“That’s right,” Tom agreed. “Me? I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
“Oh, Tom!” Rosa broke in. “Take us to the fort. I’d just love to see it.”
“You’re on your way right now,” Tom assured her. “At least you’ll see the target practice at a distance. And that’s really something! But the fort, that’s different. Too many secrets in there. It takes a terrific pull to get in.”
“I’ll bet it’s a spooky place!” Rosa exclaimed.
“Oh, absolutely,” was the quick reply. “Built right out of solid rock. It would take some bomb to smash into it.”
A half hour later they found themselves standing on a sloping hillside, gazing out to sea. And at Norma’s side was a handsome young Artillery Major. For the first time in her life, Norma found herself wishing she had remained behind at Fort Des Moines for officer’s training. An officer may not date a private in the WACs, no matter how bright and attractive she may be.
For all that even a major can show just any attractive young lady who happens to visit his camp the proper degree of interest and respect due her. And Major Fairchild was not one to neglect this duty.
He explained that the large square far out on the water was not a sail but a target, that it was being towed on a long cable by a small motorboat some distance from it.
He also assured her that those huge guns poking their black barrels from the hillside would soon speak and that, when they did speak, she would do well to plug up her ears.
Some ten minutes later he said, “Now the target is in position.”