Newspapers / The Eagle (Cherryville, N.C.) / July 19, 1945, edition 1 / Page 4
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CHAPTER XI There was nothing more that' could be done that evening, so Jerry went to sleep in the plane, ] as usual. In the morning he saw1 that the sky was clear, with fair-! ly stiff wind coming from the south. He grinned. Well, we're getting the breaks,” he said. “With some trees down at the otTier end, the big baby can make it, I think.” Then he looked at the sky a gain. “Wouldn’t it be nice if there could be clouds up there, too, while we had ideal conditions down here," he said half aloud, i The big Frenchman nodded with a smile. “You Americans want every-1 thing,” he said. “Perhaps that is why you get so much. We have j learned to be amazed if fortune seems to smile on us even once in a while.” They went to the cave oil the hilltop and found that Major Comption and Lieutenant femythe| had both passed restful nights. “The major is coming along wonderfully’," Laura told Jerry. “The trip will not be an easy one for him, but I’m worried most n bout Smythe. He is still mighty weak! I”1 have to stick right be side him. I’m afraid.” Jerry reassured her. He was no longer tense, the time for action was close at hand, and he felt confident and calm. Laura, who had grown more ap prehensive, gained courage from his attitude. There was an air of expectancy throughout the camp. The wound ed were given final treatments in preparation for the flight back to North Africa; the guerrillas were packing their own small store of belongings, ready for the march over the hills as soon as the plane took off. Guns and ammunition were dis tributed. Laura carried a sub-m chine gun; Jerry also had one in addition to a number of extra rounds and a bag filled with hand granades which he could sling easily at his side. The few Ameri cans and British who would be able to help in case of attack were given similar arms which they could use from various points in the plane if occasion demanded. All the extra guns, bullets, and grenades were turned over to the guerrillas. At ten o’clock a gang of guer rillas with sharp axes had des cended the hill and gone to the field to start chopping trees at the south end. Since that actively meant any German plane would become suspicious, they also re moved the fake trees and the big rock, so that all would be ready for the take-off. “We’ll just keep our fingers crossi4,” Jerry said. “If no tier man plane comes over for a look until afternoon — as they did yes terday—then we'll be gone, ami so will the Frenchmen." At ten-thirty Jerry went to the tieid with a few of the g-demltas. They did l.wi yet remove the branches vvi ich covered tile nig transport, but they arranged ev erything inside the plan so that the wounded on litters could quickly be put in position and the plane could take off within two or three minutes after they had ar rived at the field. The great mo ment was scheduld for noon. Blaiston, the English pilot, went with Jerry to the cockpit to fam iliarize himself once more with the controls and instruments ot the American plane, which he had, not flown for some time. me guys a icai mei, .iciiy told himself. "I can tell just by the way he looks over the instru ment panel and places his hands on the controls. He’ll be a help. Lieutenant Chance came for ward to look over the machine gun which had been rigged up in the nose of the ship. “If we need some shooting, Jerry said, “you'll be here instead of Blaiston, to handle the gun.'' “Not much flexibility,’’ the Englishman said, swinging the gun in each direction as far as he could. “But I could still do a great deal of damage to anything out front.” Jerry leaped to the ground and the others prepared to follow, but at that moment he heard the heard the sound of an sound of an airplane engine! He held up his hand in warning. At the other end of the held the sound of axes falling on tree trunks had ceased. All around the edge of the pasture, men were staring into the sky at the little German hedge-hopper that came into view over the western ridge. The men in the plane ducked back in again. Those near the woods, including Jerry, took cov er under the trees. “Not much use, I suppose,’’ Jer ry said, “After all, he’ll see that the rock and the trees from the pasture are gone, that a lot ot trees have just been cut down at the edge of the field. He can’t see the plane—it’s still covered. But he may be curious and come in for a landing. If he sees a lot of men I and our plane, he won’t try it. He’ll radio or go for help. But I as it is, maybe—maybe he’ll come in for a landing. If so, we can take care of him.” The plane dipped down over the pasture, circled once, circled a gain. Then it went back over the trees at the northern end, banked, and cut its motor as it «lid into a glide for a landing. “Watch it, now I” Jerry mutter «4 under hie breath. “Mt bin get down, and let him get out of his little plane! It’ll be the last thing he’ll know about!” The craft’s wheels touched earth and the plane bounced down toward the other end of the field, where it came to a stop. With his motor still idling, the pilot sat there for a while, just looking a round. He stared at the newly felled trees ahead of him, but saw no man near them. He still had not seen the