Evening star., 1927-12-10

on his face. He pushed, and it was
like pushing against a crowbar.
And then all at once the arm, Anton
Blums arm, fell like a broken thing,
and Manning lost balance and came
down with his face among pine
needles, his hands clutching at bark
and gravel.
Next moment Dugdale was pulling
him up. The torch had gone out. They
were there in the dark, and Manning
was gasping and splitting out pine
needles.
Dugdale had sense Of catastro-
phe-beastly awkward if the man was
dead.
whats happened? Is he dead?"
he asked, and was cursed for every
sort Of a fool and told to find the
torch.
Found, it emitted a faint, expiring
flash and then declined to function.
The flash had, however, shown them
Anton Blum lying at their feet. one
arm outstreched on the tangled
branches, the other across his body;
his eyes, the eyes that had looked at
Manning with recognition, were shut.
Dugdale's sense of catastrophe in
creased. f1e mad caught a glimpse of
his majors face before the light went
out. There was something there that
he had never seen there before. After
ward, when they had got Anton into
the car it came to him that the ma
jor had looked rattled-yes, that was
it, rattled-Monkey Manning ratified.
What in the worlds up?" Phillip
Dugdale asked, and got no answer.
1t wasn't a very easy business get.
ting Anton into the car-the slosh of
mud everywhere; the debris of the
bank, and a regular ENHANCEMENT of
broken and twisted branches. They
got him ON to the back seat at last,
a deadweight that had never moved
as they shifted it. Then
Il suppose there's room to turn
here" said Dugdale rather doubtfully.
You don't need to turn. We're
going on"
Dugdale stared.
Aren't you going to take him back
to his people, Major?''
I'm going to take him to my
house." Manning got in at the back as
he spoke. He settled himself to steady
the unconscious figure. "Get in and
drive for all you're worth!' and Dug
dale obeyed.
1t was a very odd drive. Manning
sat on the back seat with one arm
about Anton Blum. Every now and
then the heavy head with it's mass
or wet hair came against his shoulder.
He hardly noticed it. When they
shaved another car whose tail light
had gone out, he did not notice it at
all. Neither Dugdale's exclamation
nor the swerve and lurch of the car
reached him; his mind was entirely
preoccupied with the amazing thing
that had happened.
This was a half-witted German
peasant. His name was Anton Blum.
He had come to help them shift a
tree. He had got knocked on the
head. Then he had looked at him,
Manning, and laughed and said 'Hul-
10. Monkey" But he was the half
Wftted German peasant called Anton
Blum. And he was dumb-the woman
had said that he was dumb. And he
had laughed and said Hello, Mon
keyw
When the car stopped, Manning
woke up with jerk. He was out on
the wet pavement and in the house
shouting for Brooks, almost before
the engine stopped running.
Anna Blum sat i'll the warm kitch-
en-, Josef had gone to bed. Anton was
late. He should have been back
long time since. The officers must
have been mistaken in the distance.
She heard at last what she had
been straining her ears for-the sound
of footstep. She had left the win
dow unshuttered, and ran now to the
door, throwing it wide open so that
the light should stream out in well
come.
1t wasn't Anton-she had known
that it would not be Anton. 1t was
one of the English officers who had
taken Anton away. And that meant
that something had happened.
Maj. Manning came up to the door,
and found himself face to face with
the woman he had come to find. She
room and she spoke at once. breath
lessly:
"Anton-mein Herr, what Is it
why have you come-where is An
ton?" Then. as Maj. Manning stepp-
ed across the threshold and the light
showed his darkly frowning face. she
said with a sickening catch in her
voice. "Is he dead?"
mo, no-of course not
After a moment Anna lifted steady
blue eyes to his.
"You wished to speak to me, mein
Herr?"
Eyes, said Manning. IT did
about your nephew. He is your
nephew"
Anna nodded.
Eyes certainly-my nephew. Anton
Blum
"And your name?"
"An,.a Blum, widow, born Muller.
Anton is the son of my husbands
elder brother, Ludwig Blum"
"And he is dumb?" Manning shot
the question at her.
Zach ia. Since he was wounded. he
is dumb"
''Only since he was wounded?"
''Yes, mein Herr"
How long ago?"
She let the knitting fall on her
knees, and began to reckon on her
fingers.
'It is eight-nine-nearly ten years
"a long time"
Manning got up, crossed the
room, and stood by the table. The