Heloise and Bellinis by Harry Cipriani Page B

“Yes?”
    “Lieutenant Ryland requests permission to speak with the general.”
    “Come in.” Custer’s voice came through peremptorily.
    They all went in.
    “Lieutenant Ryland reporting, sir.” He snapped to attention,
    “Make it quick, Ryland. So you’re Private Smith,” the general said.
    “1 am, sir,” George said.
    “Well, well, well, well, so you’re Smith?”
    “Yes sir, General.”
    Tin, Smith?”
    “Yes sir, General.”
    General Custer seemed to be having trouble formulating his next question. “Well, well, well, well,” he repeated himself, “and how are you?”
    “Very well, sir.”
    “Well, well, well, well.”
    Custer had caught sight of Heloise in the meantime, and as he continued to repeat “well, well,” he seemed unable to take his eyes off her. It was very much like what had happened the first time he saw Suzy in his office,
    Ryland spoke. ‘Tve already explained his responsibilities to him, and I told him to get legal counsel,
    cir”
    UJ.JL.
    “What?” Custer exclaimed. “You asked him to get a lawyer?”
    “Yes sir, General.”
    “Ryland,” Custer thundered. “What ever gave you such an idea. Where did you get the authority to say something like that? What were my orders to you? Margitai!”
    “Yes sir.”
    “What were my orders?’’
    ‘To find Private Smith, this lady, and my jeep.”
    ‘And did you?”
    “Yes sir, General.”
    “Fine! Did 1 ask you to do anything else?”
    “No sir.”
    “Right! Is that right, Ryland?”
    “Well”
    “Well what? Yes or no?”
    “Yes sir, General,”
    “Ryland, you think too much. You mustn’t think, because you don’t know how to think. Let others do the thinking for you! Always! Understand?”
    “Yes sir,” Ryland mumbled. He was depressed.
    “And now get out of here.” He nodded at Amundsen, Nobel, and Ryland.
    Custer, Tom, George, Heloise, and Suzy were alone now.
    Custer got up from his chair, walked around the desk, and put both hands on Smith’s shoulders”. “Dear boy, we are proud of you.”
    George was rather embarrassed, but he managed to get out the words “Thank you, sir.”
    “I know all about it, all about it,” Custer said. “They must have been four terrible weeks. Did you suffer a great deal? How did they treat you?”
    George did not understand what the general was driving at, but he thought it better to go along with him and answered, “Well, it could have been worse, sir.”
    “Such modesty! It must have been sheer hell, being a prisoner of those bandits. And you, ma’am?” He turned to Heloise but didn’t wait for an answer. Then he turned to Tom. “Margitai! Thank you for rescuing Private George Smith. Thank you in the name of the United States Army 1 am going to recommend you for a medal.”
    ‘‘Thank you, sir.” Tom smiled,
    “Now get those jeeps back to the motor pool,” the general ordered.
    “Yes sir”
    ‘And another thing, Margitai!”
    “Yes sir.”
    “Don’t lose them!” The general smiled,
    “No chance, sir.”
    “Well, well, well, well,” Custer said, sinking contentedly against the back of his chair. Meanwhile Heloise had taken the chair Suzy offered her
    “Where did they capture you?” Custer asked George.
    “Hm, outside Harry’s Bar”
    “What impudence!” the general exclaimed. ‘And where did they take you?”
    “To a village.”
    ‘Ah!”
    “We had nothing to eat or drink for four days,” said George, playing along,
    “Swine!” said Custer as he brought his fist down on the table.
    “Then we managed to escape,” George said. “This lady and myself.”
    “Well, well, well, well,” Custer said.
    “They chased us across the desert for days and days.”
    “You don’t say?”
    “it was rough.” George said, “but we saved the jeep.”
    “Well done!”
    ‘And today we found Margitai and the others.”
    “Is there anything you need?”
    Td like to let my aunt in Alabama know I’m OK.”
    “Already done,” Custer said.
    “Thank