The Washington times., 1931-10-19
CHAPTER 7
NOw Continue

IN farewell. But nothing Will
come; he has to give up. No
words in the world can take the
field against this lonely, empty
barracks square, and these sorry
ranks of the survivors, standing
there in their great-coats and
their boots, dumb and freezing,
remembering their comrades.
Heel passes from one to an
other and shakes hands with
each man. When he comes to
Max We'll, with thin lips he
says: Nov your time begins,
Well"
"It will be less bloody" an
swers We'll quietly.
"And less heroic" Heel re
torts.
That's not the only thing in
life" says We'll.
But the best" Heel replies.
''What else is there?"
We'll pauses a moment. Then
he says: Things that sound
feeble today, Herr Lieutenant
kindliness and love. These also
have their heroisms."
mo" answers Heel swiftly,
as though he had already long
thought upon it, and his brow is
clouded. They offer only mar
tyrdom. That is quite another
thing. HeroiSm begins where
reason leaves off; when life is
set at a discount. It has to do
with folly. with exaltation, with
riSk-and you know it. But
little or nothing with purpose.
Purpose, that is your word.
why? Wherefore? To what
end?'-Who asks these ques-
tions, knows nothing of it,"
A Bitter Soul
He speak, emphatically, as if
he would convince himself. His
worn face works. Within these
few days he has become en-
bittered and he looks years
older. And We'll also, he has
altered as rapidly. He used to
be an unobtrusive sort of fellow
but then nobody could quite
make hil out. Now he has
come suddenly to the fore and
every minute grows more de-
cided, more assured. No one
ever thought he could talk like
this. And the more agitated Heel
becomes, the calmer is Max.
Quietly and firmly he says,
"The misery Of millions is too
big a price to pay for the
heroics of a few"
Heel shrugs his shoulders.
Observation-Disclosures are
your words. We shall see how
far they will bring you"
We'll glances at the private's
uniform that Heel is still wear
ing. "And how far have yours
brought you"
Heel turns crimson. ITO a
memory" he says harshly. ITO
a remembrance of things which
at any rate are not to be had
for money"
Well is silent a moment. "To
q memory" he repeats, then
turns and looks out over the
empty square and along our
Scanty ranks. "Yes-and to a
terrible responsibility"
Freezing and SpeechleSs
AS for us, we do not make
much of all this. We are freez-
ing and we consider it unneces-
sary to talk. Talking will not
make the world any different.
The ranks break. The fare
wells begin. Muller, the man
next to me, settles the pack on
his shoulders, clamps his bundle
of rations under his arm; then
he stretches his hand to me.
''Well, good luck, Ernst"
Good luck, Felix He
passes on, to Willy, to Albert, to
Kosole::
Now comes Gerhard Pohl, the
company singer who on the
march used to sing all the top
tenor notes, pursuing the mel
ody as occasion offered, up into
the clouds. The remainder of
the time he would rest on his
oars so as to be able to put his
full weight into the two-part
passages. His tanned face with
the wart has a troubled look:
he has just parted from Karl
Broger, with whom he has
played so many games of skat.
That has been hard for him.
Eau revoir, Ernst"
eau revoir, Gerhard" He is
gone.
Weddekamp gives me his
hand. He used to make the
crosses for the fellows who we're
killed. tits a pity, Ernst" says
he, IT suppose I'll never be able
to fit you up now. And you
might have had mahogany
one, too! I was saving a lovely
bit of piano lid for you"
Wars Not Over
"Given time. all things must
happen" reply, grinning. "1'll
drop you a line when it comes
to that"
He laughs. That's right,
keep smiling, lad; the wars not
over yet"
Then with STOPPING shoulders
he trotS away.
the first group has already
vanished. through the barracks
gate Scheffler, FasSbender,
young Lucke and August Beck.
man among them. Others fol.
low. We begin to be troubled.
It Is difficult at first to get