large/9676/unhappy_far-off_things_1701_librivox_64kb_mp3/unhappyfaroffthings_05_dunsany_64kb_18
large/9676/unhappy_far-off_things_1701_librivox_64kb_mp3/unhappyfaroffthings_05_dunsany_64kb
English
9676
A British helmet dinted in like an old bowler, but tragic not absurd, lay near a barrel and a teapot. On a wall that rose above a heap of dirty and smashed rafters was written in red paint KOMPe I.M. A BRITISH HELMET DINTED IN LIKE AN OLD BOWLER BUT TRAGIC NOT ABSURD LAY NEAR A BARREL AND A TEAPOT ON A WALL THAT ROSE ABOVE A HEAP OF DIRTY AND SMASHED RAFTERS WAS WRITTEN IN RED PAINT COMPANY I M
e abroad in Albert that could do these things, an iron force that had no mercy for iron, a mighty mechanical contrivance that could take machinery and pull it all to pieces in a moment as a child takes a flower to pieces petal by petal. When such a force was abroad what chance had man? It had come down upon Albert suddenly, and railway lines and bridges had drooped and withered and the houses had stooped down in the blasting heat, and in that attitude I found them still, worn-out, melancholy heaps overcome by disaster. Pieces of paper rustled about like footsteps, dirt covered the ruins, fragments of rusty shells lay as unsightly and dirty as that which they had destroyed. Cleaned up and polished, and priced at half a crown apiece, these fragments may look romantic some day in a London shop, but to-day in Albert they look unclean and untidy, like a cheap knife sticking up from a murdered woman's ribs, whose dress is long out of fashion. The stale smell of war arose from the desolation. E HAD BEEN A FORCE ABROAD IN ALBERT THAT COULD DO THESE THINGS AN IRON FORCE THAT HAD NO MERCY FOR IRON A MIGHTY MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCE THAT COULD TAKE MACHINERY AND PULL IT ALL TO PIECES IN A MOMENT AS A CHILD TAKES A FLOWER TO PIECES PEDAL BY PEDAL WHEN SUCH A FORCE WAS ABROAD WHAT CHANCE HAD MAN IT HAD COME DOWN UPON ALBERT SUDDENLY AND RAILWAY LINES AND BRIDGES HAD DROOPED AND WITHERED AND THE HOUSES HAD STOOPED DOWN IN THE BLASTING HEAT AND IN THAT ATTITUDE I FOUND THEM STILL WORN OUT MELANCHOLY HEAPS OVERCOME BY DISASTER PIECES OF PAPER RUSTLED ABOUT LIKE FOOTSTEPS DIRT COVERED THE RUINS FRAGMENTS OF RUSTY SHELLS LAY AS UNSIGHTLY AND DIRTY AS THAT WHICH THEY HAD DESTROYED CLEANED UP AND POLISHED AND PRICED AT HALF A CROWN A PIECE THESE FRAGMENTS MAY LOOK ROMANTIC SOME DAY IN A LONDON SHOP BUT TO DAY AND ALBERT THEY LOOK UNCLEAN AND UNTIDY LIKE A CHEAP KNIFE STICKING UP FROM A MURDERED WOMAN'S RIBS WHOSE DRESS IS LONG OUT OF FASHION THE STALE SMELL OF WAR AROSE FROM THE DESOLATION
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