again was questioned as to age religion political whets beliefs and sex by a sergeant was interviewed by a staff officer who t doubted whether the general would be free to see him was referred to colonel middleton the generals chief of staff was questioned by colonel middletons Middle tons secretary who thought the colonel was busy was finally admitted to colonel middleton who after an argument agreed to see whether the general would see cacopardo which he doubted at the moment general marvin was playing mumble te peg with lieutenant byrd his aide they had found that a certain mahogany table took the knife beautifully the general had just reached the double flip off the forehead colonel middleton walked in just as the general let the knife go off his forehead the surprise of colonel middletons Middle tons entrance was just enough to throw the general off his aim and the knife clattered on the table and did not stick in this annoyed the general I 1 told you to knock middleton dl eton ton yes sir theres an old italian here wants to see you middleton the matter ma with you I 1 tell you I 1 did n tt want to see any more italians yes sir but this one seems to be above the average he was sent to you by one of our people he says he has some information you would want well show him in what are you standing there for show him in 11 and so cacopardo was finally fina ay iy brought into the presence of the t e general by this time he was just as angry as the general and being 0 r you yon are a barbarian bar bariani be said some twenty years the generals senior he considered it his privilege to vent his anger first he found perfect expression for his anger in what he saw on the surface of the mahogany table you are a barbarian he said A what the general bellowed in his famous voice 1 I said you are a barbarian how dare you chop and pick at the surface of my friend ellos table for the sake of argument it would have made no difference whatsoever if general marvin had known that had been thirteen years dead the general could not possibly have been more outraged he bellowed at the walls who is this anyhow that table was made circa 1775 when your country had not even begun to existed barbarian it was carved by vincenzio di lucca of parma I 1 cannot calculate the values of that table you are a pig to chop and pick at it the general shouted take this crazy out of here colonel middleton and Li lieutenant eutena nt byrd rushed into the room they grabbed old cacopardo and started to push him out the general roared who sent that idiot here middle ton III 1 I dont know sir it was some major you dont know its your bus business to know colonel middleton n asked cacopardo who was it who sent you cerep daiy my friend major coppolo Jop polo who is not a barbarian colonel middleton said what unit is this major from adano adan 0 from adano old caco pardo said from my home adano adano the general shouted theres something about that place what is it about adano middleton what is it the cart general colonel middleton said colonel middleton would never forget adano adana as long as he lived the cart what cart dont talk in riddles middleton what cart the cart that we threw off the road sir the mule we shot sir general marvin remembered and the memory turned his face a shade darker so the major who sent you he roared what was that name again I 1 want to kemem her ber that name coppolo Jop polo middleton said general marvin shouted coppo lo 10 write that down middleton remember that name that majors a too I 1 remember now hes a himself he middleton in the interests of justice colonel middleton said 1 I dont remember sir general marvin shouted well I 1 do now throw this crazy italian out of here and if you let any more italians in here middleton ill break you back to a second lieutenant behind major Jop back captain purvis was very critical of him to his face the captain was cordial even friendly the two men now had besides their mere community of tongue another thing to draw them together they both knew the same girls in a foreign land that is enough to make damon and pythias out of two sworn enemies one day at lunch th they ey talked about the girls they talked as american men do talk about girls when they are abroad the captain said that younger one that francesca she sure is nice just a matter of taste the major said yeah the captain said what do you say we go up there tonight and see em lets do that the major said that would be fun then he wondered why he had reacted so quickly and so happily to the captains suggestion the captains attitude toward these girls disgusted the major the captain regarded the girls as trash he seemed to think of them as something to buy and sell like italian watermelon and grapes and red wine the major refused to believe that he was falling into this way of thinking the family of tomasino tomasia ao and their guests spent the next five minutes on their hands and knees picking up the chicken feathers when that was done rosa said to tomasino sad one put the girls to bed tomasino led the little ones out without gentleness rosa retired to the kitchen with the feathers and the bird to finish her job As soon as the two officers and the two girls in pajamas were left alone tina said mister major I 1 want to talk with you and she stretched out her hand for his and led him into her bedroom captain sober shouts followed them this time hey dont desert me I 1 cant talk to this lovely thing where you going and he subsided and settled down for an evening of desperate sign language tina sat down on her bed and the major sat down on a chair by a wooden dressing table 1 I want to ask you something mister major tina said yes the major said he did not know what to expect but he expected it would please him whatever it was ilow how long do you think the war will last here on italian soil I 1 mean the major found that he was not pleased a very serious question t he said lets not talk about war all I 1 have all it day long war war war but I 1 have a special reason for wanting to know tina said how long do you think it will last how dhow should I 1 know ahe the major asked H his is voice was a little testy it if I 1 knew that I 1 would have to know a lot more about our plans for the campaign and if I 1 knew the plans I 1 would know military secrets and I 1 tell you secrets if I 1 anew knew them but you can guess mister ma jor AA right I 1 guess two more months tho dand and how long do you think it will be after after fter those two months before our il italian prisoners of war are released major got the point poin t very quickly and it did not please him in the least you have a sweetheart who has been captured TO BE CONTINUED |