A Bell for Adano (30 page)

“How long do you guess?”

“We’ll have it for you today or tomorrow. It all depends.”

“Try to finish today, will you?”

“It all depends,” the sergeant said, and he turned furiously on his men, who slowly gathered themselves for work.

Major Joppolo went to lunch at noon. Sergeant Borth was already in the Albergo dei Pescatori when the Major arrived. The Major sat down with Borth, as he often did, in spite of his rank.

He told Borth about the bell, and his excitement about it gave Borth something to tease.

“You’re worse than the first day we came here,” the Sergeant said.

“How am I worse?” the Major said. “You’re so damn sentimental.” “Oh, cut it out, Borth.”

Borth’s teasing cut a little deep. “No, I’m serious,” he said. “There’s a war going on. Fishermen get blown up in the harbor here. Children get run over in the streets. There’s one case of malaria in every six people. And you can’t think about anything but tinkling a bell.”

Major Joppolo said: “I’m worried about those fishermen, Borth. I could get in trouble over that. Do you think I was guilty of carelessness about it? You know I forced the Navy to let them go out.”

Purely by way of teasing, Borth said something he had cause to regret later: “Sure,” he said, “you could catch hell for that. You could get sent back to the States.”

And Major Joppolo said: “They wouldn’t do that, they couldn’t.”

Borth said: “Why the hell couldn’t they? I heard about a fellow in airborne who got sent home just for getting drunk.”

Major Joppolo said: “They couldn’t, Borth, there’s so much to do here. Think if they got somebody bad in this town. Think if they got a dope like that fellow up at  ID Pontebasso.”

Borth said: “You don’t like yourself much, do you?” Major Joppolo said: “Oh lay off, Borth, sometimes you aren’t funny.”

At 12:25 Zito came running down to the Albergo dei Pescatori to tell the Major that the bell was uncrated. “It looks nice,” he said.

The Major tried to get Borth to go up with him to look at the bell, but Borth said: “This eggplant is so good, I don’t see how I could leave it.”

So the Major went up with Zito. On the way the usher said: “Before I forget it, Mister Major, the officials are very anxious to meet with you at four o’clock. They said it was important.”

A moment of worry showed itself on the Major’s face. “Is it about the fishermen, Zito?”

Zito said: “I am the usher, Mister Major, the officials do not tell me what is on their minds. “ Then Zito seemed to think better of what he had said, and he added: “No, it is not about the fishermen.”

The Major said: “Oh, so the usher has ways of finding out what is on the officials’ minds?”

Zito just smiled.

There were quite a few people standing around watching the Engineers working on the bell. One of them was the ancient Cacopardo. Because he had spoken to the Major about the bell on the very first day of the invasion, he had appointed himself a kind of supervisor of the work, although none of the Engineers could speak Italian.

As soon as the Major came up, Cacopardo said: “I have sent for Guzzo, the bell-ringer at the Church of San Angelo. He will be able to tell just by looking at it whether it is a good bell. If it is not, you will of course have to send it back. “

The bell stood on the sidewalk just where the N avy men had put it down. The crate had been peeled down from around it.

It was bronze, and the men of the Corelli had taken the trouble to polish it, so that it was like gold in the midday sun. On one side there was this inscription:

U.S.S. CORELLI

America ed Italia.

When Cacopardo saw the Major reading the inscription, he asked: “Who is this man Corelli, and how does he happen to get his name on the bell of Adano?”

The Major said: “I will tell you later, when the bell is hung.” Then he got a little stone out of the street and tapped it against the side, but of course there was only a dead sound, since the bell was sitting on wood. “I wonder how the tone is,” the Major said.

“Guzzo will know,” Cacopardo said.

In time the bell-ringer came. He was almost as old as Cacopardo. His hands and forearms looked very strong, but the rest of him looked as if it were long overdue.

Cacopardo called him to the center of the crowd and told him to examine the bell. The old bell-ringer walked round and round the bell, looking at it. Then he leaned over and ran the flat of his hand from top to bottom. Then he stood up and seemed to read the inscription over and over. He looked once up at the top of the clock tower, where some engineers were rigging a hoist. He asked that the bell be turned over and when some of the engineers had turned it up on its side, he looked inside.

