Show gabell rAd a r F aj caio ayi jonn john joh heisei 0 F STORY STORT THUS FAR FAB the iu THE american CIL troops arrived in adano adana with major coppolo jop polo the alagot aragot officer in charge sergeant B borth rth was in charge 0 of security tte the major was determined to hold the lie confidence ot of the people and to replace their bell stolen by the nazis despite dep p I 1 to orders issued by general marvin coppolo permitted the carts to enter the town with water and food the bell arrived and while the major was busy seeing that it was taken care of 0 the courier arrived with dismissal orders for major coppolo from general marvin borth put the orders in his pocket to keep until after the party to be riven the major that highl he a knew the effect it would have bv on everyone CHAPTER it was really good when the ma jor saw it he stood up in delight he said so that is why you wanted jay picture taken 1 gargano posed as if with one hand on a carnera camera and the other squeezing a shutter bulb and tried to imi tate the cracked voice of old young man you are vain all you want is to look at your face this time when all laughed the major laughed with them thank you major coppolo said that was all he had time to say for the officials of adano adana leit left the room quickly in any case it was all the major was able to say I 1 the committee of hosts stood wait 1 ing in the entrance hall of 1 chis house old bellanca was wa s there ther e ex x officio and cacopardo the only resident ol of adano adana who owned a swallow swallowtail tail coat and the only one who would wear one if he had it s and the fat araxi who appeared to have exceeded his limit of three bottles of wine for dinner and sig rora nora carmelina represent T ing as well as she could the fair sex and the white haired lojacono who was included because he had done such a good picture the ones of the committee who were absent s were tomasino out of respect for athe i the dead fishermen and gargano who was otherwise engaged it was ten minutes after starting time and the guest of honor had not arrived giuseppe who had ar 1 ranged the whole thing hovered in tte the background saying over and over ever the mister major will be here bere any minute now the mister major was at that minate min calling for tina and tina in in the way of all women either was riot not ready or was not willing to ad mit that she was ready finally at a quarter to eight tina came out of her room she I 1 was dressed in a flimsy white blouse and a huge red taffeta skirt I 1 major jmajor Jop slight annoyance at being kept waiting dissolved at once this was worth waiting all ja tight night for he said tina curtsied gravely she gatha ered some of her skirt on her left arm and reached with her right hand 6 i for major Jop arm he a offered it to her and the couple left shout ing goodbyes good byes to tomasino and bosa who was beady with perspiration t on from rom helping her daughters get ready un on their r way down the via um abc certo the first the couple heard t two 0 small children crying in the darkening tok ening evening they could just make out two little figures huddled on in the curb on the other side of the street they crossed they found the ragged little son of epa ba and the well dressed grandson or Ct cacopardo sitting with their arms around each other crying hard major coppolo crouched down and patted the boys backs and asked what the matter was between sobs sob little erba mana aged to say we were too late IM for the feast of the ca J little atle Ca cacopardo copard said too late i bor for the what little erba sai said d for the picnic of caramels caramela ca we we are the only ones ills who were left behind little tile cacopardo said all the other her children he ae M major ajor coppolo remembered what had told gargano to do and he you taia laid well never mind well take y instead gome come to a grownup party with us to s so the major majo r and tina walked on y ward house each ng a little child when hen by the hand fat w they entered the house the I 1 who had a littler little too much ate ln in his belly y 0 rushed forward in cla S son on of maryt mary I 1 he ex lined roe e i little he has a ya two boys he patted the lung on the beautiful si ps head bd and an a I 1 VJ lie yi y wife i gulped when he saw that the was vas tina a auy ister 1581 alaj or he said why YOU not tell us nemih ut by h 3 this t kinle me the rest of the ra a had come forward and kp confusion of their heir greetings earned 0 adver flyer airdo araxis aels contusion confusion oldia old ca baat C took both his well dressed r g adson randson and the ragged little I 1 erba v i by their r hands hand with him all 1 and kept them evenin evening g G giuseppe guseppe met the major his hi s hands wringing and faces mister making desperate you been I 1 have major where have been loo looking king for you on all the balconies the