Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-11-20
The Command to
"Move On"
BY MORGAN SHEPARD



L earthquake" and the after days of
flame and chaos had become memo
ries only In our turmoil of untimed
work and feverish reimbursement. Bread
and canned goods were plentiful while
the embers of our city cooled, and
there was promise, too, for time for
rest, and time TO gather our scattered
facultles-but still we hungered, our
canned and picked stomachs cried
out for fresh green stuff, and the
gnawlng ache was worse than thirst
and more relentless,
Here and there vicious Jet of fire
spurted upward with a hiss of tri-
umph In searching out and finding
some hidden chaff to deal with as a
great city had been dealt with. Chaos
was subslding and man had begun to
think again. Eyes glazed by terror
or dim with stupid resignation once
more carried low light of some rea-
soning thought.
The water front-that haven for the
distracted throngs of the fire days
gave up its covering and waiting
crews. "Move on-move on" had been
yelled from behind the bayonet's
point Little bands of almless crea-
lures stumbled forth into the ruins
to start again, beyond or amid that
crushed and still smoulderlng city Of
memory.
From my hill could see scores Of
these ploddlng bands melt like sha-
dows into the lowering murk that
chung to the long stretches of gray
streets-named streets in irony surely
All these shadows Of men lent upon
some vague purpose were the 1otsam
and jetsam after a storm of fire and
a quaking earth. But to us who had
worked and slckened for the lack of
fresh green things the word "orange"
was music and potato" was song.
was hidden to find them or anything,
be 1t ever so green.
My path to the water front by way
Of Vallejo street looked comparatively
cool and plain. 1t was no hard mat
ter to select, for all streets were as
clearly defined as IL painted on a red
map. Oakland lay bright and clean
across the bay. Surely our need might
be found for a price In that oasis be-
yond the waterI
Coming my way l saw a mother,
with no man to guide and guard
Through reeklng ashes there trudged
behind her four children, n boy, per-
haps of twelve, and three girls, all
younger-one Of them a silent little
toddler Each wayfarer bore some
burden too great, but too precious to
abandon-pots, pans, besmudged bed
ding and the ever-famlllar plllowcase,
stuffed with God knows what-and
bread.
SHOVE on, move on" the military
mad ordered. They were moving on,
but action had no meaning. The moth
er's lips were dry, flabby and purpose
less, her eyes dead, save for a name
less CLEAN that distorted the heavy
eyelids. She stared before her out
Of those dull eyes and turned neither
to right nor left, her sordId little es-
cort Of wordless offspring following
along after her.
In that company there was n sixth.
Wrapped by a sOiled red shawl to its
mother was a nursing babe, with face
buried deep in the bare breast of the
woman. One little arm, released from
bond, dangled In rhythm with the
mothers plOdding steps. saw that
the child was dead.
Mother" I said, in the language
OF her people, "yOur baby--dO you
know, mOther-that--that, your baby
Is deadT
She made no reply, there was no
exclamation She stopped heavily. as
did all OF her followers my word
might have been military halt"
Her expression did not change shade
from Its fixed despair, there was not
even a twitch of the Swallowed lips or
a tremOr OF the swollen eyeIlds. Then
with awkward, fumblIng fingers she
undld the bonds that held her babe
to her; the child's head fell back In
ertly against the mothers solled hand
and slowly she raised the little body
to her parched cheek as If to listen
for heart beat; hut she heard none,
for, turning to the dust and ashes
about her she stared forth vacantly MS
she had before had given my mes
sage. Judging by that unmoved face
life might have been to her the same
as It was before she learned that death
repOsed upon her bosom.
Near where she stood there flared
up one Of those vicious spurts Of
flame, dying reluctantly amid tangle
OF wreckage. Thrusting itself through
this mass was mound of glowing
embers. Deliberately she stopped and
laid her babe upon that waiting pyre,
and leaned over II little time. Dust
to dust" said In my heart
She spoke no word, there was no
cry, no tears came to the dull eyes,
and her lips we're unchanged. Then
she fell again into the weary trudg-
ing had Interrupted. The drOwsy
smoke hung low along the broken
street up which the woman passed
The sun shone red through veil that
rose over the funeral pyre Of city
and a babe as mother obeyed the
command OF God and the military to