The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-10-20


kle. "We're here to protect them,
that's ALL"
"Sure," said Mr.. Tinker. "Sure."
He. twisted his head, to keep In sight
as long as he could what he looked
forward to protecting.
On the far side of the village the
jungle began, monstrous growth OF
palms, ianas, bushes, vivid flowers,
breadfruit trees, and banana plants.
Into this they marched along mar
row white shell road that threw UP
heat in nearly suffocating waves.
They began to sweat.
They came to a tent SO cleverly
camouflaged that they failed to make
it all out at once. II was painted
the exact color Of the vegetation.
Limbs Of trees grew over its roof.
Nets, to which branches were at
tached and sprayed q permanent
green, covered it in other places.
The jungle was honeycombed with
such tents, some Of them small,
some Of them large enough to house
a small circus. Again Mr.. Wrinkle
felt safe. He told himself nothing
could happen to him in such hid
den installation. He had haf-expect-
ed to make landing amidst hail
of bullets and exploding bombs.
At their first meal in the mess
tent they tasted new foods, potato
like taro, papaya, and wild chicken.
Mr.. Tinker spat most of them out
and took to what he called civilized
dishes also provided. Mr.. Wrinkle
swallowed them, if not with relish, at
least with pleasure in their proving
how definitely he was on tropic
island.
The newcomers were asked such
barrage of questions that they had
little chance to put any of their own.
The few they managed to get in
were mostly answered with lifting
of the shoulders. One man jerked
his thumb toward the north and said,
''We're just sitting each other out"
The Messrs. Wrinkle and Tinker
reported to one of the shops, where
Mr.. Tinker was open-mouthed at the
equipment and Mr.. Wrinkle was i'm
pressed.
Trucks, reconnaissance and COM
mand cars, and jeeps and peeps
were driven into spacious tents
which held as complete equipment
as to be found at home. The canvas
sides were rolled up for ventilation,
giving them a pleasant air of being
outdoors. The familiar smell of oiled
machinery and carbon monoxide
fumes reached their nostrils. These
perfumes were more heartening
than the sweet, curious odors of the
jungle with which they competed.
Men like themselves, trained as
they had been, following the same
procedures, labored over the vehi-
cles, one of which had its entire
rear end missing as if it had been
torn off with a violent hand. The
men looked up, gazing idly, curious
ly, or with interest at the newcom-
ers. Only once did they pause in
their quick, def attentions to the
motors. A radio, abruptly turned
on, buzzed and cracked for a mo-
ment, and then from it came the
clear, assured announcement ''This
is the United States of America"
The men went still for an instant,
taking it in. They glanced at each
other and some Of them smiled brief
ly, almost shyly. AS the short-wave
program went on, giving the news
%hnxy rn<pYr~1NnG IN xryOrsly
with an added zest.
Mr.. Wrinkle couldn't suppress a
tingle that went through him and a
choking in his throat. 1t quoted the
queasy feeling in his stomach. It
made him know that the jungle of
Talizo, at least this part of it and
more to come, was the U. S. A.
When a mail went out, Mr.. Wrinkle
was allowed to write only the barest
information to Amy. He refrained
from saying much for the double
reason of living up to the censorship
regulations and not caring to fright
en- her. He omitted certain things
he discovered in his paradise, such
as malaria, dysentery, white ants
with a pincers attack worse than
any war maneuver ever conceived,
and mosquitoes so profuse that a
net over the bed served only to trap
them inside where they could concen-
trate their attack.
It must, he thought, be enough of
strain for Amy not even to know
where he was beyond the fact that
he was in the South Seas area. He
kept to the CHEEKY things, such as
the taste of roasted wild pig, and
the crawfsh, shrimp, and prawns.
He described the flowers, and dwelt
on the hibiscus, which he thought.
went better with the tropics than
anything else. He told her about
the parrots and cockatoos of the jun
gle, and how the air was filed with
the color Of flashing wings.
He said there were no cannibals
about just then, but he hoped even-
tually to see one. He described war
as being nothing at all like what he
had expected, and assured her that
he would be back some day. ''No