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S,,vUWi CHAPTER IX “For how long a time must you have this fire?” he asked. “For the time when I am op erating,” Doctor Overton replied. “Until I see the wounded men, I cannot tell how many operations will be necessary. I will do them a once—one after the other— just as quickly as everything is ready.” “We shall build the fire,” the leader said. ‘Today there are low-hanging clouds. It will be unseen by any Boche airplane to day. On another day when it might clear—well, we shall see.” “We may not need it on another day,” the doctor said. “And now —Nurse Blake, will you come with me? I will look at the wounded men. The giant Frenchman then led Doctor Overton and Laura into the cave. Several hours later, after Doc tor Overton had completed his op erations and the camp had some what quieted down, Jerry sat leaning against the rocks near the cave entrance. He munched hard brown bread and huge hunks of cheese which the Frenchmen had distributed; he did not feel hungry but he ate because he felt that he should. He was tired, and he shivered slightly as a cold evening breeze swept up and around the crest of the hill. He wondered how Laura was standing all this. In the last few hours, Jerry had gained a new admiration for her. Working steadily, without a mo ment’s rest, she had aided Doc tor Overton in the operating tent under the glare of the gasoline lantern. The amputation of Ma jor Compton’s leg, dressing of wounds, probing for shell frag ments, giving blood plasma—one treatment and one operation had followed another! Through it all, Laura had re mained calm, efficient, anticipa ting Doctor’s Overton’s every move without getting in his way —and still she never forgot to smile and say just the right word to the wounded men. Doctor Overton appeared from the cave. “How are they, Doctor?” Laura asked. “All right,” he said, but his voice did not sound too confident. ‘Can’t *ell a thing about Major Compton yet, of course. And I keep wondering if I shouldn’t have gone ahead and amputated that Britisher's arm.” “Lieutenant Smythe?” Laura said. “But maybe it can be sav ed.” “I doubt it,” Doctor Overton told her, accepting some bread and cheese from the French lead er who came up to him. ‘Thanks.” “When can we leave, Doctor?” Jerry asked. “In the morning?” “Oh, no!” Doctor Overton said emphatically. “Not a chance! Why, Major Compton can’t be moved for several days. It would be absolutely fatal!” “Several days!” Jerry exclaim ed. “We can’t wait that long.” “We must wait that long,” Doc tor Overton said. “After all, what did we come here for? To save these men if we could. Then and MR. MERCHANT SEC THAT SHE READS TOUR AD IN THESE COLUMNS UforaSh* you SHOPPING only then, to try to get out with them.” “But every day we’re here,” Jerry protested, “increases our chances of being detected. The Germans have planes over here all the time. It looks as if it will be clear tomorrow, for instance. And every day the Germans are working away at that road block where the French blasted the rocks in the defile. They’ll be getting through before long and—” “I realize all of that,” Doctor Overton said calmly. “But our first duty is to the wounded men. We must do what we can to ef fect their recovery. Then we must try to get out with them. If we can’t—well, maybe we can get over the border to Switzer land. But’ there’s no point in coming in here to operate, to treat these men, and then in be ing so eager to get them out that we kill them doing it.” The next morning they awoke with the first light of dawn. Anxiously Jerry peered out and saw a clear blue sky. He swore softly, and the Frenchman at his side grinned. “I know,” he said. “We do not like good weather, either.” They washed in the cold waters of a nearby mountain brook, and then Jerry took a pan of the wa ter back to the plane. There he found a small tin of canned heat, which he lit and placed under the pan. When the water was hot, he dumped into it two packets of prepared coffee. He and the guerrilla leader had their breakfast together. The Frenchman smiled delightedly over the coffee. “We have had nothing like this for many, many months,” he said. ‘They’re probably having it up at the cave, too,” Jerry said. “We brought in a couple of cases of army rations of various kinds. Later they left the plane and Jerry gave signals all the way back up the Roc d’Enfer. Along the way, the Frenchman pointed out two or three small paths that branched off from the main way, telling Jerry where they led. At the cave, he found Laura and Doctor Overton making the rounds of their patients inside. When they had finished, Jerry asked Laura about Major Comp ton. “Coming along well,” Laura smiled. “Better than the doctor had hoped. But Smythe—the Englishman—his arm is worse. Afraid it will have to come off. Doctor hasn’t decided yet.” “How about the others?” Jerry asked. “All okey,” Laura replied. “The blood plasma, right kind of food and treatment have worked won ders.” “Let’s take a little walk,” Jer ry suggested. “I know my way around here a bit now.” They strolled down the main path hand in hand. When they were out of sight of the cave, they felt close, relaxed—together again as man and woman, not