Evening star., 1943-10-27

thought there might be water. The
police chief was benevolent-look-
ing old gentleman. When we told
him our experience, he also burst
out laughing He offered no further
explanation but loaned us the sta
tion wagon to get our baggage to the
dock.
We were ravenously hungry, not
having eaten for more than "a hours.
There was a British air-sea rescue
boat in port. We told our story to
Flight Comdr. Dan Callahan, her
commander He was short of ra-
tions, but ordered the cook to pre-
pare breakfast for us. We, stuffed
in everything we could find, knowing
it might be another "a hours before
we could eat again.
The Irish cook also roared when
we told the story of our night in the
room haunted by the ghost of the
mysterious Marie. He knew some
thing of the place, by reputation
1t seems that the Machiavellian
town major had played joke on
us. Marie, whose room we had oc-
cupied, was a young "lady of the
evening" who had been run out of
town that very day for alleged
proflteering, against which the Cor
sicans take stern measures. The
poor. gloomy room had been her
habitat and in the normal order of
events we might have had our sleep
disturbed frequently that morning.
The town major then would have
had his revenge.
Adventure Began Day Before.
Our bedraggled arrival in Marie's
room was fitting climax to STANCE
day. The whole adventure which
led up to this huge joke on us started
early on the previous day, after we
| had decided we were through in
Corsica and would like to go to Sar-
DINA.
The Italian Army of approx
mately 10000, its job finished was
evacuating Corsica and had about
the only transportation between the
two islands. A letter from Mai. Gen.
Richard Peak, British commanding
general in Corsica, to Gen. Magli
turned the trick, and was attached
to the Italian Army. Such creden-
tials were good enough for two of us.
We had been warned what to ex-
pect. Early the previous morning
we had hitchhiked to an American
air station and forced ourselves to
eat a breakfast so enormous that
it might be expected tnlast us a
long time. 1t did. Then We stood
at a crossroads outside Ajaccio and
waited for an Italian convoy to come
along. There were some French
commandos who looked at us in pity
when we told them or purpose.
They had no rations to give us but
somewhere had found a Jug of red
wine They insisted we drink each
a canteen cup full of it to sustain us
for few days.
Given Cordial Welcome.
An Italian engineer convoy then
came along. The lieutenant in
command welcomed us cordially.
He was a charming fellow and,
think, good officer, but very much
a civilian at heart. He was eloquent
in his gestures, indicating what he
would like to do to the uniform he
wore.
Then 1t Brinkley and I were put
in different trucks and saw little of
each other for the rest of the day
This is very small world. Seated
in the truck beside me was a vener-
able looking Corsican gentleman
who had hitch-hiked a ride to his
home town about 80 miles down the
road. From his pocket he drew a
copy of Sir James Jeans "Mys-
terious Universe" He introduced
himself as Prof. Bianchetti, the
high school teacher in the mountain
town of Eccia-Suarella, through
which We passed later.
Wanted to Meet Jeans.
M. Bianchetti, it was soon appar-
ent, was a scholar and a philos-
opher I happen to have a slight
acquaintance with Sir James Jeans.
1t seems he is the one man in the
world the mountain teacher most
wants to meet He is one of the
greatest living admirers of DR.. VAN
nevar Bush, president of the Car
negle Institution Of Washington. He