bedrooms to and in all that was hardly baldly necessary giuseppe the major majo r said what you want did fat araxi and your sergeant they are misbehaving I 1 cant do anything with them the major said to tina here wait and he went off with giuseppe to find araxi and borth berth major coppolo jop 4 borth behave said sharply yourself P when the major 4 fat araxi spoke so angrily tiptoed out of the and abia t room abia t follow followed 1 him to keep an eye on him the major and the major borth were alone spoke again behave yourself or go horne home borth was drunk because of the major jor he had never been uni drunk in uniform form before but when the major spoke so angrily andrii Y that streak of contrariness in borth which him tease made people so much which made him always laugh at serious people and deflate pompous ones came out in him he said thickly you cant boss me around Is sergeant ergeant borth 11 the major said ciui with jbv obvious lous ciui lous sergeant emphasis emo hasi on the t word dont sergeant to me to borth said you have no dhority tho rity to boss bo ss me to 1 I have just as much authority as I 1 ever had and if you dont behave oh no you borth said you cant boss anybody adano adana 1 I not in borth youre drunk now behave coppolo Jop polo youre fired you been relieved youre nobody round here and borth again began to cry borth I 1 dont know what youre talking about but I 1 the major broke off and went over to borth and took him by the arm to try to lead him out take your hands off me borth he reached in his pocket and said here read that major M a or coppolo read the order recalling him from adano adana where did you get this he asked borth was crying again your desk iwanter I 1 wanted to keep you from seeing it until after the party 11 victor coppolo put up a beautiful front for the rest of the evening until the very moment when he was saying good night to tina just inside her front door then he put his arms and said miserably im so unhappy tina pushed back and looked at his face she put her hands on his shoulders and said but I 1 thought you were so happy the major was in control of himself again 1 I am he said im sorry Is it because of your wife tina asked no tina its nothing then in the shadow of the stairway of her house he kissed her tenderly and iu crift re recurt TURKS if w zi said till I 1 see you again she was frightened and she said what is the matter why did say goodbye good bye instead of you what is the tha matter good ni night nothing tina good night tina it was the middle of the morning before major coppolo could get his papers straightened up and his last minute directions given the major called the motor pool and asked for a jeep to take him to Vicin amare then he be told borth 1 I dont want to say goodbye good bye to anyone borth I 1 dont know whether I 1 could borth did not mock this morning he said 1 I am sorry about last night major my intentions were good I 1 w wanted a anted you to have a good time at t the he party 1 I know the major thought a minute and th then en said borth t try to help whoever takes my pla place ce to try to do a good job in adano adana bo borth r th said im afraid it will be that awful dope from fontebasso Ponte basso the major said 1 I hope not adano needs an understanding man borth said adano adana needs you major the major said too late to talk about that I 1 wonder how marvin ever found out about the carts borth suspected captain purvis but he said one of his staff must nave have driven or nave or something the major said yes I 1 guess so the jeep came so as not to arouse suspicion borth went with the driver to the majors house and got his baggage his entire possessions consisted of a bedroll with his clothes rolled into it when the jeep got back to the palazzo major coppolo took his portrait under his arm and went downstairs and got in he shook borths berths hand but he did not say goodbye good bye the lazy fatta standing on the tha sidewalk said by way of making conversation going somewhere major coppolo tried to sound cheerful as he said not far how is carmelina this morning 9 11 the lazy fatta said she is said she is making a rabbit stew the driver said where to major the major did not want to say that fatta or anyone else could hear it perhaps he could not say it anyhow he just said this way and he pointed out the corso vittorio emanuele about four miles outside the town the major said to the driver stop a minute would you please the driver stopped the jeep listen the major said do you vou he hear r something it was a fine sound on the summer air air the tone was good and it must have been loud to hear bear it as far as this just a bell the driver said must be eleven yes the major said he looked over the hills across the sea and the day was as clear as the sound of the bell itself but the major could not see or think very clearly yes he said eleven THE END |