American plane which was directly behind him, and more than a hundred feet a uay. Jerry could sense that tne man was debating whether or not he should get out and have a look around or take off once more and report just what he had seen. Then he shoved back his gog gles. stood up and swung a leg over the edge of the cockpit. Jer ry’s heart leaped, if the man had reported nothing over his radio so far, they could get him. The German pilot pulled his re volver out the moment his feet touched the ground. He still stood close beside his plane, whose mo tor turned over slowly. Then lie turned around. Jerry could tell the exact mo ment at which the man’s eyes fell on the big American transport, half hidden by branches at the other end of the field. The sight really frightened him, obviously, and lie knew right away that he could not handle such a matter He started to scramble back in to his cockpit, but at that mo ment a shot rang out front the side of the field. The man slumped but he pull ed himself forward, grasping for something inside the plane. More shots rang out, but Jerry saw that the pilot had a little micro phone in his hand and was speak ing rapidly. In a moment, how ever, he fell forward. Guerrillas rus.hd onto the field from all sides, and Jerry ran for ward, too. They found the Ger-i man pilot riddled with bullets. I How long had it been that he had held the microphone before his lips? Jerry and the French leader talked about it quickly. But they could not be sure. Twen ty seconds? Forty? A minute? it was hard to judge time during such a tense situation. "It would take him a bit to make contact," Jerry said. "May be he just hoped his message would get picked up by the mon itor station that listens to every thing over the air, on every wave length. Anyway, he spoke into the microphone! Whether anyone heard what he said, we don't know. But we've got to assume that he got a message through! We’ve got to take off as soon as possible!” In spite of an overwhelming feeling of danger and tenseness following the violent death of the German pilot, everyone was gal vanized into action. The French leader barked or ders, One man dashed ofl to teli those at the camp what had hap pened. "Tell them to get the wounded on litters and start down from the hilltop at once!" Jerry cried, "Ev erything is ready at this end. With the wounded men it will take i close to half an hour for them to I make it. But maybe that will be enough.” he added. Others had returned to their wood-chopping frantically, eager to get as many trees as possible out of the patch of the transport before it was to take off. Jerry and the French leader pushed the German plane off the field and under the trees. "If that nihit’s messae-e was heard," the guerrilla leader said, "there will be more planes. Also men will b sent through the de file without waiting for trucks; They'll come with machine guns, grenades, mortars, but there can be a great number at one time. The path from the defile roaa leads up the other side of the Roc d'Enfer. They will attack there. I will be there, and many of my men. We can hold them off for some time, I think. Others armed, will be heer at the field to help you.’ Jerry quidkly explained the situation to Blaiston. "I’ve got to get back up to the camp to help there," he said. “You are in command here now. The minute the wounded and the doctor and nurse are here, the plane will take off. Now—get this. The camp on the hill may be attacked. So don’t wait for me. If there’s no attack, I’ll be hen; by the time you’re set and we’li all get off okay. But I’ll stay be hind a bit to be sure all is sale Then I’ll use that hidden preci pice path to get here in a hurry. Then the guerrilla leader and i Jerry set off at a trot on the steep path up to the camp. Along the way they took time to give brief instructions to the sentries along the way. When they arrived at the space in front of the cave, they found the first of the group ready to start out. They started down the trail, just as Jerry saw Laura. “Yes, we know,” Laura said. “Think we’ll make it?” “Sure we’ll make it,” Jerry smiled. “How’s everything at this end?” “All okay so far,” she said. “Come on.” “I’ll follow along after every one’s out of here,” Jerry said. “I’ll use my short cut down the cliff and will probably be there before you are. Anyway go along and get them all set in the plane.'1 “Yea, of comae,” I^ur* aaid, taking a few steps. Then she turn ed around. She was troubled. “You will follow right away?" “I’ll follow when all is clear here,” Jerry told hr. “You go along with your patients." But he could not help holding her tight in his arms for just one moment. She turned and ran down the path, and he looked after her. “What a gal!” he said. “First aid kit slung over one shoulder and a tommy gun over the other arm!” Slow going with those wound ed.” Dr. Overton said to Jerry. “But we’ll push it along as fast as we can. You coming now?" “Not for a few minutes, Doc tor,” Jerry said. “There may be an attack on foot from the other side of the hill. I want to be there to help hold it off if it conies, to give you a chance to get away. I’ve given instructions to Blaiston to take off just as soon as you and Laura are there with the wounded safely installed in the plane.” “I understand,” the doctor said, then shook Jerry’s hand, turned, and went down the path behind the last of the wounded men. They had hardly disappeared from view when a breathless French sentry broke into the lit tle clearing. “Men are coming over the rocks at the defile," he reported. “One at a time. And they carry ma chine guns, hand grenades, and rifles. They wait on the other side until a large group has passec through. No one has started the march up yt.” “Good,” the leader said. “If they wait for a large enough group to get through they will find nothing when they arrive. 