CHAPTER SEVEN
SILENT STORM
And then, like autumn leaves caught in a miniature whirlwind, they weresent spinning away in all directions. There was one happy evening hourwhen Sally, Nancy, Barbara, and Danny had lunch together in the PurpleCow, just off the campus. Theirs was the hail-and-farewell of goodfellows well met, of soldiers who might never meet again. And yet,behind all their jokes and laughter was a feeling of friendship anddevotion to one another that in all the years could never die.
"We'll be seeing you," they shouted next morning.
"Oh, sure! We'll be together again, sooner than you think!"
"Good-by!"
"Good-by!"
Sally and Nancy were sent to the beautiful campus of a great mid-westernuniversity where they would learn much more about radio andcommunications. Barbara was shipped off to a big airport to receive herfinal training in the art of rigging parachutes. Danny remained behind,but not for long. The autumn winds would soon whisk him away to newfields of adventure and duty.
Both Sally and Nancy had dreamed of attending some truly greatuniversity. And, at last, here they were. But for how long? Just longenough to make you efficient in your chosen field, was the preciseanswer. "And always remember, your services are badly needed right now.Good communications and radio men are scarce. They are badly neededoverseas."
"But won't we two be sent overseas?" Nancy asked of the major who gavethem the information.
"That remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain, no WAVE will besent overseas until she has perfected herself in her particular branch,and has served long enough at one of our bases here in America to provethat she will be a valuable addition to our Navy, either aboard ship oroverseas."
"Right here is where I forget this Gothic architecture, the shady walks,the cozy nooks that help to make this big school what it is," Sallysaid, as a look of determination spread over her face. "I'm going towork and study day and night, for we are in the Navy now."
"I'm right behind you," Nancy agreed. "All the same, when this terriblescrap is over, I'm coming right back here and be a regular student aslong as I please. And believe me, I'm going to have all thetrimmings--class dances, proms, shady walks and all the rest."
"Shake on that." Sally held out her hand. That handshake was a solemnceremony.
"And now to business."
From that time on their heads were bent, for long hours, over studydesks, radios, clattering keys.
Their day was not done when darkness fell, nor their week when Saturdayrolled round. They did not, like Barbara, hide under the covers to studywith a flashlight when night came. They rented bicycles for the entireperiod of their stay at the university. On many a night farmers sawstrange lights winking and blinking from one hill to another in theirpastures. Sally and Nancy were practicing the light-blinking code theyhad studied that day. Twice they were reported as spies, but nothingcame of it for they never returned to the same pasture twice, and itwould have been a fleet-footed farm boy who could have rounded them upin the dark.
Saturday afternoon, armed with dozens of multicolored flags, theyreturned to these same hills to practice flag signals. White and bluewith a notch in the end stood for A, blue, white, red, white and blue instripes was C, and so on and on to white with a red spot for one, bluewith a white spot for two, and so on.
With good memories and a zeal for learning seldom witnessed by thosegray stone walls, they went through the school in record time and wereonce more on the move.
"Now we're really going to work," Sally cried, enthusiastically.
"Yes, and at one of the biggest air bases on our long seacoast," Nancyagreed.
"Florida and the sea. Um--" Sally breathed, "that's worth working for."
"It sure is!"
"There's something else I'm going to work harder than ever for--" Sallyspoke with conviction.
"What's that?"
"I'm going to try to cut 'Florida and the sea' down to just the good,old 'sea.' All my life I've waited for that."
"Oh, I don't know. There are the enemy sub-packs. They're reallydangerous. The water's awfully cold."
"That's just it." Sally's eyes shone. "There are the sub-packs--youhaven't forgotten our secret radios?"
"Almost," Nancy admitted.
"I tried them twice back at the U, when you were gone," Sally confided."Nothing doing. Guess we were too far from the sea."
"Florida will be better."
"Much better, but the sea will be better still."
"I suppose so," Nancy replied dreamily. "But don't forget, your enemysub-pack may turn out to be friendly ships or planes."
"I won't forget. All the same, I want to know."
"Wonder where Danny is."
"And Barbara."
