“Of course not. We’re all soldiers and must serve where we can do the most good. Of course,” Norma added with a touch of longing, “it would be nice to live there a while with that fine, old grandfather, the imp of a child, and all the good Gremlins.”
“I’m planning to send Betty,” said Lieutenant Warren. “She has a good head for things.”
“I’ll send Millie and Mary. There’ll be other girls arriving tomorrow. You’ll have to help train them.”
“Looks like a busy time ahead,” Norma laughed.
“You don’t know the half of it!” Lieutenant Warren agreed.
As they parted for the night, the clock on the mantel struck slowly twelve times.
“Midnight,” Norma whispered, slipping out on the porch.
The stars were shining bright. The moon was just rising back of Black Knob. All the planes had gone home. The night seemed very still.
Had she been able to look in at windows at Black Knob, as the good Gremlins do, she might have seen the grandfather and child fast asleep while on the spotter tower a gray-haired woman walked slowly back and forth. And in a warm corner, downstairs, two rough fishermen, guns at hand, nodded sleepily, keeping watch, just in case—
As Norma turned to go in she whispered, “Lieutenant Warren said she would go with me to Langer’s place, but not tomorrow. I hope she makes it soon.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I’m going to miss you terribly,” Norma said to Betty, as they all gathered at the fisherman’s wharf next day.
“Wish you were going along to Black Knob,” said Betty. “I know it’s going to be loads of fun, and there might be a thrill or two. Who knows?”
“Thrills,” Norma shuddered. She had not fully recovered from the shock of being sat upon by a white-robed figure in the dark. Every muscle in her body ached and there were three long scratches on her cheek.
“Tell me all about it, when you get to work,” she whispered, drawing Betty to one side.
“Tell you!” Betty exclaimed. “Why, my voice doesn’t carry that far!”
“No, but your hands will.” There was a note of secrecy in Norma’s voice. “They have a wonderful way of talking to the folks on shore, from over there—”
“Ah! A mystery!” Betty exclaimed in a whisper.
“Just that!” Norma agreed. “Sorry I can’t tell you more, but they’ll tell you more, when they learn to trust you and that will be very soon, I’m sure.