as pilot and nurse. “What are you smiling about, Jerry?” Laura asked. “Because I’m with you for a few minutes,” he answered. He stopped and put his arms around her. He kissed her and then simply held her close again without speaking. There was no need to speak. They both felt the same things. They knew that underneath their outward calm, they were tense with the danger of this mission. They were inwardly keyed up by the dramatic situation in which they found themselves. And for a few minutes it was important for them to feel a unity, from which each gained comfort and strength. They walked on again, slowly. > Jerry stopped. “Five hundred pacfes,” he muttered. “Now you will have your proof that there is war in these hills—even though you can’t see it right now.” He whistled the signal he had learned from the guerrilla leader, and from up ahead and a little to the right, the answering whis tle came back to them. “If I didn’t know that whistle,” WANTED Chestnut Wood & Tan Bark O. P. A. CEILING PRICES PAID Wilkes Extract Works NORTH CAROLINA ■.■>'" " he said, “we might well have a few pieces of lead in us as we went on Even in these nice peaceful mountains.” They walked on again. Then Laura touched Jerry’s arm. “What was that?” They listened intently. From far away they heard a low rum ble—like thunder. “Oh—I know,” Jerry said. “I heard it this morning and asked. It’s the Germans down at the de file, where the -French closed the road with the dynamite blast. The Germans are using dynamite to clear it again. They think they’ve got the guerrillas trapped here and they’re working furiously to get through and kill them off.” “And they will get through!” [Laura said. “What then?” When they reached the cave Laura went inside. Jerry joined a group of the French guerrillas. They asked him about his trip from North Africa and Italy and about the difficulty of landing on their pasture. They wondered if he would be able to take off with a heavy load. “I don’t know,” Jerry told them. “I’m afraid that, even with a good stiff wind against me to increase the lift. I’ll nick those trees at the end of the field. If I just had about fifteen feet more, I think we’d make it.” “Ah—we can give you that,” one of them cried. “We cannot do it now. The German observa tion planes would see our work and become suspicious. But if you tell us two or three hours be fore you will take off, then we can chop down many trees at the end of the field.” “In just a couple of hours?” Jerry asked. “Can you cut enough in that time?” “Twenty of us with sharp ax es,” the Frenchman replied, “we can cut down a great many trees in two hours. Let me be certain I understand. You do not need the ground clear and smooth there?” No, Jerry said. I m sure my wheels will be off the ground by the time I reach the end of the pasture. But I’m likely to be only six or seven feet in the air at that point, with the heavy load I’ll have. I need that additional space up in the air.” , “That is what I thought,” the guerrilla replied, as his friends nodded in understanding. “So | we need only to cut the trees a few feet from the greund, let them fall there. We do not need to remove the stumps, to drag away trunks and branches?” “No, of course not,” Jerry said feeling encouragement in this plan. “And the path doesn’t have to be as wide as the whole pas ture, either. Only about thirty feet wide—I can hit that slot easi ly.” “Ah—then we can do that!” the Frenchman replied. “In two hours we can chop a path thirty feet wide and almost as long.” “That will give me thirty feet more before I come to the tall trees!” Jerry exclaimed. “I think I can make it, then.” The Frenchman got up to speak to his leader about this new idea, and Jerry heard the voice of an Englishman at his side. “Jolly good notion, that,” the man said with a smile. “Wonder ed about getting off with a load. “Another thirty feet will do it,” Jerry agreed. “Are you a flier?” “Yes,” the man answered with a smile. “Flight Commander Blaiston, RAF. Happy to help as your co-pilot on the way out. I’ve handled those transports of yours before.” “Good!” Jerry exclaimed. “I’ll be needing plenty of help at that particular moment It will be a tough one. We may need a little handling of guns on the trip, too. 30,000,000 LINKS — Accelerated pace of the war has resulted in an increase of 100 per cent in gov ernment orders for machine gun belt links being manufactured by the American Can Company. An output of 30 million is slated for 1945. C * 1 nun BEACH (HEADS) OF THREE WARS—Natalie Parramore of : Spanish-American War. left; Amelia Crossland of 1917 vin tage and Marion Holm of today. All gals from St.- Petersburg Fla. • m~m U*fu III I——M Mil '.iWW t 11 7TH WAR LOAN THEME is Joe Rosenthal’s famous picture of the flag raising at Iwo Jirha. The drive starts May 14 and ends June 30. Goal is 14 billion dollars. 