11 they come while we are still heie, we shall greet them properly." “I’ve been thinking,” Jerry said. “That observation pilot—1 don’t think: he got much through. But he did get something over the radio. They wouldn’t be send ing men over the block in the road otherwise. He got just enough through to make them wonder what tfas going on here. So the force they are sending up here is an investigating force, that’s all.” “I hope you are correct,’’ the French leader smiled. “We can only wait and see.” (TO BE CONTINUED) LETTERS FROM SOLDIERS Germany 6 June 1946 Dear Fred, I Has been almost three months since I have received a copy of| the Eagle. Have moved so often that I doubt if I will receive any) of the back issues. This will be my permanent address, So 1 hope' to receive my copies paet.ty regu lar now. Have enclosed a copy of our. Regimental paper. This proves that this outfit is really on the ball. I’ll bet very few outfits have up to this date, published a unit paper. The weather here is very nice, but prefer Carolina sunshine. It is very nice to drive through the country side. Spring has covered the scars of war with her green mantel. The Rhur Valley resem bles the States’ very much. The score is in our favor now. Two down and one to go, and we are all hoping that it will soon be three down. Will you please send my paper to the following aldress. Hope to receive it soon so that I can keep up with the events that are hap pening at home. Sincerely, , WALTER SMITH, Jr. Dewberries were introduces to the North and South Carolina sandhill territory by Seaboard Railway agricultural agents. BUY BONDS TEACHER’S CONTRIBUTION TO CHILD’S GROWTH One generation of teaching in which every teacher was a gifted one and loved his or her job could, in our opinion, produce an en lightened people capable of re ducing the world’s woes to a few pinpricks. (We leave in the pin pricks foi we don’t look forward to a time, for instance, when husbands will like their wives hats-) Yet parents, on the whole, de spite membership in Parent Teach er associations, are still too indif ferent to their children’s teachers. They don’t begin to be sufficiently grateful to good teachers, and they do little but grumble to each other when evidence points to an incompetent teacher on the school’s staff. This observation on the lack of parental interest is the school personnel is borne out ty a study conducted at the Uni versity of Pittsburg. A survey was made among parents to discover what school news published in the newspapers most caught their at tention. It was found that news a bout the health of children inter ested them most. Then came "val ue of education,” "methods ol instruction,” “courses of study," and “behavior and discipline.”'Ac cording to the study, »s reported by the bureau of education re search of Ohio State university parents are least concerned with news about school building pro grams, extra curric^jar activities, and athletics. To these might be added, on the basis of what the report doesn’t mention, indiffer ence to what teachers are paid whether or not they are overwork cd, and their standing as citizens of the community. When you consider that a good teacher count* her sue ecu by what ether* achieve, you realise the basic self lessness of tha teaching pro fession. Not* that we said good teachers, not necessarily prominent edneators, for some of the latter may maasnr* their success in terms of hon ors, degress end scholarship. W* need thes* ambitious educa tors, too, hut it is the grade and high school teacher who finds happiness and satisfac tion in guiding your child from one stage of learning to the next that we are writing about. It used to be that teachers could feel they had done a satis factory job if a respectable num ber of their pupils absorbed the facts required in the course ot study. Nowadays leathers realize their responsibility to the child's wnole development during the year he spends with them. Has he atouired new interests from his school work, has he learned to give a little more of himself to the success of the acbool, has he dlopped enough of the baby ways le brought with him to her class to show growth in self reliance'.' All these and many more ques tions the conscientious teacher asks herself ebout your child, as well as keeping tab on his pro gress in reading, arithmetic and other studies. The least parents can do is tc, ask themselves the same ques tions about their children during and at the end' of each school year. If they can be answered in the affiiniative, if your rhilti is happier and better adjusted be cause of tha understanding help his teacher has given him, why don’t you write her a note to thank her? Now is the time to do it, while the teacher is discour aged by fatigue and the