Evening star., 1942-07-16

things up, before they use them
We have to get busy so these people
won't think we are weak"
Lanser was smiling at him and he
said, Take it easy, captain. Let's
see what we have first, and then
we'll think of remedies"
He took a new package from the
pile and unwrapped it. He took the
little piece of chocolate, tasted 1t,
and said, This is devilish thing.
It's good chocolate, too. I can't even
resist 1t myself. The price in the
grab-bag" Then he picked up the
dynamite. What do you think Of
this really, Hunter?"
What told you. It's very cheap
and very effective for small jobs,
dynamite with a cap and a one
minute fuse. It's good If you know
how to use 1t. It's no good II you
don't"
Lanser studied the print on the in
side of the wrapper. Have you
read this?"
Glanced at it." said Hunter.
well, I have read it, and I want
you to listen to 1t carefully" said
Lanser. He read from the paper,
ITO the unconquered people: Hide
this. Do not expose yourself. You
will need this later. 1t is a present
from your rfiends to you and from
YOU to the invader Of your country
Do not try to do large things with
it," He began to skip through the
bill. "Now here, rails in the coun-
try And, work at night And.
'tie up transportation Now here,
Instructions: Rails. Place stick un-
der rail close to the joint, and tight
arainst q tie. Pack mud or hard
beaten snow around it so that 1t Is
firm. When the fuse is lighted you
have . slow count Of 60 before 1t
explodes.
1t Works.
He looked up at Hunter and
Hunter said simply, "It works"
Lanser looked back at his paper
and he skipped through. Bridges:
Weaken, do not destroy And here,
Transmission poles and here 'cul-
verts. trucks" He laid the blue
handbill down. well, there it Is"
Loft said angrily, @We must do
something. There must be way to
control this. What does headquar-
ters say?"
Lanser pursed his lips and his
fingers played with one of the tubes.
IT could have told you what they'd
say before they said it. have the
orders. Set BOBBY traps and poison
the chocolate" He paused for a
moment and then he said. Hunt
er, I'm a good, loyal man, but some
times when I hear the brilliant
ideas of headquarters I wish I were
a civilian, an old, crippled civilian.
They always think they are deal
ing with stupid people. don't say
that this Is q measure Of their in
telligence, do II"
Hunter looked amused. do your"
Lanser said sharply, mo, don't.
But what will happen? One man
will pick up one of these and get
blown to bits by OUT BOBBY trap.
One kid will eat chocolate and die
OF strychnine poisoning. And them"
He looked down at his hands. They
will poke them with poles, or lasso
them. before they touch them. They
will try the chocolate on the cat.
Damn 1t major, these are intelligent
people. Stupid traps won't catch
them twice"
Loft cleared his throat. "Sir,
this is defeatist talk" he said. 1--WE
must do something. Why do you
suppose 1t was only dropped here,
sir?"
And Lanser said, For one Of two
reasons: Either this town was
picked at random or else there is
communication between this town
and the outside. We know that
some of the young men have got
away"
Loft repeated duly, I'VE must do
something, sir"
Lanser Wants Study.
Now Lanser turned on him. Loft,
think I'll recommend you for the
work before you even know what
the problem u.s. This Is a new kind
Of conquest. Always before, it was
possible to disarm people and keep
them in ignorance. Now they listen
to their radios and we can't stop
them. We can't even find their
radios"
A soldier looked in through the
doorway. "Mr. Corell to see you
sir"
Lanser replied. Tell him to
wait" He continued to talk te
Loft. "They read the handbills
weapons drop from the sky fol
them. Now it's dynamite, captain
Pretty soon it may be grenades ano
then poison"
Loft said anxiously, 'They haven't
dropped poison yet"
mo, but they will. Can 20,
think what will happen to the mo-
rale of our men or even to you Il
the people had some of those littl.
game darts, you know, those silly
little things you throw at target
the points coated perhaps WIN pol
son, silent, deadly little things tina
you couldn't hear coming, tina
would pierce the uniform and maxi
no noise? And what If our mer
knew that arsenic was about
Would you or they drink or ca
comfortably"
Hunter said dryly, Are you writ
ing the enemy's campaign, colonel?
mo, I'm trying to anticipate IT..
Loft said, "Sir, we sit here talk
ing when we should be searching
for this dynamite. If there Is or
eanization among these people, W
have to find 1t, we have to staml
1t out"
yes" said Lanser, I'VE have t
stamp it out, ferociously, I suppose
You take q detail, Loft. Get Prackl
to take one. ( wish we had NOR
iunior officers. Tonder's gettin
killed didn't help us q bit. Wh
couldn't he let women alone?"
loft said, Il don't like the wa