Show tic ra u ri 1 I mv w A deli 1 I 1 C A WK 1 2 ht alpa del for adam gaj gi M Z 9 john hersey cl gs ae I 1 amu THE STORY TITUS THUS FAR FAH the american troops arrived in adano adana with major coppolo jop polo the anicot officer in charge sergeant borth was in charge ot of security the major was determined to hold the confidence ot of the people and to replace their bell stolen by the nazis despite orders issued by general bl arvin barring carts from the city coppolo recalled the order to permit food and water to enter the city lord high british official on the aagot approved of 0 Jop plans the major found out that the american generosity was responsible tor for a troublesome black market to stop this condition he placed a ceiling on all prices he be also barred troops from the city CHAPTER the lieutenant said sure he was its easy to see he was and it if general marvin ever lays eyes on this information copy 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 ill take care of the information copy 11 yes sir the technical sergeant said taking the copies the lieutenant said that marvin trimmed me down once for something I 1 do I 1 never have liked him I 1 dont know this major but I 1 think it would be a shame it if he caught a trimming just for this yes sir the technical sergeant said then he frowned and added you arent going to get me in trouble are you sir like when that letter to colonel norris from the PRO got lost no dont worry the lieutenant said but the technical sergeant did worry for several days until he got up the courage to ask the lieu lieutenant t en sir what did you ever do about that information copy I 1 made for general marvin you throw it away did you colonel norris is liable to ask me about it 1 I wish I 1 had thrown it away lieutenant butters said 1 I have the guts I 1 put it in the courier pouch for algiers you know how much stuff weve been losing on hat xun tun I 1 mayte mayde the technical sergeant relieved of his worry smiled and said it might get lost accidentally on purpose 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 some to air their perennial complaints some to get in touch with the towns 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 1 I got some news from the in interior yesterday afternoon mercurio mercuric salvatore the crier was so far gone in boldness that he said we have no desire for news from 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 be said this news came from the son of your friend affronti Adro the noisy cartman the boy deserted on the first day of the invasion and he is now here perhaps you know him he is an honest boy the mayors poison was beginning to take hold if that is the case said the lazy fatta fata who was to be found on this stretch of sidewalk every morning if that is the case what did he say that was so interesting he said that our friends the germans are mounting a counterattack there is nothing new in that said father they have counterattacked counter attacked before they counterattacked counter attacked near Vicin amare and it did them no good they were thrown back they will be thrown back again not this time said mayor nasta this time they will employ five fresh divisions they have the crack panzers hanzers and the Pil sener division vision these are good troops this time they will not be thrown throw n back they intend to push the anier amer icaria eans into the sea thi the lazy fatta who had no sense about out the news said when will will this a attack coma come I 1 think I 1 will go 90 to the hills 11 mayor nasta looked very imbor tant nt as he used to in the old days 41 1 should not tell you this he said 4 but ut the attack will begin on the 1 corning 0 I 1 ang of the twenty third at tour 0 CIO clock ck in the morning you c can in hect the americans to be pushed into the th sea ea between the twenty fi mth fifth and the twenty eighth the impressionable ones were be ginning ys to believe him laura so fla the unmarried one who stood about arak on this sidewalk in the belief s that she ald might 11 catch ch a husband that nett way said the twenty third that is next wednesday but mercurio salvatore who hari had been treated y axi well by the americans refused to believe that they were leaving 1 I do not believe it he said the americans will step the attack even the crier was now willing to believe that there was going to be an attack all he would not IKs believe was that the ff germans as would succeed mayor nasta said the ameri cans will not stop it the S ameri cans may be friendly but they are not good fighters margherita the formidable wife of araxi said with a threatening threaten look i biarl but mayor nasta said this is not my opinion this is the opinion of the son of agronti the noisy cartman you know the boy you know that he is is honest he says that the americans are timid in battle he Z g V this man nasta was a very persuasive man says that our own troops could even beat the americans mercurio salvatore the crier was reduced to saying 1 I do not believe it mayor nasta said it is true this boy fought in tunisia he says that at the place called el guetter the americans did not press their