The Washington times., 1931-10-19

wounds or temporary transfers
that depleted the company. Now
peace must be reckoned with.
We are so accustomed to shell
holes and trenches that we are
suddenly suspicious Of this still,
green landscape, as though, its
stiffness were but pretenSe to
lure us into some secretly ur1-
dermined region. And now there
20 our comrades, Fastening out
into it, needless, alone, without
rifles, without bombs! One
would like to run after them,
fetch them back, shout to them:
"dey! where are you off to?
What are you after, out there
alone? You belong here with us.
Too Long q Soldier
Queer mill wheel in the
brain; too long a soldier
The November wind pipes
over the empty barracks square.
Yet more and more comrades
20. Not long now and every
man will be alone.
The rest of our company all
20 home by the same route.
we are now lounging IN the
station. waiting for a train.
The place is a regular army
dump of chests, cardboard
boxes, packs and waterproof
sheets.
ONLY two trains pass through
in seven hours. Men hang
around the doorways in clust-
ers, in swarms. BY the a1ter'
noon we have won place near
the track and before evening
are in the best position, right
at the front.
The first train arrives soon
after midday-a freight train
with blind horses. Their eye
balls are blue-white and RED
rimmed. They stand stock
still, their heads outstretched'
and there is life only IN the
quivering sense of their nos
trils. .
During the afternoon it is
announced that no more trains
will leave today. ,.
Not a soul moves. A soldier
does not believe in announce
ments. And in point OF tact
another train does come. one
glance suffices. This will do.
Half full at the most.
The station hall reverberates
to the assembling of gear and
the charge of the columns that
stampede from the waiting
rooms and burst in wild con-
fusion upon the men already IN
the hall.
Out the window
The train glides up. One
window is open. Albert Troske,
lightest and nimblest of us. is
heaved up and chambers through
like a monkey. Next moment
all the doors are blocked with
men. Most Of the windows
are shut. But already some
are being shattered with blows
from rifle butts by fellows who
mean to get aboard at any
price, though it should cost
them torn hands and legs.
Blankets are thrown over the
jagged glass points and here
and there the boarding is al
ready in progress.
The train stops. Albert has
run through the corridors and
'now filings open the window in
front of us. Tjaden and the
dog shoot in first, Bethke and
Kosole after them, Willy SHOW
ing from behind. The three
at once make for the doors
opening into the corridor. so as
to close the compartment on
both flanks. Then follows the
baggage. along with Ludwig and
Ledderhose. then Valentin, Karl
Broger and I, and, after clear
ing the decks about him once
more, last of all. Willy.
All Aboard
"All IMP" shouts Kosole from
the gangway, where the pres
sure is becoming rnomently
more urgent. "All aboard!"
bawls Willy. Then. as if fired
from a pistol. Bethke. Kosole
and Tjaden shoot into their
seats and outsiders pour into
the compartment, climb up on
the luggage rack. till every pos
sible inch of space is occupied.
Even the engine has been
stormed. and there are fellows
sitting on the buffers. The
roofs Of the carriages are
swarming with men. Come
down out of that" cries the
guard. knocked out. "You shut
up! We're all right" they shout
back.
The train pulls out. Some,
who were not holding on fast
enough. fall off. Two are run
over and dragged away. but
others Jump their places imme-
diately. The footboards are full.
The crowding gets worse as the
train goes on.
One man is hanging on to a
door. It swings open and he
bangles clea-, clutching the
window. Willy chambers across,
seizes him by the collar and
hoists him in.
40 Be Continued
CCopyriEht. Erich Marie Remarque,
| 1881; distributed by United
Feature Syndicate, Incl