inevitable failure among her pupils. Your appreciation of her efforts will help a lot to revital/;e her interest in planning for next year's work. The fact that extra-curricular activities ranked so low in the sur vey of parents’ school interests may be accounted lor by annoy ance with the time they take for practice, or the extra dollar for ’dues. If you get a good crop of red bugs at the Sunday School picnic try rubbing a good thick layer of moist soap on each place, and leave the soap on. UVWYWVVWAVVVVWWWMS MONEY TO LOAN Drive your car to Homesley Chevro let Co.; and bring your title HOMESLEY Chevrolet Co. Cherryville, N. C. hwwwwwiWWWWi RULANE GAS Can Be Used On The Farm As Well As In The Towns For Cooking - Refrigeration Water Heating RKM5E Charlotte, N. C. Ph. 3-7947 \lka-Scltzer JJ^rB^ou trie* Alke-Selt. for Gu Itteuk, gear ftmuh, “Horsier After” end Cold DlrtreosT If not, whjr not? Plesesnt, prompt in ectioo. effective. Thirty rests end Sixty NERVINE relief .rocs Functioss! Her meterheoeee euch ee Sleep Creakiseee, EeeHshlUty, ■eadeehe aed Nervosa b Tehlete *»# end Oh __Ilf sad ll.lt. Seed direr* Bees sad see eel/ ee directed. n A P»li pill oftan nlln« i Haadaaha, Hutalir Palma , ar faaillaiil Uoilklp Palma — It tor U«. 1» (orll.ll. Oat tbaat at roar truf itan. Burnt ilraattoaa USE EAGLE ADS NOTICE PAY YOUR TAXES ALL 1944 COUNTY TAXES NOT PAID BY AUGUST 1ST WILL BE ^COLLECTED ACCORDING TO LAW. PAY NOW AND j ; SAVE THE COST j J. C. JENKINS • COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR North Carolina Tree*1 Important Resources Trees are among North Caroli na’s most important natural re sources — trees and things that come from trees. Things like the building materials, cellulose and its large tribe of associated by products, naval stores, lumber, pa per and rayon. Much of Carolina’s total area is forested and the state's trees have played a vital part in winning World War 11. That they will be equally valuable during tne postwar years and be yond, no one doubts. It’s not strange, therefore, that in order to improve conditions for grow ing trees in the Old North State an arrangement has been set up for educating the Carolina Future Farmers of America to conserve, develop and use the forests in their Mate. The wonder is that it wasn’t done long ago. Fathering and participating in the plans are the State Forest Ser vice represented by State Fores ter W. K. Beichier at Raleigh— Future Farmers of America rep resented by Roy Thomas, State Supervisor of Vocational Agricul ture, also of the capital city—the Halifax Paper Company of Roa noke Rapids— American Turpen tine Farmers Association repre sented by M. E. Coleman who is headquartered at Valdosta, Ga., and the Seaboard Airline Railway represented by its Industrial For ester, R. N. Hoskins. In fact, the Seaboard man devised the pro ram, the highlights of which are these: (li) Selection of the moat out standing forestry project as acti vated by an F.F.A. boy. Many of these boys live on small farms that produce a substantial pro portion of the state’s timber. Rep resentatives of the sponsoring or ganizations will act as judges. (2) Award of a $50 war bond 4r and a certificate of merit to the winner. •> (3) The boy will then be given a trip to Jacksonville, Fla. where, in compahy with winners of simi lar contests in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, he will be entertain ed by the Chamber of Commerce will address civic clubs and will be featured on a radio proram originating from Jacksonville. Following all this, fhe young champions will attend the State Farmers Forestry Camp at O'Leno near High Springs, Florida during the month of July, it is worthy of comment that Florida has the on ly Forestry training camp in the South. Plaqs are being made for fifteen schools in digerent sections of North Carolina during the first half of August for the study of Mastitis, a disease of the cow’s udder. All milkers should attend. Governor Hildbreth of Maine has signed a bill providing $25, 000 to purchase and equip an ex perimental blueberry farm. Blue berry growing is a coming indue PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED AT Houser Drug Co. WE DELIVER PHONE 4771 WAIL PAPER I have all kinds of Wall Paper for any home. Samples can be seen at my home in the western part of town or see me and I will be glad to show them to you. FLOOR SANDING I am prepared to do all kinds of Floor Sanding at reasonable prices. B. T. SELLERS Cherryville, N. C. P. O. Box 522 For The Record Movements for the public good we fre quently launched with great enthusiasm, but sometimes die out because sustained effort is lacking. This is not true of the North Carolina beer industry’s self-regulation program to maintain wholesome conditions in the mail sale of this beverage of moderation. C vntinued with diligent effort since iti launching in May, 1939, our Committee’s program has won the praise and support of the law enforcement officers, the preai and the public. We promise there will be no let-ag iti our efforts. NORTH CAROLINA COMMITTEE United States Brewers Faundatiau EDGAR H. BAIN, State Dirtetar MUS7 htaiw » RaUitk, N. 6
The Eagle (Cherryville, N.C.)
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July 19, 1945, edition 1
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