human
Is this the first time you have been gassed?
gpt
Third time,
human
I should think you would have been discharged.
gpt
Discharged, said the soldier, in a perplexed tone,
human
But you have been gassed three times, I said,
gpt
I should think they ought to let you return to civil life and your family.
human
You professional officers don't know much, do you? A soldier quit and do common labor, now that's a fine idea. And a family! Do you think I'm a Hohenzollern? At the thought the soldier chuckled.
gpt
Me with a family, he muttered to himself,
human
Then, I suppose, you have nothing to hope for until you reach the age of retirement, unless war should come to an end?
gpt
Now you do have some queer ideas. There was a man in our company who used to talk like that when no officers were around. This fellow, his name was Mannteufel, said he could read books, that he was a forbidden love-child and his father was an officer. I guess he was forbidden all right, for he certainly wasn't right in his head. He said that we would go out on the top of the ground and march over the enemy country and be shot at by the flying planes, like the roof guards, if the officers had heard him they would surely have sent him to the crazy ward--why he said that the war would be over after that, and we would all go to the enemy country and go about as we liked, and own houses and women and flying planes and animals. As if the Royal House would ever let a soldier do things like that.
human
Well, I said,
gpt
Now there you go again--how do you mean the war was over, what would all us soldiers do if there was no fighting?
human
You could work, I said,
gpt
But if we worked in the shops, what would the workmen do?
human
They would work too,
gpt
I think I get your idea, he said.
human
The Eugenic Staff would cut down the birth rates so that there would only be enough soldiers and workers to fill the working jobs.
gpt
They might do that,
human
Well, said the soldier, returning to the former thought,
gpt
I hope they won't do that until I am dead. I don't care to go up on the ground to get shot at by the fighting planes. At least now we have something over our heads and if we are going to get gassed or blown up we can't see it coming. At least--
human
I wish, Captain, said the officer addressing me,
gpt
Well?
human
He's not to blame, sir, said the soldier,