The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-12-05

/ uls mouth with the back O. a wet
glove. He went closer ana exam
med the skis. The same small.
pretty shafts he had bought three
winters before in Namsoa
A rage took hold Of him. n he
had been a few years younger he
would have battered down the
door. Should he alarm the village ?
Should he now 20 10 stensfard :
He looked up At the sky. II was
already well past midnight II he
went down. the English would
pick this night TO come off shore.
Froken Karen would have TO wait
until morning. He went back
slowly to the trees where he had
cached his things.
Hour after hour in the bitter
cold and silence. he swept the
dark horizon with his glass. Not
one thing moved. Not even q
branch rustied against its neigh
Dor. Far to the left. and almost a
mile below him. the saeter was
dark. But now and then he looked
In that direction to rest his eyes.
and fancied he could still see the
cottage window far off. cleaning
and small and yellow like 4 star.
He left the plateau at four o'clock
and went TO bed. But at half past
six he was already up again.
That morning the boats came
back TO Trollness from the
south, billowing in around the
point under fun canvas TO the
amazement of the entire village.
They were manned by German
crews that swarmed about the
streets waiting for steamer that
was coming TO pick them up by
evening. IT'S q trick" was the
first word that went around. No
body even bothered to 20 over to
the docks. BY ten o'clock. the cap
tain, looking tired. and with deep
pouches under his eyes. came
down into the square. and called
a meeting of the fishermen In
church. There. TO the packed and
hostile pews, he announced that as
an evidence Of good faith on the
part of the occupying forces. the
boats were being returned to their
rightful owners. Fishing was TO be
resumed. The canning factory
would be reopened. One last at
tempt was going to be made in
peaceful manner to re-establish
order throughout the entire dis
trict.
He was answered by utter 81
lence. Kasper Torgersen followed
him in the pulpit and limited
rather broadly that II had been his
influence that had got them this
concession. ut is not that our
friends do not need the boats" he
said, "but that in all fairness they
feel you need them more" He
outlined the new regulations that
would govern their use and then
launched into a peroration in
which he told them that by their
hostility they were only cutting
their own threats and alternating
themselves from the rest of the
country. since all Norway was
coming to see the virtues of new
order that would guarantee them
peace and security for the re-
mainder Of their lives.
What about the fights In Oslo
and Trondheim ?" somebody called.
why is the king still in London ?"
What happened to the general
strike ?"
did you build a blockhouse in
good faith. too?"
What of Lofoten7" another
cried. He was referring to the
British foray up into the islands.
Torgersen waved his arms for
silence, but was met by boots and
laughter. The men filed out Of the
church while he was still standing
there. and went down to look at
the ships.
On the bows and stern Of some
Of the larger vessels they found
holes drilled in the decks where
anti-aircraft guns had been placed.
In the hold of a small schooner.
one fisherman found a bundle Of
papers that had evidently been
overlooked. They were posters to
be distributed during an invasion.
printed in English. and announc-
ing. that the London government
had asked for peace terms. They
added that further resistance was
useless. and sniping by civilians
would henceforth be considered a
capital offense.
The men smiled grimly at each
other and set TO work putting the
boats in order.