Evening star., 1925-06-01
One of a series of the
years best short
stories.


her. She didn't think of it as q shin.
II was live thing full of bright eves
that stared malevolently. She was
huStled up q narrow plank into its
very Jaws She didn't know where to
go. The people round her seemed to be
growing bigger and bigger. Thev
were trampling on her. She beat
against them with her hands, saving.
oh, please-please- trying to es-
cape. They looked down at her. half
impatient They thought she was lost
and looking for some one But there
was no one for her TO look for
Then she was quite alone in the
dark. She couldn't escape. A ba,..
rier high as her heed STOPPED her
short, and underneath she cSuHd hear
something talking to her very softly.
She couldn't quite hear what II sand.
but she felt that If she listened very
hard she would understand. and she
didn't want to. She put her hands
TO her ears and crouched down on
coil of rope, hiding.
Gradually the tumult died down
The passengers had gone TO their
quarters The gangways were being
withdrawn. The great ship shook Il
self and began TO churn the water
into foam. The gIrgling, internit
tent whisper stopped and then became
hiss. They were moving. Trudchen
sat up and saw the dock lights slide
away behind them. It was almost as
though the land had been her home
Something inside her was being torn
out.
Her teeth chattered But she wasn't
crying. Crying wouldn't ward off the
horror that was creeping all around
her closer and closer. She could
hear its soft, fluttering. footballs.
It's myriad soft, black bodies whisked
against her-rats-big rats-baby rats.
why, her father must have been
rat-a huge, horrible creature that
did horrible things until at last some
one had stamped on him, too. He
had seemed so splendid-She had been
so proud Of him. Often the thought
OF his wonderfulnesS had kept her
brave when she had been cold and
hungry. But perhaps rats were like
that. Perhaps they were proud Of
themselves and Of each other They
oloh know how every one hated them
or W1y-they didn't see they were dt.
ferent. Frau Hildebrandt and the
Frau Backerin-they seemed like
every one else-ordinary people. Bu.
you couldn't tell-you thought yuu
were just ordinary yourself But you
werent-every one else knew. Anc
they said 1t would have been better
II you hadn't been born. SO that you
wouldn't grow up. They wanted Il
put their foot on you and crunch
you so.
The rats had hated her mother.
They had hated her There wasn't
anywhere in the world where yo,,
could go-to escape
She stood up. The ship Iurched and
hung her heavily against the bul-
warks. She could hear the water talk
ing 10 her underneath. The foam was
IKE white woman gliding along.
slde ana beckoning. Perhaps her
Her father and mother were dead
They were safe. When you were
dead, people didn't worry about you
any more. They let you go. She re
membered a mouse they had killed in
their house once. Her fathers Bursche
had trapped 1t in the kitchen, and
every one had screamed at the p,or.
thing trembling and shrinking in its
corner and said, How disgusting
how flthy.' But when 1t was dead
ali limp and quiet and not afraid
any more-they had just picked II up
and put 1t in the dustbin and forgot
ten it.
1t was easy to be dead. Death was
Just round the corner. There was lit
lie Franz Schumacher. her classmate
VINO had thrown himself out of the
window because he couldn't do his les
sons. His teachers had been so cross
and cruel to him. But afterward they
were sorry. They saw how unhanny
ne had been. They sent wreaths to his
funeral
The small rain had soaked the creme
nat through and through, so that tt
hung comically about her ears. II
soaked through the thin coat to her
little starving bones. But she didn't
know She didn't even know that she
was thinking vast. terrible thoughts
ABOUT lie ana death. or that she, Ger
trude, auf und zu und Won Arnstein.
PrutW1tz, was trying to find way out
from mems hatred of one another.
x
THE crossing from the Hook 10
Southampton is an all-night affair
and NJ. Leforges went straight down
10 MS cabin. He was very tired. But
before he had taken off his overcoat
ne knew that he would not be able 70
sleep. 1t had been a wonderful dav.
but IL OFTEN happened that after he
had been peculiarly successful he
would toss the whole night through
nerves, OF course. 1t was high time
ne retired. Only a sense Of DUTY kent
MN gong. The war had deprived mon
OF their youth and their old age, too.
shall go for a stroll on deck" he
told his secretary, who intruded a
sleek head to inquire after his well
down"
The deck was deserted. The wind
swept 1t with an invisible broom Yo,,
could see the water scuddinE before n
Inc snip pitched heavily, and the
stern lights rose and fell like the tan
OF seesaw. NJ. Leforges was an old
seaQog. He liked a storm-a fight. But
tohlsht he was too tired. He wouId
nave been glad of the little quiet
he pulled his cap we'll down, dug his
hahdS INTO his pockets. He had plenty
u occupy his mind-there was the
meeting with an English cabinet mir
lister tomorrow, and the task Of teIiins,
that gentleman in the suavest possihIe
manner that he was a sentirnantaIts,
anu 1901. An amusing, SATISFYING
task we'll suited to NJ. Leforee's taDs,
per. But instead he thought aho,,+
his little dead son.
Ihere wasn't anything new in that
ne was always thinking about him
Dut IN terms of a glacial, relentless
passion. lie wore his memory like a
r nan sIlII that eXaSperated him "a
lresn energy. But tonight he thougb+
OF MN as himself-as the little how ha
mad known. He wondered what he has
looked like before the end. He NUS
nave had a small. sunken white face
ana round, staring eyes. He must
nave looked at his captors and tvrants
with just that expression of bewiIder.
ment and grief-not angry, but with
the tragic resignation of Childhood
zAnQ MS CaDtNrS had