Evening star., 1942-06-29
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CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1
BY -forty-f1ve it was all over
The town was occupied, the de-
tenders defeated, and the war fin
ished.
The invader had prepared for this
campaign as carefully as he had for
larger ones. On this Sunday morn
ing the postman and the policeman
had gone fishing in the boat of Mr.
Corell, the popular storekeeper. He
had lent them his trim sailboat for
the day. The postman and the po-
liceman were several miles at sea
when they saw the small, dark trans
port, loaded with soldiers, go quietly
past them.
AS officials of the town, this was
definitely their business, and these
two put about, but of course the bat
talon was in possession by the time
they could make port. The police
man and the postman could not even
get into their own offices in the Town
Hall. and when they insisted on their
rights they were taken prisoners of
war and locked up in the town Jail.
The local troops, all twelve of
them, had been away. too, on this
Sunday morning, for Mr.. Corell the
popular storekeeper, had donated
lunch, targets, cartridges, and prizes
for a shooting competition to take
place six miles back in the hills, in
a lovely glade Mr.. Corell owned. The
local troops, big, oose-hung boys,
heard the planes and in the dis
tance saw the parachutes, and they
came back to town at double-quick
step.
When they arrived, the invader
had fianked the road with machine
guns. The loose-hung soldiers, hav-
ing very little experience in war and
none at all in defeat, opened fire
with their rifles. The machine guns
clattered for moment and six of
the soldiers became dead, riddled
bundles and three, half dead, riddled
bundles, and three of the soldiers
escaped into the hills with their
rifles.
Sentimental Music.
BY ten-thirty the brass band Of
the invader was playing beautiful
and sentimental music in the town
square while the townsmen. their
mouths a little open and their eyes
astonished, stood about listening to
the music and staring at the gray
hemeted men who carried sub
machine guns in their arms.
BY ten-thirty-eightt the riddled six
were buried, the parachutes were
folded, and the battalion was bill
leted in Mr.. Corell's warehouse by
the pier, which had on its shelves
blankets and cots for a battalion.
BY ten-forty-f1ve old Mayor Orden
had received the formal request that
he, grant an audience to Col. Lanser
OF the invaders. an audience which
was set for eleven sharp at the
Mayors flve-roo mpalace.
The drawing-room of the palace
was very sweet and comfortable. The
gllded chairs covered with their worn
tapestry were set about stiffly like
too many servants with nothing to
do. An arched marble fireplace held
5ts little paAket of red f1ameless heat.
and hand painted coal scuttle
stood on the hearth. On the mantel.
hanked by fat vases, stood a large,
curly porcelain clock which swarmed
with tumbling cherubs.
The wallpaper OF the room was
dark red with gold figures, and the
woodwork was white, pretty, and
clean. The paintings on the wall
were largely preoccupied with the
amazing heroism of large dogs
laced with imperiled children. Nor
water nor fire nor earthquake could
do in a child so long as a big dog
was available.
The Town Historian.
Beside the fireplace old Doctor
winter sat. bearded and simple and
benign, historian and physician to
the town. He watched in amaze
ment while his thumbs rolled over
and over on his lap. Doctor Winter
was man so simple that only pro-
found man would know him as pro-
found.
He looked up at joseph, the
Mayors servingman, to see whether
Joseph had observed the rolling
wonders of his thumbs.
And Joseph answered abstractedlv
Yes, sir. The note said H."
You read the note?"
mo, sir, His Excellency read the
note to me-"
And Joseph went about testing
each OF the gilded chairs to see
whether it had been moved since
he had last placed it. Joseph habit
ually scowled at furniture, expect
Ing 1t to be impertinent, mischiev-
Gus. or dusty. In a world where
Mayor Orden was the leader of
men, Joseph was the leader of fur
niture, silver and dishes. Joseph
was elderly and lean and serious,
and his life was so complicated that
only a profound man would know
him to be simple.
He saw nothing amazing about
DR.. Winters rolling thumbs; in fact
he found them irritating. Joseph
suspected that something pretty i'm
pOrtant was haDpeninC uybot wit h