The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1931-12-04
. THE ROAD BACK
A Story Of the Aftermath
Or the World War

draw your men, so that there
shall be no more shooting!"
Heel makes a gesture Of i'm
patience. MY men stay where
they are! If they withdrew,
they would be attacked tomor-
row by mob ten times as big.
You know that yourself. In
five minutes I occupy all the
road heads. I give you till
then to take off this dead
man."
set to it," says Ludwig to
us. Then he turns to Heel
ocve again. If you withdraw
now. no one will attack you.
If you stay, more will be
killed. And through you! Do
you realize that?"
II realize it," answers Heel
coldly.
For a second longer we stand
face to face. Heel looks at the
row of us. 1t is a strange
moment. Then something snaps.
We take up the limp body of
Max We'll and bear him away.
The streets are again filled with
people. A wide passage opens
before us as we come. Cries
go up. "Noske bloodhounds!"
Police thugs!" "Murderers!"
From Max Wells back the blood
drips.
We take him to the nearest
house. It is the restaurant, the
Hollandische Dele. A couple of
ambulance men are already
there, binding up two people
who lie on the dance floor. A
woman is groaning and keeps
asking to so home. With diff
ficulty they detain her till a
stretcher is brought and a doc.
tor arrives. She has a wound
in the stomach. Beside her lies
a man still wearing his old
army tunic. Both his knees
have been shot through. His
wife is kneeling beside him,
moaning. He didn't do any
thing! He was only walking by.
I was just bringing him his cup
supper" She points to a gray
enamel billy can. Just his sup
per-"
ALI Is A-Stir
The women dancers are hud-
died together in a corner. The
manager is running to and fro
excitediy, asking if the wounde,..
cannot be taken elsewhere-His
business will be ruined, if it
gets about. No guest will want
to dance there again.-Anton
Demuth, in his glided porter's
Inform, has fetched a bottle
of brandy and is holding it to
the wounded mans lips. The
manage looks on in horror and
.nakeS signs to him, but Anton
takes no I-otice.
DO you think I'll lose my
legs?", the wounded man asks.
I'm a chauffeur"
The stretchers come. Again
shots are heard outside. We
spring up. Hoots, scream and
a clatter of broken glass. We
run out.
RIP up the pavement"
shouts someone, driving o pick
into the cobbles. Mattresses
are being thrown down from
the houses. chairs, a perambu-
lator. Shots flash out from
the square and now are an
swered from the roofs.
Lights out!" A man springs
forward and throws a brick.
Immediately it is dark.
"Kosole!" shouts Albert.
1t is he. Valentin is beside
him. Like a whirlpool the
shots have drawn everyone in.
Into 'em, Ernst! Ludwig!
Albert" roars Kosole. The
swine are shooting at womcn!"
We crouch in, the doors of
the houses, bullets lashing, men
shouting; we are submerged,
swept away, devasted, raging
with hate; we are soldiers orce
more-it has us again, crashing
and raging war roars above us.
between us. within us; it is tin
ished, comradeship riddled by
machine guns. soldier shooting
at soldiers, comrades at conl-
radeS; ended, it is finished
(To be. continued
Copyright, Erich Maria Remarque
1881: distributed by United