9 i The Nazis aren’t likely to miss us completely on our return journ ey as they did on our way in. Handle a gun all right?” “Of course,” the Englishman said. “We can handle the ma chine guns. But here’s our spe cialist in that field—Lieutenant Chance.” Jerry greeted the lieutenant, Who strolled up to join in the conversation. Jerry saw that his head was covered with bandages but that otherwise he seemed in good condition. “Yes, I’m the gun man,” he said. “You see, they sent in ex perts in various fields. Blaiston here for aircraft, airfields and such, in case we found some way to use planes, more. I’m the gun man—and they really need one. These guerrillas have every kind of gun in the forld—old French military rifles, some from the Franco-Prussian war, too, and captured German rifles and pis tols, modern British and Ameri can rifles we’ve dropped to them, and some of our machine guns and sub-machine guns. Even a good number of hunting rifles and shotguns in the crowd.” “Major Compton is the demoli tion expert,” Blaiston took up the story, “Smythe the specialist in jungle fighting, and so on.” Jerry, in his talks with the Eng lishman and others among the wounded who were able to be up and about, got to know them well and liked them. But he admired even more the French guerrillas. Jerry, after lunch, went with a group of them around the net work of trails over the top of the Roc d’Enfer. They showed him their pride—a path from the top of the hill that no one would ever suspect. (To Be Continued) Rom where I sit... Jby Joe Marsh How to Greet a Wounded Soldier Charlie Jenkins got back from overseas the other day, dis charged for wounds... and ha was pretty wall banged up. Nat a rally, ear town felt mighty bad aboat it We wanted to sympathize with him and help him. Bat Doe Watters sat os straight about that Ha said that what Charlie wanted most was to be accepted as one of the gang again... as If nothing had happened. So we asked him over to pitch horse shoes with his good hand, and enjoy a friendly glass of beer and chew the fat like old times. And you should have seen him pick up! from being feared of meeting people, Charlie got his co nfidence bade and soon be came his own self again. From where I alt, Doc Walters fare ns the right steer. The wounded men coming home don't want our sympathy or our OTereathnslastfe help. They want to be treated like the rest of us... with a chance to work and lead a normal life. And that's the least we can off er them. O 1943. UNITED STATES BEEWEES FOUNDATION, North Carotin. Commit!.. Ugmr H. Solo.Swt. PlnKtof, m*OT U4», ih, N. C Timely Hints By RUTH CURRENT State Home Demonstration Agent Use sugar sparingly. Instead of cake frostings and fillings, which call for considerable su gar, spread warm cake with mar malade, jam or preserves. Serve jelly rolls, custard-filled rolls, or Boston cream cake instead of frosted cake. Sheet cakes re quire only half as much frosting as layer cakes. Fill layer cake with chopped dried fruit, rich in natural sugar, mixed with nuts, and moistened with honey or corn sirup. Make steamed dried fruit into fruit whips, or fillings for pies, turn overs and tarts. Instead of sugar in the center of baked apples or pears, fill with raisins and corn syrup or honey. Serve fresh fruits often as des sert. Fruit salad may take the place of a sweet dessert. And add a bit of salt to frost ings, pie fillings and puddings to accentuate the sweetness. Less sugar is needed to sweet en cooked fruit if sugar is added after instead of before cooking. Use honey or maple syrup in stead of sugar to glaze sweet-po tatoes or baked ham; to sweeten baked or soft custard; and with nuts to make sauce for ice cream. Cornstarch or tapioca cream pud ding may be made with half the usual measure of sugar if a table spoon of syrup is put in the bot tom of each serving dish before filling with pudding. Jar rings for home canning this year will have better sealing quality and less tendency to im part off-flavors to food. How ever, home canners are advised to continue last year’s recom mended practice of boiling rings 10 minutes in one quart of water containing one tqblespoon of so da for each dozen rings and then rinsing in boiling water. I - North Carolina will need a tre mendous amount of extra labor in harvesting the tobacco crops. People from the towns and cities must help. See your county agent. WANTED! IVY and LAUREL BURLS Briarwood is coming now from North Africa «nii ■ Italy in ever increasing quantity, frig your Ivy and Laurel stools now while the price is at the highest in die market. OFFICE AND SAW MILL WEST JEFFERSON, NORTH CAROLINA Purchasing Agents: TODD DRUG CO West Jefferson, N. C. BROWNWOOD W. H. Brown Fleetwood, N. C. Carolina Briar Corp. BUT WAR BONDS! THE Alleghany News PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS SPARTA, N. CAROLINA LETTERHEADS ENVELOPES STATEMENTS RULE FORMS & BOOKLETS Auction Sale Saturday, June 23 At Ed Williams Home Sparta, N. C. ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR, Good As New. GENERAL ELECTRIC STOVE. ELECTRIC NORGE WASHING MACHINE. SINGER SEWING MACHINE. ELECTRIC RADIO, Table Model. 6 ALL METAL VENETIAN BLINDS. ELECTRIC FAN. 2 PAIRS OF SPRINGS, Pre-war. INNER-SPRING MATTRESS. BREAKFAST ROOM SUITE. SOLID MAPLE BEDROOM SUITE, Colonial Typo. DISHES, POTS and PANS. HOUSEHOLD AND KITCHEN FURNITURE. Roscoe Collins, Auctioneer Sally Bledsoe " 1 1 1 1 1
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
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June 21, 1945, edition 1
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