Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [26]
On the morning when Major Joppolo called about the carts, there were three men in the main office of the M.P.’s. Besides Captain Purvis, there were Technical Sergeant Frank Trapani, who kept Captain Purvis’s records and was more or less his secretary, and Corporal Chuck Schultz, who was the M.P. on guard.
Captain Purvis put down the telephone and said: “That Joppolo, I think he’s nuts.”
Sergeant Trapani said: “What’s he done now, sir?” “Oh, hell,” the Captain said, “he’s always talking about democracy like it was his mother. He ought to relax and have a little fun. Bet he’s never been drunk in his life.” Corporal Schultz said: “He can have this Dago wine.” He put his hands over his belly and made a face. “Jesus, last night.”
The Captain said: “Besides, he’s going to get us all in trouble.”
Sergeant Trapani said: “What’s he done, sir?”
An Italian stuck his head in the door just out of curiosity.
“Get out of here, damn it, Trapani, tell that wop to get out of here and stay out.” Captain Purvis did not speak a word of Italian, and it made him feel frustrated. Trapani told the curious one to move along.
“The carts,” Captain Purvis said. “Joppolo has the nerve to tell General Marvin he knows where he can stick the carts, he wants them to come back into town.”
Sergeant Trapani said: “It wasn’t a very wise order in the first place, I think maybe the Major’s right.” “Right?” Captain Purvis put his palm against his cheek in a gesture of amazement. “Why hell, man, General Marvin’ll shoot him and us too. What do you think this man’s army would be like if everybody just did what he wanted and went around countermanding orders every day? We got little enough discipline in our army anyhow without going around ignoring orders, especially from generals.” Captain Purvis had been commissioned just eight months. He was very military.
“Yes, sir,” Sergeant Trapani said. He knew what to say when his Captain started lecturing on discipline.
“Well, I got my orders,” the Captain said. “I got to go out and take the guards off the road by the bridge and the sulphur works. But listen, I’m not going to burn for this guy Joppolo. He’s all right, but he’s just too serious. Damn it, I’d sure like to see him high just once.”
Corporal Schultz said: “Last night, Jesus, I’ll never drink that stuff again.”
“Listen,” the Captain said. “I don’t want to get in trouble and you don’t either. We got to carry out this order and let the carts back in, but if General Marvin should drive back through this town, we’d all get hung for it. Just to cover ourselves, well make out a report saying just what happened, that General Marvin ordered us to keep the carts out, that Major Joppolo countermanded the order. You make it out, Trapani, and send it to G-one of the division.”
“Yes, sir.” Captain Purvis left.
Sergeant Trapani said to Schultz: “That’s a hell of a note, General Marvin’s liable never to came back here, and if he did he’d probably never notice the carts. But once you get the thing on paper, it’s just a sure way to ruin the Major. And he’s so right about these carts anyway.”
Corporal Schultz said: “Don’t bother me, I got a headache of my own this morning.”
Sergeant Trapani rolled a slip of purple paper, off a Fascist pad, into his typewriter. He wrote:
FOR Lieutenant Colonel W. W. Norris, G-1, 49th Division.
FROM Captain N. Purvis, 123rd M.P. Company, Adano. SUBJECT: Mule Carts, town o f Adano.
1. On July 19, orders were received from General Marvin, 49th Division, to keep all mule carts out of the town of Adano. Guards were posted at bridge over Rosso River and at Cacopardo Sulphur Refinery. Order carried out.
2. On July 20, guards were removed on order of Major Victor Joppolo, Civil Affairs Officer, town o f Adano, because carts were essential to town and town was in bad shape without same.
Sergeant Trapani read over what he had written. Then he said: “Schultz, listen to this, do you think this’ll get the Major in trouble?” And he read the report out loud. “I thought that part about the town needing