The Washington times., 1931-12-12
A Story Of the Aftermath
Or the World War
CHAPTER 54

CHAPTER 54
Footsteps crunch on the
gravel. I look up. Georg
RaheT He looks at me with
concern and urges me to go
home.
tits a long while since I
saw you, Georg," 1 say. Where
have you been?"
He makes a vague gesture.
"I've been trying my hand at
Q lot of things"
Aren't you a soldier, then?"
] ask.
mo-" he answers harShly.
Two women in mourning are
coming down the path between
the plane trees. They have
little green watering cans in
their hands and begin to water
the flowers on an old grave.
The perfume of mignouetts and
wall-flowers floats across.
Rahe looks up. Il thought
to find some remnant Of com
radeShip there, Ernst. But it
was mere barbarized gang
spirit, a thing ghostly carica-
ture of the war. People who
imagined that by slowing away
o few dozen rifles they would
be able to deliver the Father
land!-Hard-up, out-of-work Of
ficers who knew nothing better
to do with themselves than to
be on the spot wherever there
was any prospect of trouble
Hoboes, permanent tramps who
had lost touch with everything
and went merely in fear of hav-
ing to get back into civil life
again-the last, toughest cllnE-
erS of war. And among them
few idealists and a mob OF
curious young lads out for ad-
venture - hunted, embittered,
desperate and mfstrusting each
other. Yes, and then"
He is silent a while and re-
mains staring before him. With
sidelong glances I study his
face. He is nervous and hag-
gard; there are dark shadows
round his eyes. Then he
straightens himself up. why
shouldn't I tell you, Ernst-I've
chewed on it long enough
heaven knowS-We had olt OF
a fight one day. Against COM
munists, so they said. But then
when saw the dead, some of
them still in their old army
tunics and military boots, for
mer comrades; then something
inside me tore-I cleaned up
half a company Of EngliShmen
once with my aeroplane-that
didn't worry me at all, war was
war-But these dead comrades
here in Germany-Shot down
by their own former comrades
no, not for me, Ernst!"
Suddenly Missing
I think of We'll and Heel,
and nod.
A chaffinch starts to sing
Just above us. The sun is de-
scending, more golden. Rahe
spitS out a shred of tobacco.
eyes, and then-then a bit
later two of our fellows were
suddenly missing. They had
some scheme for betraying the
whereabouts Of one of our
plants of rifles, so it was said.
And without any investigation
at all, their own comrades beat
them to death with clubs one
night in the forest. Feme, they
call it. One Of the dead men
had been a corporal under me
at the front. A real gem Of a
fellow! So then I chucked it."
He looked at me. "And that's
what it has turned into, Ernst.
Yes. and to think Of those other
days! To think with what a
will, what a sally we set out in
those other days!" He filings
his cigarette away. where is
it now?" Then, after a pause,
he says quietly: "And how
could this other thing ever have
come out of that? That's wnat
I'd like to know"
We get up and go down the
avenue of plane trees to the
exit. sunlight plays in the
leaves and flickers over our
faces. It is all so unreal
these things we have been talk
ing Of, and this soft, warm
wind of late summer, the black