Burton Egbert Stevenson

“ How sweet the smell of the warm earth, after the stench of the looted town! How calm and lovely the stars.
Stewart, staring up at them, felt a great serenity descend upon him. After all, what did it matter to the universe—this trivial disturbance upon this tiny planet? Men might kill each other, nations disappear; but the stars would swing on in their courses, the constellations go their predestined ways. Of what significance was man in the great scheme of things? ”

“ Stewart’s brain reeled as he gazed down at them and tried to estimate their number; and this was only one small corner of the Kaiser’s army. For leagues and leagues to north and south it was pressing forward; no doubt along the whole frontier similar hosts were massed for the invasion. It was gigantic, incredible—that word was in his thoughts more frequently than any other. He could not believe his own eyes; his brain refused to credit the evidence of his senses.
Each unit of this great array, each company, each squad, seemed to live its own life and to be sufficient unto itself. ”

“ After one glance, he sprang in amazement to his feet, for there before him stood a youth—the handsomest he had ever seen—Peter Pan come to earth again!—his hand at the visor of his traveling cap in mock salute.
“Well!” said Stewart, after a moment of amazed and delighted silence. “I believe you are a witch! Let me look at you!” and he caught up the candle and held it above his head.
The face upturned to his flamed crimson at the wonder and admiration in his eyes, but the dimple was sparkling at the corner of her mouth as she turned obediently before him and stepped slowly across the room. ”

“ There was always one ruse which never failed—just as the pursuers were about to fire, the fugitive would fling himself flat on his face, and the bullets would fly harmlessly over him; then he would spring to his feet and go safely on his way. Stewart smiled to remember how religiously he had believed in that stratagem, and how he had determined to practice it, if ever need arose! He had never contemplated the possibility of having to flee from a squad of men armed with magazine rifles, capable of firing twenty-five shots a minute! ”

“ To destroy liberty? To wrest independence from a proud little people? Surely no man of honor would fight for that! No, it must be for something else—for some ideal—for some ardent sense of duty, strangely twisted, perhaps, but none the less fierce and urgent!
Again the big guns in the armored turrets were bellowing forth their wrath; and then the searchlights stabbed suddenly up into the sky, sweeping this way and that.
“They fear an airship attack!” breathed the girl, and she and Stewart stood staring up into the night. ”

“ With a long breath, Bloem sat erect and passed his handkerchief across his shining forehead.
“There is one battalion,” he said; “one unit composed of a thousand lesser units—each unit a man with a soul like yours and mine; with hopes and ambitions; with women to love him; and now marching to death, perhaps, in the ranks yonder without in the least knowing why. There are four million such units in the army the Emperor can call into the field. ”

“ She was shaken with great sobs, and as she turned her streaming eyes up to him, her lips moving as if in prayer, Stewart saw how young she was, how lonely, how beautiful, how greatly in need of help. She had been fighting for her country with all her strength, with every resource, desperately, every nerve a-strain—and victory had been too much for her. ”

“ Bloem looked at him for a moment, and his smile grew more ironic.
“I can guess what is in your mind,” he said. “You are wondering why we march at all—why we offer ourselves as cannon-fodder, if we do not wish to do so. You are thinking of defiances, of revolutions. But there will never be a revolution in Germany—not in this generation.”
“Yes, I was thinking something like that,” Stewart agreed. “Why will there be no revolution?”
“Because we are too thoroughly drilled in the habit of obedience. That habit is grooved deep into our brains. ”

“ Then, suddenly, amid the thunder of the cannon, there surged a vicious undercurrent of sound which Stewart knew must be the reports of machine-guns, or perhaps of rifles; and all along the slope below the fort innumerable little flashes stabbed upward toward the summit. Surely infantry would never attack such a position, Stewart told himself; and then he held his breath, for, full in the glare of the searchlights, he could see what seemed to be a tidal wave sweeping up the hill. ”

“ I have seen the mourning wreaths on the Strassburg monument. I confess,” he added, “that I sympathize with France’s dream of regaining her lost provinces. So do most Americans. We are a sentimental people.”
“I, too, sympathize with that dream,” said Bloem, quickly, “or at least I understand it. So do many Germans. We have come to realize that the seizure of Alsace and Lorraine, however justified by history, was in effect a terrible mistake. We should have been generous in our hour of triumph—that way lay a chance of friendship with a people whose pride remained unbroken by disaster. ”

“ Where was the owner of the château, Stewart wondered, looking up at it. Where were the women who had sat and gossiped on its terrace? Where were all the people who had lived in those two villages? Wandering somewhere to the westward, homeless and destitute, every one of them—haggard women and hungry children and tottering old men, whose quiet world had turned suddenly to chaos. ”

“ Life is too sweet to end just yet!”
She smiled up into his eyes, and waved the handkerchief at arm’s length above their heads. Stewart, glancing up, saw a row of faces crowned by queer black shakos peering curiously down from the top of the barricade.
“They have seen us!” he said. “They’re not firing! They understand that we are friends! Courage, little comrade!”
“I am not afraid,” she smiled. “And I love that name—little comrade!”
“Here are the last entanglements—and then we’re through. What is that cavalry doing?” ”

“ How many times have I heard Prussian officers boast that a war would cost Germany nothing—that her enemies would be made to bear the whole burden! It has all been arranged—the indemnity which each village, even the smallest, must pay—the amount of supplies which each must furnish, the ransom which will be assessed on each individual. This lieutenant of Uhlans is merely carrying out his instructions!”
“Who is the old man?”
“The burgomaster, doubtless. He and the priest are always the most influential men in a village.” ”

