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Now the audience sat in puzzled silence, but the speaker continued on with his speech, unabated. “Now is the time that reveals what true Germans are made of! The German Workers’ Party shall resist all efforts at domination and destruction, shall resist by force of arms.” Halstead pointed his arms and his eyes in the direction of the entrance, where a score of men with gray uniforms, carbines, and stolen hand grenades stood guard. “Yes, the party has formed a new verband, a new force that expresses in concrete terms the power this party wields!” Halstead waited until all the men in the hall had had a chance to glance behind themselves, then he continued with his address. “Yes, the German Workers’ Party shall stand up to tyranny and injustice wherever it sees it. The Darbeitpartei shall meet swords with swords, and fire with fire! But we need your support to do so. If you can, volunteer for the Ordnertruppe. We especially need veterans! If you do not want to volunteer for the Ordnertruppe, become a regular party member. And if you become a regular party member, demonstrate your seriousness with marks! Swords and fire cost money, and so does the spread of our message! Now is the time that we shall pass the basket, and now is your opportunity to show your support for a new Germany and for the German worker!” Halstead leaned back from the podium, and watched a dozen baskets be passed from the outer edges of the crowd. Most of the audience, well- and poorly-dressed alike, reached into pockets and wallets for the marks that would total over three hundred. Halstead watched the hard results of his handiwork, and allowed himself another small smile.
############“Herr Hitler, don’t you think that they could have just given up?” Halstead’s helmeted head turned to the right, to the lieutenant who addressed him with the question. “Perhaps, perhaps not.” Then the leader of the forty armed men lying flat in the predawn darkness and the grass of the Froettmaninger Heath turned back to the dirt road that led to the cluster of tents with the lanterns turned bright. “If they don’t come by dawn, we’ll break camp and head back to the city. Perhaps the Communists won’t dare attack an armed force that’s ready and waiting to fight. They are a regime of cowards and thieves, not warriors.” |