The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-12-05
THE BOATS RETURN
CHAPTER XVII

Jensen, the farmer. climbed wear
lily out Of bed and started dressin,
TO 90 up on post at the plateau
Like an old hurt, the though
came back TO him OF the shor
letter he had received that da,
from Trygve. stamped with IN,
eensoring seal. oberkommando de-
Wehrmacht. Barely hidden be
tween the empty words. he has
read the boys hatred and bite
loneliness. The letter was datec
August. and contained half :
dozen sentences in his sons terse
emotional style that he coulC
never quite understand. Greet
Froken Karen for me-" he hac
written at the end.
You're fool to 90 out tonight
his wife called from the bed
"Your educated son gets himself in
prison. and you have to go out and
do the same" She laid particular
emphasis on the word educated
as II that were a crime in itself.
Something choked in Morton
sens throat whenever he though,
OF his son. That Trygve should
have done thing important
enough to get himself locked up,
Whatever it was" he thought, If
] were his age, I would probably
have done the same"
He got his scarf and wound II
around his neck. Her shrill voice
went on and on, giving him res-
sons why he should come back to
bed. He would be caught His
lungs could not stand the cold. He
was not a young man; he should
think more Of his own family.
ia" he kept saying, ia ia
.. - As II there was any use in
talking to her. Better the plateau
at night without her voice." he
thought.
Bundled up tightly at last, with
a fur hat on his head. and the die
tionary and light and binoculars in
the deep pockets of his jacket, he
went out to the kitchen and stir
red up the fire. A few minutes
later, having drunk a plate of
soup and buckled on his snow
shoes, he was on his way up
toward the plateau in the cold
and biting air.
The snow had stopped falling.
but it lay deep, piled in huge drifts
behind the trees. The last clouds,
fleeing before the moon, were rid
ing swiftly out to sea.
As he was crssing the little
strip of woodland that separated
his own field from the long
meadow. he thought he smelled
smoke. It puzzled him for a mo-
ment until he put it down as a
crazy notion and plunged on. But
coming out from behind the trees,
he saw Osterholm's saeter cottage
In the bright starlight, with smoke
pouring from the chimney, and the
window facing him, cleaning yell
low with light.
His first thought was that the
troops had taken the place over.
They, too, might be watching for
signals, and If so. the whole plan
was betrayed. He stopped in con-
sternation. wondering what to do.
This would mean that everything
was ruined. They might not even
be safe in their beds II the troops
saw an English signal. The first
thing he asked himself was what
Trygve would have done. Gone to
investigate, OF course.
He drew the dictionary, the field
glasses, and the light out Of his
pockets, and hid them behind a
tree. If he were searched, at least
they would find no evidence
Then. keeping cover as well as ne
was able behind the drifts. ne
crept slowly toward the cottage
An owl cried shrilly somewhere
in the forest behind him.
From a distance Of some fifty
yards, he stopped TO see If there
was q guard. The dark building
with its low caves half buried In
the snow, stood out in sharp reiiei
against the glistening white field
The whole air had that peculiar,
gray. translucent quality Of winter
nights. Far on the northern nor
lion behind the hills, he thought
he could see the pale. blue vert Oh
the northern lights.
Minutes passed. He crept nearer
When he judged he was close
enough he stood up and dasneo
for the wall under the window.
And there he crouched again with
his heart pounding under his thin
ribs, and waited. Still no SOUND
but the wall was warm from the
fire on the other side.
More boldly. he made his way
around to the front Of the building
and there, popped against the
wall, and half buried in the snow
stood two pairs of skis. one, inc
long. sturdy skis of the German
army, the other. the slender oiaeh
pair he had given Karen stems
gard the summer before.
The cold ran over him. ~ first
Sento's Victory Christmes