“ It was Fernande’s voice, low, vibrant with sympathy. “You will pardon me for what I am about to say—but I think I understand. It was not alone for France you did this thing—it was for that ‘little comrade,’ as you have called her, so brave, so loyal, so indomitable that my heart is at her feet. Is it not so?”
He came a step nearer and laid a tender hand on Stewart’s arm.
“Do not despair, I beg of you, my friend. She is not dead—it is impossible that she should be dead! Fate could not be so cruel. ”

“ Stewart talked at random, wondering how she intended to destroy the ticket. Once he fancied he heard the sound of soft tearing; and once, when she spoke in answer to a question, her voice seemed strange and muffled.
“It is done,” she whispered at last. “Place these in your pocket and continue talking.”
Her groping hand touched his and he found himself grasping two minute objects whose nature he could not guess, until, feeling them carefully, he found them to be the small wire staples which had held the coupons of the ticket together. ”

“ The officer shrugged his shoulders.
“She must, or risk annihilation. She will not dare oppose us. If she does, we shall crush her into the dust. She will belong to us, and we will take her. Moreover, we shall not repeat the mistake we made in Alsace-Lorraine. There will be no treason in Belgium!”
Stewart felt a little shiver of disgust sweep over him. So this was the German attitude—treaties, solemn agreements, these were merely “scraps of paper” not worth a second thought; a small nation had no rights worth considering, since it lacked the power to defend them. ”

“ Stewart, nodding, followed along beside her, across fields, over little streams, up and down stretches of rocky hillside, always westward. But he saw nothing; his mind was full of other things—of the gray-clad thousands singing as they marched; of the radiant face of the Crown Prince; of that poor murdered woman, who had risen happily this Sunday morning, glad of a day of rest, and looked up to see strange faces at the door——
And this was war. A thousand other women would suffer the same fate ”

“ AN ARMY IN ACTION The sound of cannonading grew fiercer and fiercer, as they advanced, and the undertone of rifle fire more perceptible. It was evident that the Germans were rapidly getting more and more guns into action, and that the infantry attack was also being hotly pressed. Below them in the valley, they caught glimpses from time to time, as the trees opened out a little, of the gray-clad host marching steadily forward, as though to overwhelm the forts by sheer weight of numbers ”

“ Mechanically, Stewart slipped out of his coat, undid his tie, took off his collar, pulled up his sleeves, and fell to. He was obsessed by a feeling of unreality which even the cold water did not dissipate. It couldn’t be true—all this——
“I wish you would hurry, Tommy,” said a voice behind him. “I am waiting for you to unhook my bodice.”
Stewart started round as though stung by an adder. His companion’s hair fell in beautiful dark waves about her shoulders, and he could see that her bodice was loosened. ”

“ These were the questions which surged through Stewart’s mind as he slowly crossed the square and made his way along the silent streets back toward his hotel. At almost every corner a red poster stared at him—a poster bearing the Prussian eagle and the Kaiser’s name. “The sword has been thrust into our hands,” the Kaiser wrote. “We must defend our Fatherland and our homes against the assaults of our enemies. Forward with God, who will be with us, as He was with our fathers!” ”

“ It is for them as much as for herself that France is fighting—for human rights everywhere—for the poor people who till the fields, and toil in the factories, and sweat in the mines! And civilization must fight with her against this barbarian state ruled by the upturned mustache and mailed fist, believing that might makes right and that she can do no wrong! ”

“ Stewart, following his porter, was engulfed in the human tide which had been beating clamorously against the gates, and which surged forward across the platform as soon as they were opened. There were tourists of all nations, alarmed by the threat of war, and there were also many people who, to Stewart at least, appeared to be Germans; and all of them were running toward the train, looking neither to the right nor left, dragging along as much luggage as they could carry. ”

“ How could any American be on the side of despotism? Oh, impossible! America is on our side! And you, as an American, will assist me to escape my enemies.”
“Your enemies?”
“I will not deceive you,” she said, earnestly. “I trust you. I have lived all my life at Strassburg and at Metz, those two outposts against France—those two great fortresses of cities which the Germans have done their utmost to make impregnable, but [Pg 67] which are not impregnable if attacked in a certain way. They have their weak spot, just as every fortress has. ”

“ The valley widened, and suddenly as they swept around a curve, Stewart saw a broad plain covered with flaring lights. They were the lights of field-kitchens; and, looking at them, Stewart realized that a mighty army lay encamped here, ready to be hurled against the French frontier.
And then he remembered that this was not the French frontier, but the frontier of Belgium. Could the landlady of the Kölner Hof have been mistaken? To make sure, he got out his Baedeker and looked at the map. No; the French frontier lay away to the south. ”

“ General Joffre shot him a quick glance. His face softened, grew tender with comprehension.
“Fernande,” he said.
Fernande bowed.
“Everything possible shall be done, my general,” he said. “I promise it. We shall not be long without tidings.”
“Thank you,” said Stewart. “That is all, I think.”
“And you?”
“I? Oh, what does it matter!” And then he turned, fired by a sudden remembrance of a great white tent, of loaded ambulances. “Yes—there is something I might do. I am a surgeon. Will France accept my services?” ”

“ Then, as they turned a bend in the road, they drew back in alarm; for just ahead of them, close beside the track, a bright fire was burning, lighting up the black entrance of a tunnel, before which stood a sentry leaning on his rifle. Five or six other soldiers, wearing flat fatigue caps, were lolling about the fire, smoking and talking in low tones.
Stewart surveyed them curiously. They were big, good-humored-looking fellows, fathers of families doubtless—honest men with kindly hearts. It seemed absurd to suppose that such men as these would loot villages and burn houses and outrage women ”