"Oh! I forgot to tell you. I had a letter from Barbara this morning.Guess where she is now?"
"Where we're going?"
"That's just where she is. Won't it be great if you can hop off from thesky with her again?" Nancy laughed.
"I wouldn't mind. I'll bet you an ice-cream soda I'll have a chance touse that experience before the year is over."
"Easy aces! You're on. If I never win another bet, that's one for me."
Was Nancy too confident? In this world at war many strange things canhappen, and many do.
Not so long after that, Sally found herself seated on the top of a hightower that overlooked a vast airfield. The skies were full of floatingplanes. The roar of powerful motors beat upon her eardrums. In her handshe held a score sheet, and, at the steady, carefully spoken words of amarine in a major's uniform, she recorded hours, moments, numbers, andnames.
On the officer's head was a set of earphones. About his neck achin-speaker was attached. From time to time, speaking always in thatsteady, even tone, he said:
"Come on down, six, four, three. Wind velocity, fifteen miles per hour,north-north-east."
And again: "Circle once more, three-six-eight. Fast one coming in fromthe east."
There were long periods of time when he said nothing, just stood therestaring dreamily away toward the sea. But always he appeared to listen,as indeed he did, for listening to the radio voice of great four-motoredbombers, inviting them to come in, advising them to wait, telling themwhen to take off, informing them regarding weather, was his duty. And onhis ears, eyes and voice hung the life of many a fine young flier.
Red Storm, his fellow officers called him, some times "Silent Storm."His real name was Robert Storm. Silent Storm was the name Sally likedbest, although, of course, she never called him that, always MajorStorm.
He seemed young for a major and certainly was handsome in a big, tall,red-headed way. He seldom spoke to her except to instruct her in herwork. He was teaching her his own work, so she could take his place.Nancy too was learning the work, but at a different period.
As Major Storm stood there looking away during quiet times, she oftenwondered about that faraway look in his eyes. Then, too, there was thelong scar across his right cheek and the look of utter weariness thatcame over his face at times when he slumped down in his chair.
"Major Storm," she said one day, speaking with a sudden impulse thatsurprised her, "what does one do to make people want one as a friend?"
"You don't make people want you as a friend," was his quick reply. "Theyeither wish to be your friend or they don't, and that's all there is toit."
"Are--are you sure?" she asked a little startled.
"Absolutely."
"Well, then, they might not care to have you as a friend but you mightbe able to do something that would make them wish to do something foryou--you know, like--"
"Yes, I know what you mean. The answer to that is simple then. Take aninterest in them first. Find out about their lives, their families,their problems. Have a sympathetic interest in them. If they're human,they'll do the same for you. That's simple, isn't it?"
"Very simple."
Suddenly, he s
poke in a different tone: "Come on in, Johnny."
After sweeping the sky with his binoculars, he settled down in hischair.
"That radio boy on that big bomber is Johnny, one of my own boys. Itaught him. He's a fine boy. I suppose the war will get him sooner orlater. It seems rather useless to care for them too much. They go awayand--"
"You never see them again."
"That's right."
"But, by the way," his voice rose, "you have one very good friend,eminently worth while, I'd say."
"I have several," she smiled. She was happy, happier than she had beenfor days. She had really started Silent Storm talking. "But then," shethought with a shy smile, "who ever heard of a really, truly silentstorm, anyway?"
"This friend of yours," he said quietly, "is also a very old friend ofmine--old C. K., we used to call him."
"You don't mean C. K. Kennedy!" She stared in disbelief.
"That's exactly who I do mean. He taught me most of what I know aboutradio. He's one man in a million."
"Oh! Then--" she exclaimed, "then we're practically cousins!"
"Something like that," he replied dryly.
Then, springing to his feet, he said: "Okay--come in, three-two-six."
And that was all for then. Evening was coming on. Many big ships werecoming in through the blue. Every moment was taken from then to the endof the shift. Yes, that was all for then, but it was enough to keep thegirl dreaming in the golden twilight, under the palms when the day'swork was done. And those were strange dreams. Secret radios, ships,submarines, giant four-motored bombers, old C. K. and Silent Storm wereall there in one glorious mixup of lights and shadows.