Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

THE CONSCRIPT. 1
1/
And he could hardly contain himself for joy.
" I remember very well. And . . . tell me, how do you
like being a soldier ? "
The conscript's face changed instantly ;
he dropped his eyes
and was sileat.
"
Why did n't you go out to walk with the others ? "
He made no reply, and looked at his nails as if thinking what
he should say ;
but one could read his thoughts
on his face.
The officer understood, and in an affable voice, which went
straight to his heart, asked :
" "
What is the matter ?
This loosened his tongue, and growing more and more animated,
he began in a trembling voice :"!...; listen,
Mr. Officer ;!...!
don't know what is the
matter, but they treat us in a way that hurts us ;
that 's
the trouble. If you ask any thing, they do not reply ;
and then they say things to us that offend us, and we have to
keep quiet or else there is the prison there (and he imitated
the voice of the corporal). I understand perfectly that we
don't know how to dress, and that
we cannot be good soldiers
yet ;
but we have only been here two days, and is it our fault ?
Can we help
it ? You know we came on purpose to learn, and
they ought to have a little more patience with us, I think.
Then
they make fun of us before people, put their hands on us, and
give us blows, and we have to bear it all, and they laugh.
. .
I do not see why they ill-treat us so. I came willingly to be a
soldier, and said to myself :
I will do my duty, and my superi-
but now that I see . . .
Perhaps when
ors will like me
;
we get accustomed to it,
we shall not notice it,
but it hurts us
to be so maltreated. We have been accustomed to home, and