The Washington times., 1931-10-15


wants to buy the whole box
at one deal. But Ledderhose
merely gives him one long,
knowing slant from his squint-
ing eyes. The American re-
turns the look just as lmpas-
Sively, just as seemingly harm
less. One suddenly saw in them
a family likeness. as Of two
brothers. Something that has
survived all the chances Of war
and death has flashed between
them-the spirit Of trade.
Ledderhose'S antagonist soon
sees that there is nothing do
ing. Arthur is not to be
tricked; his wares will be de-
cidedly more profitable dis
posed of in retail, so he barters
them one by one. till the box
is empty. About him there
gradually rises up a pile of
goods, even butter, and silk,
eggs, linen and money, until
finally he stands there on his
handy legs looking like a de-
partment store.
The Last Farewell
We take our leave. The
Americans call and wave after
us. The sergeant especially is
indefatigable. Even Kosole is
moved, so far as an old soldier
can be. He, too. grunts a few
words of farewell and waves his
hand; but in him all this has
still an air of menace. Then
at last he ventures to Bethke,
"Quite decent fellows, eh?"
Adolph mods. We go on in
silence. Ferdinand lowers his
head. He is thinking. Such is
not his habit, but when the fit
does take him he is tenacious
and will chew the cud a long
time. He cannot get the ser
geant from Dresden out of his
head.
In the villages the folk start
after us. At a railway crossing
there are flowers in the watch
mans window. Dogs bark at US.
Wolf growlS in return. We
smoke vacantly.
Marching, marching. We have
now reached the zone Of field
ambulance stations, Of supply
depots. A spacious park with
plane trees. Stretchers and
wounded under the trees. The
leaves are falling and covering
them in red and gold.
A Horrible Place
A gas hospital. Bad cases
that cannot be moved. Blue
faces, waxen green faces, dead
eyes. eaten by the acid; wheez-
ing, choking, dying men. They
all want to get away; they are
afraid of being taken prisoner.
AS if it were not a matter Of in
difference where they die.
We try to cheer them, telling
them they will be better cared
for with the Americans. But
they do not listen. Again and
again they call to us to take
them with us.
The cries are terrible. The
pallid faces seem to so unreal
in the light out here in the
open. But most awful are the
boards. They take on a life of
their own they stand out stiff,
fantastical, growing, luxuriating
over the sunken jaws, a black
fungus that feeds and thrives
the more these sag and waste
away.
Some Of the badly wounded
reach out their thin, gray arms
like children. Take me with
you, mate" they say, imploring.
Take me with you, mate" In
the hollowS of their eyes lurk al
ready deep, strange shadows
from which the pupils struggle
up with difficulty like drowning
things. Others are quiet, fol-
lowing us as far as they can
with their eyes.
The cries sound gradually
fainter. The road drags on
toilSomely. We are carrying a
lot of stuff-a man must bring
something back home with
him. Clouds hang in the sky.
During the afternoon the sun
breaks through, and birch
trees, now with only a few
leaves left, hang mirrored in
puddles of rain along the way.
Soft blue haze is caught in the
branches.
Panic-Stricken
AS I march on with pack and
lowered head, by the side Of
the road I see an image of
bright, silken trees reflected in
the pools Of rain. In these oc-
casional mirrors they are dis
played clearer than in reality.
They get another light and in
another way. Embedded there
in the brown earth lies a span
of sky, trees, depths and clear
ness. Suddenly I shiver. For
the first time in many years
feel again that something is
still beautiful. that this in all
its simplicity IS beautiful and
pure, this image in the water
pool before me-and in this
thrill my heart leaps UP. Tor
a moment all that other falls
away, and now, for the first
time, I feel it; I see it; I COM
prehend it fully: Peace. The
weight that nothing eased be-
fore. now lifts at last. Some
thing new, flies up, a dove. a