Evening star., 1900-11-17
HEROIC wOMEN'S WORK.
Made Bags for Defense of Legations,
While Cannon Reared.


From Leslie S Weekly.
Lady Macdonald Mrs. Conger and the
other ladies of the legation offered their
curtains and Dortieres for use and the
scissors ruthlessly cut up most exquisitely
embroidered draperies into sand bags, while
those who were in charge of the fortifica-
tions continually sent messengers asking
for more, more One, of the mission la
dies had just laid in new supply of table
linen, and some of the native Christians,
finding 1t and knowing whose It was
brought 1t to her. This, with all like ma
terial. was used, were drawn-work linen
sheets and pillow cases. while bolts OF rare
damaSk linen We're cut up without com
Function. In fact, all sense of cost, and
even sense of beauty, seemed to be lost in
the eager desire to furnish the means of
protection to human lives. Besides these
beautiful things thus sacrificed. there were
also used common materials such as old
Mongol tents. hangings to Sedan chairs and
stacks of old Chinese clothing. These were
cut out and sometimes sewn by foreign la
dies unused to other than delicate work.
However. the foreign ladies were greatly
assisted by the Chinese girls of the mission
schools and by the women of the families
Of native Christians. OF the former there
were some $50. Beside the supplies brought
from the foreign stores. there were great
rolls of cotton CLOTH also of silk and bro
cade satin, from Chinese stores. The Chi
nese at their funerals wear special gar
ments. Many of these were used, the long
large sleeves being well suited to the pur-
pose of bag-making. 1t was a continual
surprise. that new supplies from new
sources came in each day as needed.
The housekeeping committee and those
who worked in the diet kitchen were par
ticulary hard worked, being constantly
busy, and exhibited ingenuity in plan
ming and preparing appetizing edibles that
was marvellous The materials were horse
flesh Called pony meaD, coarse wheat flour
and a dark-colored rice These were the
staple materials. There was a small guam
tity of canned meats. which was used as
an occasional relish. The white rice and
and the sick. One of the missionaries told
me she went each day to another part of
the legation, In constant danger of flying
bullets to get slice of white bread for her
sick baby. The woman having the -four
baked loaf each day, not for the use of
her family, but for the sick
While there were three ladies on the
standing committee of housekeeping, all the
ladies took their turns in looking after the
cooking, serving table setting, etc AS
there were seventy in this family, they were
divided into three messes And it was nee
| essary to have three OF each of the
meals. AS the dining room was also living
and sleeping room, it required much work
to keep 1t in presentable condition. One of
the hardest things to bear was the utter
impossibiEty of having quiet. There were
times when it was unsafe for any one to be
outside the building and all work had to
be done with a large number In the room
Outside was the roar of artillery; inside
three busy sewing machines, and women
and children, and servants at work, besides
all the men not required outside the
| Notifications or at the mill This constant
noise-and impossibilty to be aIone-was
more wearing upon the nervous system
| than any amount of work