Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-07-03
CopyriEht: 1872 By News Syndicate Co. ]
IN TWO PARTS-PART TWO


That night the tenants of the flat
were disturbed by a noise which they
had heard score of times before
uplifted in the blackout, the sudden
voice Of the sirens.
1t began with moan. rose like the
cry OF damned spirit 1t sank again.
Again the dismal below rose, joined
by the far-off thud, thud of the guns.
Group after group, the guns woke I'M
til at last their uproar might have
been quarter Of mile away. Then,
a crump which might have been in
the next street. Another, another. The
raid lasted for 10 minutes. At one
moment the whole block of flats
seemed to shake to its foundations.
1t was o'clock in the morning before
the tenants heard the all clear"
And the next morning Mrs. Bunnitt
failed to appear.
flats?
A handful of everyday people who.
a month ago, had nothing in common
with one another, were swept by
common anxiety.
Mrs Bunnitt-could it-could it pos
sibly have come as near to them as
that?
The Irish lady from No. II dashed
in her emerald-green satin Stacks
along the corridor to No. 10. Alec
Gum had just come home with the
milk.
Il must use your telephone" she
cried in agitation to the unshaven,
weary looking young man whom she
had never before addressed They
would cut us off just now-sure I
forgot their account entirely-but I
simply must telephone to the dairy
In Small street. That always finds
Mrs. Bunnitt-"
I'll get you the number"
But there was no number to be had.
That line, exchange announced, was
out of action. And the dairy where
Mrs. Bunnitt had lived was flat with
the ground.
A single bomb had done it.
1t had missed the power station.
1t had knocked a gilded corner off
the cinema, hours after the audience
had gone home. The only other dam
age it had done had been to hit an
empty house complete with ITO Let"
board, and then to wipe out one mod
est little corner dairy.
Alec Gum, who had dashed out in
all haste, followed by others from
the flats, found that rope had been
drawn across Small street, half the
population of the district had assem-
bled. A couple of young men in rain
coats with Police" across their tin
hats, were keeping them back. Beyond
the ropes wardens and a breakdown
gang were already at work where an
interior wall was showing its upper
rooms to the sky. You saw half
bedroom; a fireplace at the end Of
collapsed floor, a bedstead that
seemed to hang in the air by one leg.
But where the little dairy had been,
all you saw was gap showing the
lilac bushes Of the back garden be-
yond.
But Alec found a way along some
back garages that led into the street
further on. Followed by the Mortified
group from the flats, they might have
been children in search of their moth
er! He reached the other end of the
ruin, where two men with crowbar
were holding up one end Of heavy
beam. Others were clearing away
brickwork and masonry with their
hands as If for dear life.
by with the nozzle of hose in his
hand. Men with spades toiled at
masses Of plaster. And on the fringe
dairy Jacket Numbered about like a
emotional Welsh modulated voice,
my auntie. Oh, my auntie!" And
babbling unheeded, WED gone to
stay with the wife's mother, who's i'll.
Only my auntie was in the house. Now
she's got all that down on her!"
my God" said Alec Gum aloud
to the others, Its Mrs. Bunnitt's
nephew. And she's under there!" He
threw off his coat.
That's the stuff, mate"
One of the gang Of workers gave
a shout. Here! Let's have few more
hands on this"
Alec and the two young school,
masters from No. IL, all with coats
off. found themselves blocking up the
end of that beam to relieve the weight
with anything that came to hand.
The dairy-jacketed Welshman had
dropped on his knees, he was excited
ly pointing to the CLEAN of something
bright amongst the rubble. 1t was a
slit in what had once been a door
but now lay flat as manhole
Our letter box. My auntie was only
cleaning it yesterday" he sobbed.
"Auntie," he shouted, just as, when
he was naughty small boy, he had
been wont to shout through the letter
boxes of other peoples houses before
he took to his heels and ran off on
his way to school. Are you there,
auntie," he cried as if the stones
could answer.
Here, we can get the door away"
called one of the breakdown gang.
'It's only the doorstep that's jamming
it. Get busy with that crowbar,
The doorstep was no match for the
crowbar and the hands that welded
1t. Now, in less than three minutes,
there was a loud shout. Here she
goes-ter you'll" and crash.
The damned door was free. It fell, |
sidewalks. Through the rubble, the
hrolnv, o1occ tho hricIrc tho filoc on