The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-03

Here and there, people stopped to pick them up,
 The troops started singing the Horst Vessel song. They marched along beside the cart in high good humor,
 | Though he was very tired, the old man walked with his head high be- hind the cart. Except for the blood on his beard, his face was drawn and pale.
 A long, deep whistle blast sounded down in the harbor. Ii was the mailboat pulling into the pier Most of them did not even hear it. The soldiers paid no ats tention at all, But Dr. Stensgard back in the press, felt his heart beat faster. That would be Johann coming home. He started praying inwardly that all this would be over before the boy landed so that nc one in the crowd would see him Two orderlies carrying Major Bucks baggage came down the hotel path and cut across the line of march.
 They dumped the cart near the fountain in the middle of the square. People were streaming in from all the side streets. Two sol- diers appeared from the direction oi the wharf, carrying a large metal container between them. They were greeted with cheers by the troopers standing around the old man, anc went about splashing gasoline ovel the pile of furniture and books Sixtus was still tied to the over turned cart. shouting something, bu over the noise of the crowd, no ont could hear what it was.
 Someone put a match to the pyre and spires of thick, black smoke gathered and rose in the air, sweep. ing in broad edd!es westward ovei toward the docks. The crowc surged forward, shaking their fist: and shouting imprecations, but tho troops unslung rifles and formed g square facing outward to hold then back.
 And suddenly the gray mass oI people grew very still. The shout! and snatches of song stopped as i! broken off. The soldiers became nervous, as if afraid that at any moment those hundreds would rusl in one solid packed mass and crusf them with kicks and blows before they could fire a shot.
 Keep back they shouted. "KeeT back"
 Stensgard could stand it nC longer. He looked around. and al he could see was the great thronl of men and women with dark hatred in their faces, staring inward d the fire near the fountain. He kep craning his neck to see who wa coming up from the pier.
 All at once the old man cried ou in loud voice, For Gods sake, le me go." The people stirred, ane young Pastor Aalesen ran cut iron among them and straight across thc square.
 Stensgard pushed his way back He was panting heavily. His fact was wet. His collar was too tight He went quickly back up the road feeling the cool wind. hearing tht mute and heavy crowd behind him He kept on biting his lips ane pressing his large white handker. chief to his mouth.
 When he got to his own door hi! face was white as chalk. He coulc not catch his breath. Anna. Anna, he cried. and wondered confusedly where his wife could be. A tall fair-haired man with Q carpet baE slung over his shoulder stood wait. ing for him in the doorway.
 
 The days grew raw and bitter cold. The sea thundered up it! roaring green water against tn, mole in the outer harbor. Smoke poured out of chimneys at nigh and settled over the streets like z gray mist in the morning. It begar to rain, a dreary, interminablt downpour, sweeping in wind-driver sheets from the hills.
 About the village. hope had giver way to a dull apathy. More thar half the boats in haIbor had beer taken down the coast several week! before. There was no fishing done and the canning factory haC stopped working as well. not onl. because of the dearth of supplies but also, as the commandant said because the men could no longer b' trusted. There was no coal to b, had at any price. and in the daml houses, where blankets and heav, coats had been taken for the Ger man armies weeks before, 1t was al eternal struggle to chop enougi wood to keep the fires going.
 Every night at midnight. up or the dark plateau where the wint whined and cut, some lonely mai would sit crouched in the snow with a strong light in the pocke of his great coat, and binoculars il his hand, watching out to sea. AnC at four in the morning he woulC rise. stiff and cramped with cold sweep the bare horizon for one las time. then start his long and hope less trek back into town. Sometime. ] 1t was little Kjerlof, the nervous questioning farmer who had let Sverre Hammer over to Sweden twt months before. More often 1t wa