Warsaw Requiem by Bodie Thoene & Brock Thoene

Author:Bodie Thoene & Brock Thoene [Thoene, Bodie & Thoene, Brock]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: www.FamilyAudioLibrary.com
Published: 2009-06-10T05:00:00+00:00

Orde had spent the better part of the week shuttling between the BBC and the TENS office on Fleet Street. He was getting acquainted with the mechanics of broadcasting live from the European Continent to the London studio, which would relay the program to the United States.

Arrangements had already been made for Orde to have a small storefront office in the same block as the building housing Polski Radio. It would serve as his Warsaw broadcasting base.

On the surface, it appeared simple, like sending a message by radio back to GHQ from a forward position. The problem was making the timing of each live broadcast coincide with the tiny window of broadcast time allowed during radio programming.

“Suppose I am covering an important conference in Warsaw, and I have nothing to report by airtime?” he asked Murphy and Harvey Terrill.

“Can you sing?” Harvey replied in a resentful tone.

“You’ll just have to wing it,” Murphy said with a grimace. Such things happened regularly in the new world of radio journalism. “Ask questions—plenty of questions. Get people wondering what’s coming. Then they’ll tune in when you have the answers.” Murphy leveled a look at Orde. “Just remember, talk slow! Americans love the sound of an English accent, but—”

“Right, old chap,” Orde replied. “I have heard it a million times from your Doc Grogan . . . ‘talk slowly and distinctly, please’”

Murphy had put Dr. Patrick Grogan to work improving the rapid machine-gun dialect of Samuel Orde. The pleasant, round-faced elocution specialist had drilled Orde the way Professor Higgins had taught Eliza in Pygmalion, preparing him for every eventuality. With marbles in place in Orde’s mouth, Grogan had dared to challenge Orde to heated political discussions. Grogan had dared to challenge Orde to the argument and hammered away until Orde was red in the face with outrage and quite prepared to spit the marbles into the eye of his grinning teacher.

As if on cue, doc Grogan entered the TENS office with Charles and Louis in tow. Grogan had kept the boys at this side during the day to help out with the arrival of the newest Murphy child. He waved broadly and puffed out his cheeks as a way of greeting Orde.

He did not knock but entered the office with all the freedom of a TENS employee. “Well, well, it is Samuel Orde! I see you’ve lost your marbles at last. Here you are with Harv Terrill, and Terrill would kill to get the Warsaw assignment!” Grogan was smiling.

At this comment, Orde noticed the face of Harvey Terrill puckered with ill-suppressed dislike for Patrick Grogan.

Charles tugged Orde’s sleeve and smiled at him with a toothless grin. “We will lith-en to the radio.”

“Listen!” Louis corrected.

“Yeth. Er . . . . yes-s-s-s. But talk slow.”

Could I do otherwise with so many coaches? Orde wondered. “Even if bombs are exploding under me.” He raised his hand in solemn promise.

Orde had never seen the harried night desk editor look anything but tired. Now, as the playful repartee was exchanged between Orde and Grogan, Terrill acted downright irritated.

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