Glacier County chief., 1939-02-24
By FREDERICK HAzLITT BRENNAN
Copyright 1899: By Frederick H. Brennan)
IN THREE PARTS-PART TWO


IN THREE PARTS-PART TWO
Christine's door across the dim stone
hallway flew open as Mrs. Tancill
joined the No. boy.
What is it?"
ooh, some mixup with the soldiers.
I'll attend to it."
She saw that Christine had been
crying and was rather surprised when
the girl insisted on accompanying her.
Mr.. WI Tu Flu, the villages elder
statesman, was awaiting Mrs. Tancill
in the courtyard. Half the town, it
seemed, had congregated there, jabber-
ing and pointing to the plane which
was flying very high and circling like
a buzzard. Mr.. WI Tu Flu did not
bother to look at the plane, but, smil-
ing pleasantly, explained through Bob
Chang the reason for this regretable
turmoil
He say young general shoot-shoot
at Jap. You come stop or Jap shoot
said Mrs. Tancill.
She did not glance at the airplane,
but set off at once with long purpose
ful strides toward a warehouse by the
river where she and Christine had left
their military escort Mr.. WI Tu Flu
waddled after her and a horde of vii
seemingly distance
Mrs. Tancill knew without looking
back that Christine would come along,
still receptive to the sights and sounds
and smells of China. To Mrs Tancill
this was just another annoyance, one
more example of Chinese perversity
One tried not to be jostled, avoided
dog-droppings and ruts in the street,
took cautious breaths when passing
d0nrU9vS M IF
brick novels, tried not to look at chill
dren's scabby heads or hear the
hunger-whimper of babies O..
You men stop that"
Mrs. Tancill stood at the door of
the warehouse and spoke her order in
sharp tones. The four soldiers, under
Lieutenant Chi-Mah's direction, were
backing an expensive American sedan
into the street. The lieutenant. dapper
graduate of the university at Picking,
was fondling a submachine gun and
watching the Jap airplane. He blinked
at Mrs. Tancill's words and explained:
The madame does not perhaps realize
that is an enemy plane which it is
our duty to destroy?"
You fool! They'll bomb this village"
Without more ado, Mrs. Tancill
yanked the machine gun from aston
ished Lieutenant Chi-Mah. raped
smartly on the sedan window and mo-
toned for the soldiers to return the
car to the warehouse The soldiers
obeyed her BY the time Lieutenant
Chi-Mah had recovered his power of
speech, Mr.. WI Tu Flu, Christine and
several hundred villagers arrived on
the scene
The lady will please return gun. 1t
is against regulations"
will you promise not to shoot at
that airplane?"
Still high above the village, the air
planes pilot apparently noticed an un-
usual commotion and he came SPIRAL
ing down to investigate. But his ap-
proach went unnoticed in the hullaba-
loo around the warehouse door.
Lieutenant Chi-Mah was insisting
that he be allowed to decoy the Jap
by giving him a sight of the Chinese
low enough if the soldiers ran about
waving their arms. An excellent rlse,
you see? Lieutenant Chi-Mah very &C
curate shot with machine gun and
could bag Jap easily if he came low
Mr.. WI Tu Flu entered the dispute
by pointing out that Liuyang was a
peaceable village, had not declared war
on the Japanese, and opposed Chang
Kai-shek's policy Of resistance. The
allowed to march in and garrison all
of China. Then they could be poisoned
stabbed and shot in leisurely manner
Christine added her voice to the ar
gument by declaring holly that she
was ashamed of both Lieutenant Chi
Nah and Mr. WI Tu Flu. How dare
they endanger the helpless women and
children of Liuyang? What had Lui-
yang to do with that stupid war being
waged around Shanghai? And as for
Mr.. WI Tu Flu, his attitude was utter
ly abomniable. OF course the Japs
should be allowed to march in and
take possession of China But China
would absorb them peaceably in 900
years .
Listening, Mrs. Tancill resisted an
impulse to yawn-and held tightly to
the machine gun. Its uncomfortable
weight was reality but not. somehow.
connected with the words war" The
gabble-gabble going on among Chris