He stood up finally and shrugged his shoulders and said: “It is all right.”

Cacopardo was delighted. He said to the Major: “I know old Guzzo. He does not exaggerate. When he says something is fair, he means it is perfect. The bell will be very good.”

“I’m glad,” the Major said.

At a few minutes past one o’clock, Major Joppolo went home to his villa to take a nap. He wanted to save up some strength for the party - but he also wanted to think a little about his speech about the bell.

He lay down on his bed. At first his thoughts were confused, because he was excited. But gradually the thoughts began to sort themselves out, and everything came very straight to Major Joppolo.

He would say a few words, he thought, about the removal of the old bell. Then he would tell about how the people of Adano had interested him in trying to get a new one. Then a few words about Corelli, and what he had done for Italians in the last war, and then the meaning today of the inscription on the bell, America ed Italia, America and Italy, and then perhaps something about the Americans’ Liberty Bell. After talking about it that day, the Major had been curious about the Liberty Bell, and he had written a letter back to Amgot headquarters inquiring about it, and now he would be able to explain the crack, and he would tell the people of Adano the inscription on that bell, the words from Leviticus : “Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.”

And then everything was wonderfully clear in the mind of Victor Joppolo. He knew exactly what he would say. Words came to him which were beautiful and were the truth about the new bell and its meaning for Adano, and about what he, Victor Joppolo, wanted for the people of Adano. The words were as clear as anything can be, and as true.

At about two o’clock the courier came by motorcycle from Vicinamare. From his office Sergeant Borth saw him throw the pouch onto the sidewalk in front of the Palazzo. Mail, even official mail, was enough of an event so that Sergeant Borth got up and went across to the Palazzo and up to Major Joppolo’s office to see what there was.

There was nothing for Sergeant Borth, but as long as Major Joppolo was out, Sergeant Borth decided to riffle through what there was.

In time he came on a paper addressed to Major Joppolo. He read it:

“I. You are authorized to proceed by first available transportation to A.F.H.Q., Algiers, via port of Vicinamare.

“2. Reassignment o f station will be made by A.F.H.Q.

“3. Reason for this order is that reference (1) did wilfully and without consultation countermand orders issued by General Marvin, 49th Division, re entry o f mule carts into town o f Adano. “

And the order was signed by General Marvin. Sergeant Borth folded the order, put it in his pocket, and left the building. He went directly to the M.P. command post in the Fascio.

He said to Captain Purvis: “The Major’s been relieved.”

Captain Purvis said: “What the hell do you mean?” “Just what I said: he’s been ordered back to Algiers for reassignment.”

“What the hell for?”

“Insubordination. Countermanding an order by Marvin about mule carts. I guess it was after that affair of the mule the General shot outside town.”

Captain Purvis had forgotten all about the report he had sent to Division. Now that he remembered he didn’t -havev the courage to say anything about lt. All he said was: “What a hell of a note.”

Borth said: “I’ll say it’s a hell of a note. The Major’s just begun to accomplish things in this town.” Captain Purvis said: “Yeah, I guess he has.” A suspicion crossed his mind: this fellow Borth had a way of knowing too much. “How did you know he was ordered out?”

Borth said: “I saw the order up in the Major’s office.”

“Does the Major know about it, then?”

“No, the Major’s out. I have the order in my pocket. I took it. I’m not going to tell him about it until after the party tonight.”

The Major got back to his office at about a quarter to four. He went through the courier mail and worked for a few minutes on a report to Colonel Sartorius. Promptly at four Zito came in and said: “Will you see the officials now?”

“Yes, Zito.”

Now when the officials came in - old Bellanca first as usual, then the others, Gargano, Saitta, D’Arpa, Rotondo, Signora Carmelina Spinnato, and Taghavia - Major Joppolo could see by their cheerful expressions that there was to be no unpleasantness in this interview.

Old Bellanca spoke: “We have something we wish to give the Mister Major.”

D’Arpa could not resist saying in his high voice: “We wish to give the Mister Major a Mister Major.” The others snickered.

