Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [10]
“To Franklin D. Roosevelt and a so forth,” said Giuseppe. “Crazy with joy because of a liberty so long time awaited which your brave a soldier have a give to a town of Adano. What’s a stop?”
“That’s just the end of a sentence, Giuseppe.”
“End a sentence. I beg a you accept a sincere sentiments of my gratitude and a recognition. Signed a this Craxi. You going to deliver it, a boss?”
“Sure,” the Major said, “the President will be glad to hear.”
Chapter 2
MERCURIO SALVATORE, crier of the town of Adano, took a little time to show up, because he had to get into his uniform. His face was happy when he did arrive, because he had thought that his crying days were over. Having been a voice of Fascism for seventeen years, he thought that the newcomers would not want his loud shouts. He had taken his uniform off and hidden it in the house of Carmelina the wife of Fatta. He had then awkwardly paraded himself in civilian clothes and the people, having seen him in uniform for seventeen years, laughed at him.
“Where is the crier?” they asked each other in his presence.
“He has disappeared into the clothes of Fatta which do not fit him,” they shouted, and laughed.
Therefore Mercurio Salvatore was happy and grateful when he presented himself to Major Joppolo. “I am glad to be able to serve you and I kiss your hand,” he said in his husky Voice. Indoors he had learned to speak in a kind of whisper, because he knew the strength of his throat.
Mercurio Salvatore stood before Major Joppolo in tawdry splendor. He wore a uniform of the eighteenth century, and looked as if he had been wearing it ever since that time. The tights had once been blue, but now they were a light and spotted grey. The turn-back coat had once been lined with red silk, but the silk had long since fallen apart, and Carmelina the wife of Fatta had replaced it with sacking from the sulphur refinery which she had dyed purple with grape juice, but the purple had washed out in the first few rains, so that now Mercurio Salvatore was a walking advertisement of Cacopardo Sulphur.
If Major Joppolo had been any other American officer, he would have laughed outright at Mercurio Salvatore. But Major Joppolo was so intent on what he wanted to say that he scarcely noticed the uniform.
He said: “Crier, I have a job for you. I must explain this to you: the Americans are different from the Fascists. They are different in many ways. For this reason there will be quite a few changes in Adano. I hope that they will be changes for the better.”
Mercurio Salvatore said: “Yes, Mister Major,” to show that he would remember every word of it.
The Major said: “In order to explain some of these changes, I am going to post at various prominent places around the town a number of proclamations, which will make everything clear. All I want you to do is to tell the people to read these proclamations. Impress on them that the penalties for not obeying the proclamations will be severe. That is all.”
Mercurio Salvatore looked disappointed. “That is not much to shout,” he said.
Major Joppolo said: “Shall I name a new crier?” Mercurio Salvatore said quickly: “Oh no, Mister Major, I will make something beautiful of what you have said.”
Major Joppolo said: “The proclamations will be posted before five o’clock this afternoon.”
Mercurio Salvatore said: “Yes, Mister Major,” and left.
He picked up his drum where he had left it outside the Major’s office. Ordinarily he had made his first cry in the Piazza Progresso, right in front of the Palazzo, but this time he was self-conscious, and wanted to have a few tries before crying within earshot of the Major.
Therefore he went first to the park opposite the Cathedral.
He rolled his drum long and sharply.
He saw Italian heads pop out of windows and several people sauntered out of their doors and leaned against the walls. Because of the number who had run to the hills, he could see that he would not have so good