Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday His clutching fingers wrapped about the haft of a knife, and it shone in a steely arc as he raised it and rushed again. Pauli half screamed, while Brui'c leaped to meet his opponent. vainl\- tiying to block the slashing blade. Sonietliiiig that felt like the sear of red-hot iron jagged across his wrist, and he reeled away, then stood close against the wall, still gripping the flag, wliile blood from the wound in his wrist soaked down to its folds. Carl liad stopped jlcad, with the now- stained knife still half raised. He and all the others were staring as though petrified at the blood trickling down Bruce"s fingers and dripping to the 6oor. All the colour had gone from Bruce's face now. Ho looked at his wound— and at tlie first blood shed after the declaration of war ! He straightened up, and stared around the room. One Englishman, with his own flag soaking his spilled blood, facing a group of Austrians—a group of enemies ! Plis voice came, shaking: "And five minutes ago wo were all friends !" The World at War. PAULI bound up Bruce's wound, while the others stood around, silent. Outside the excited crowd was singing, cheering, and roaring their defiance to England. The hard, cruel spirit of war itself seemed to liave entered the room, where the decorations on the walls, the feast on the table, and Pau!i"s pretty dress wore in strong, ruthless contrast to the little pool of blood on the carpet and tli(> bandage about Bruce's wri.st. The knife lay where Carl had now dropped it, its bright steel tarnished. "You can get out of this house as soon as jou like!" Carl said, when Pauli stepped away. " No, no ! There's no need for that I" Pauli gasped. "What has come over you two?" the old pro- fessor's voice broke in. "Until that telephone mes.sage came, you were friends—like brothers. Now one of you has tried to kill the other —all because of a little bit of tinted cloth over a photograph." "It's my country's flag, sir!" Bruc3 told him. "And it's the flag of my country's enemy!' Carl cut in. " And so you two— friends—must spill blood!" said the pro- fessor. "You young fools, what does " He broke ofi". Out in the street below came a deep, growling sound, made up of cheers and curses atid maledictions. It was a wild, deep- throated roar which surged closer and closer, and took Pauli to the window. She looked out. "There's a crowd downstairs, following BOY'S CINEMA some soldiers. They've got prisoners! They're coming here!" Pauli cried. "Tliey've stopped outside, and two are coming in! They're after you. Bruce!" Bruce leaped from the window and snatched up a chair. "Then I'll fight before they take me!" he shouted. "If I'm your enemv. Carl, start in now ! Come on—all of you ! I'll show you how an Englishman can scrap I" "Don't be a fool!" Carl gasped. "We'll get you a«ay. You can escape and get back to your own country. I'll do that much for you because you were my friend. Out through the back window and down on to the shed roof— you can jump it I" "Yes, Bruce—go!" Pauli swung to him. "Don't lot them mako you a pri.soner—and don't fight ! Oh, you're mad, all of you ! Get away—thcj-'re coming up the stairs !" Carl wrenched open the door of the other room. Winkelniann ran through it and slammed open the window through which Bruce could escape. The young Englishman hesitated for a moment, then dropped the chair and started forward. Old Professor Arndt gripped his hand as he passed. "Heaven keep you, my boy!" he said, and a moment later Bruce was chocking where Carl .stood by the door. Bruce offered his hand. Carl drcu himself up, his back stiff. "I can't shake hands with—an enemy," he said. "Then I'll come back, after the war.'' Bruce said. "We'll all be the same again then!" Pauli called after him. "Good-bye. Bruce—good-bye !" Bruce waved to her and plunged across the room, while the tramp of the moutiting soldiers sounded loud 0:1 the stairs outside. As he climbed 11 through the v\iudow, Winkelmani snarled : "If I meet you on the battlefield, 1'!' give you no quarter !" "And I shan't ask it !" Bruce laughed at him. "Good luck to you ! And Carl —good luck, old man !" "Good-bye—enemy!" came Carl'.-: voice, and with that Bruce jumped from the window to tlio shed roof ten feet below. He landed safely, then scrambled off it to the little yard beyond. There was a door in the siirroundin-.' wall, and he snatched it open, to plunge into an alloy. He turned away from the crowd in the street and hurried. In a little while he was mingling with the mob in the broad boulevard of the Franzenring. There was nothing in his dress to mark him as an Englishman, and ho spoke the language well. Wild-eyed crowds wore parading. He saw moving groups of soldiers surrounded by great cheering masses of people, and still more crowds were about the huge bulletin boards which now told of suc- cesses of Austrian armies on Serbian soil. ,♦ Bruce dared not go back to his rooms. Everything there he must abandon. But he had money with him. and he decided to travel south, cross the Italian border somehow, and then make his way to England. He saw more soldiers rounding up Englishiiion in the city, and when he cautiously approached a railway station he found troops on duty thoro. examin- ing the papers of all w ho passed through the barrier. Bruce saw that he would be unable to get aboard a train in Vienna, so he started, then and there, to tramp south- ward. In an hour he was clear of the city, and in a small shop he bought Bruce leaped to meet his opponent, vainly trying to block the slashing blade. February Ijtli, 1930.