Read Online A Bell for Adano by John Hersey - Free Book Online

what is this town anyhow?”
    And they drove off, leaving Errante sobbing on the flank of his mule, lying with his arms around the neck of the mule which had had a sense of the middle but no sense of urgency.
    The General’s armored car pulled up in front of the Palazzo di Città. Lieutenant Byrd ran across the wide sidewalk and up the marble stairs and burst into Major Joppolo’s office. He interrupted the Major in the middle of a conversation with Gargano, the Chief of the Carabinieri.
    “General Marvin’s downstairs and wants to see you,” the Lieutenant said. “He’s mad as hell, so you better hurry.
    “General Marvin,” said Major Joppolo, and the tone of his voice was not of delight. Though he had never met the General, he had heard much about him. “I’ll be right down.”
    Lieutenant Byrd turned and ran downstairs. Major Joppolo absent-mindedly arranged the papers on his desk in neat piles. Then he stood up and walked out of his office. Half way down the marble stairs he realized that he was out of uniform. He had heard stories of General Marvin’s insistence on correct uniform. Here he was in pink pants and khaki shirt, when he was supposed to be in woolens. He was suddenly very frightened, and he turned and began walking up the stairs again, trying to figure out what to do, how to get into proper uniform.
    Colonel Middleton ran to the foot of the marble stairs and shouted up: “Hey, you, what do you mean by keeping the General waiting?”
    “Yes, sir,” Major Joppolo said. “Be right down.” There was nothing to do. He ran down the stairs. When Major Joppolo reached the armored car, the
    General was sitting with his left arm raised in front of him, glaring at his wrist watch.
    Major Joppolo saluted. General Marvin roared: “One minute and twenty seconds. You’ve been keeping me waiting one minute and twenty seconds. Goddamit, do you think I have all day to wait for you? Who are you., anyway?„
    “Major Joppolo, sir, senior civil affairs officer, town of Adano, sir.”
    General Marvin remembered the cart and was apparently too angry even to notice Major Joppolo’s uniform. “Goddamit, Major, these Italian carts are holding up our whole goddam invasion. Keep them out of this town. Don’t you let another cart come across that bridge back there into this town. What the hell is this town, anyway?” “Adano, sir, town of Adano. “
    “Adano. Keep the goddam carts out of this town, you hear me?”
    “Yes, sir, I’ll take care of that right away.”
    The General shouted: “Right away? That’s not soon enough for me.”
    “Sir, I’ll go right up and call the M.P. s and tell them about it.”
    “That’s not soon enough. Goddamit, I want action. No more carts. Adano’s the name of this town, remember that, Middleton, Adano. No more carts at all, Major, do you understand? Goddamit, what are you standing there gawking about? Action, goddamit. Let’s get going, let’s get out of here, do you think I have all day?”
    And before Major Joppolo could even salute, the armored car had roared away.
    By the time he reached his desk again, Major Joppolo realized what the consequences of keeping the carts out of town would be. He knew very well how essential they were to the life of the place.
    With a heavy heart he cranked his field telephone, asked for Rowboat Blue Forward, got the ear of Captain Purvis, head of the M.P.’s in Adano, and ordered him in the name of General Marvin, to keep all carts out of Adano, to stop them at the bridge on the east and at the sulphur refinery on the west.
    Then he called for Zito, his usher, and asked him to assemble all the officials of the town in his office. Gargano, the police chief, was already there. Of the others old Bellanca, the honest notary whom Major Joppolo had chosen to be his mayor, came in first. He had sad eyes, the eyes of a man who had suffered for his honesty through several years of corruption. He wore a black coat and black tie, as always.