Bellanca said: “Please get it, Zito.” Zito went out. First the usher came back carrying an easel. He went out again. Then he brought in Lojacono’s portrait of the Major.

It was really good. When the Major saw it, he stood up in delight. He said: “So that is why you wanted my picture taken!”

Gargano posed as if with one hand on a camera and the other squeezing a shutter bulb and tried to imitate the cracked voice of old Spataforo: “Young man, you are vain. All you want is to look at your face.”

This time when all laughed, the Major laughed with them.

Old Bellanca cleared his throat. The group were silent, as if they had been called to order. The Mayor said: “I was for so many years just a Notary here in Adano, I never made speeches, I do not intend to begin now. But these others have asked me merely to tell you, Mister Major, that this picture may not be the best picture that was ever painted, although it is very good for Lojacono, but even if it were very bad, we would still give it to you, because we wished to show you that -”

Old Bellanca was very embarrassed. He cleared his throat again and said: “What these others asked me to tell you was that this portrait - “

The old Mayor looked at the others in despair. Gargano stepped forward and said: “What the Mister Mayor wishes to say is that the eyes” - Gargano made those circles with his thumbs and forefingers and put them up to his own eyes - “the eyes of the portrait are honest.”

D’Arpa said, pointing at the picture: “In the chin there is strength.”

Gargano grabbed one of his own ears with one hand and pointed at an ear in the picture with the other: “In the ears there is alertness.”

Saitta the street-cleaner said approvingly: “In the fix of the hair there is neatness.”

And finally old Bellanca remembered enough of his coaching to say. “In the cheeks there is a sympathetic warmth.”

Then Gargano said, and this time his hands stayed still by his sides, in proof of his absolute sincerity: “And you can see in the picture that that man wishes that each person in the town of Adano should be happy. That is a very big thing in a face.”

Old Bellanca said: “Lojacono has painted a good picture. We wanted you to have it.”

“Thank you,” Major Joppolo said. That was all he had time to say, for the officials of Adano left the room quickly. In any case, it was all the Major was able to say.

A little before five the sergeant in charge of the Engineers working on the bell came in and said: “We run into a snag, sir.”

“What’s that?”

“The rod the bell’s supposed to hang by, it’s too big for this here bell, we got to get another.”

“Will you be able to find another?” “Sure. But it’s going to slow us up some.” “How much?”

“It’s all according to how long it takes us to find this new rod. I don’t know how much work we got to do to put it up when we find it. It all depends.”

“Can you finish this afternoon, do you think?”

“Not hardly, sir. But we can have it for you easy by morning.”

A little after seven o’clock, Gargano went out to round up the children who were shouting for caramels.

He took Rotondo and two other carabinieri and the police truck. They drove down the Via Umberto the First, and there they found the children out in force, shouting: “Caramelle! Caramelle!” at every vehicle that passed.

Even when the police truck passed, going down the street to turn around at the Via Favemi, the ch children shouted: “Caramellel Caramelle!”

Their shouting at the police truck gave Gargano an idea.

When the truck had turned around and came up the street on the side where the children were and stopped there, Gargano told the others to open the back and let down the little ladder there. And he stood up near the back of the truck and shouted: “Come little children and get your caramels!”

At first the children were frightened by the police truck and drew back. But Gargano beckoned with both hands and shouted: “Come, children, we will have a regular picnic of caramels. First come, first served. Come with Gargano for the feast of caramels!”

The children wavered. They looked at each other and wondered.

Gargano made motions of putting things in his mouth. “Huge piles of caramels! Come little children to the picnic. No shouting. No scrambling. just eating! Come with Gargano.

It was the son of an official, the clean little Saitta boy, who allowed himself to be persuaded first. He said to the children nearest him: “I am going. Gargano is a friend of my father. He will give us caramels without any work.” And he ran toward the police truck.

“Good little boy!” Gargano shouted. “Neat little boy! Clever little boy! You will have the most caramels because you were first.”

Now there began a general rush for the truck. As the children fought for positions at the ladder, they squealed: “Caramelle! Caramelle!”