attack he says that they behaved like frightened men and were defeated fea ted the british can fight perhaps but not the americans the formidable margherita said it is a dirty lie but there was no anger in her voice it was nearly drained of conviction this man nasta was a very persuasive man he had persuaded himself into office and he had persuaded the people into fear of him and now it was easy for him to persuade them to mistrust the americans mayor nasta said the son of agronti told me that in the interior the americans behaved themselves very badly they were generous to us along the coast because they had beachhead but in the into interior 0 o have a they have been different negro troops have raped seven italian italia girls there has been much looting 1 I hear that the lazy fatta said the americans boote looted athe the beautiful house of right here in adano they did much damage mercurio salvatore the crier said that I 1 will not believe the mister major is our friend the crier was annoyed enough to say his crying voice this in very nearly he spoke loudly elou enough gh to be heard inside the palazzo quiet mayor nasta said he and punish you will bear you why should he punish me mercurio cried 1 I am defending him 11 he is unpredictable mayor whispered you will see I 1 nasta he be said bowing now be going must to the circle as if the fact that beginning to grow embarrassed t was he saido said him good dayt day do not forget the tw twenty enty third he came out from when each day sergeant his repentance tanca before borth mayor nasta would go across to the sidewalk in front of the palazzo and he would approach a different group and he would tell them pretty much the same thing sergeant borth allowed this to go on for several days because sergeant borth was a careful worker he waited until he was sure of all his facts he had his informers trap mayor nasta into new exaggerations and accusations he made sure that the son of agronti the noisy cartman had not deserted he checked with intelligence at IX corps to make sure that the germans were not expected to counterattack on the twenty third he even went so far as to check with captain purvis when he was ready sergeant borth went to major coppolo Jop polo major he said weve got to put nasta away avay the major said Vr hats he do done ne 9 hes been planting rumors against us I 1 hate to admit it but hes done it very systematically and very skillfully what kinds of rumors oh all kinds he has quite a few people thinking that the germans are going to tj put on a major counterattack next week he even has some of them believing that you been doing right by certain young ladies in this town major coppolo blushed that true he said 1 I know borth said 1 I checked i into it but they tell me the mister major could make time if he wanted to cut it out the major said what they tell me borth said they say these particular 9 girls eirls dont 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 Hs 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 lets keep him in the prisoners of war cage for a few days and not send him to africa till weve questioned him a bit im sort of glad to have him put away the next morning mayor nasta was somewhat surprised to see besides sergeant borth in his office two other men wearing brassards brass ards marked MP he said as suavely as ever good morning mister sergeant and what crime would mayor nasta like to repent this mo morning r ning borth asked Is it not the mister sergeants turn to pick a crime the mayor asked perhaps it is perhaps it is well lets see this morning I 1 think mayor nasta will repent the crime ot of not having made good use of his freedom he will repent the crime of having talked against the americans mayor nasta turned pale borth stood up he will repent the crime of having invented false rumors of having told the gullible people here in adano that the germans were planning a counterattack for next week mayor nasta turned his head and looked at the door borth motioned to the MP s to step into it and they did he will also repent having said slanderous and false things about major coppolo Jop polo also he will be very sorry that he lied about the son of the cartman agronti Afron tl mayor nasta was white as a sheet lies they are rest lies he said borth said mayor nasta is excitable this morning and he had i grown so calm about his repent ances why is he excitable this morning mayor nasta was excitable because he knew he was caught lies he shouted my enemies have been lying against me borth said Is this a lie Is it a lie that you said yesterday morning before fifteen people on the sidewalk in front of the palazzo the americans are such cowards that they had to be pushed from their transports into landing barges when they came here Is it a lie that you said and sergeant borth repeated word for word ten se sentences n that nasta had said as informers reported them S sergeant borth had a very good memory memo y and he enjoyed deflating this man and he made a very terrifying shod show 0 of it for mayor nasta then borth said to the two MP a in english take him away boys hes getting noisy to TO BE CONTINUED |