The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1915-08-13
ROMANCE FLAMES ALONG WAR
LINES DESPITE THE ROAR
Wife Joins Her Husband and Goes
Down Into the Trenches.

Considerable attention has been at
tracted in the streets of Warsaw by
young wounded Russian officer on
crutches, accompanied by still
younger private with one arm in a
sling and wearing a st. Georges
cross. The comliness, the deep lash
q OF the BIZ dark eyes, and the deli
cate color of the skin were too strlk-
i'm in the case of the latter 10 c.
ceiYe the eye OF even casual passer-
by al to the real sex of the young PR
vate, and the true story OF the youth
full ST. George hero soon became the
talk of the town.
The officer was a young undergrad
uate, who joined the Russian army as
a volunteer. The private was daugh-
ter of princely landowner in the
Caucasus bearing one Of the noblest
names in the history Of Georgia
(Grusia)- When they first met both
were going by the same train to War
saw, he to Join his regiment, and she
to visit some friends. Nothing was
further from mind than to 20 to the
front, but Cupid, the upsetter of cal
culations, also took it into his head
to travel by the Warsaw express.
They fell in love with one another
at first sight, became engaged, and,
after two days (the length of the rail-
way Journey, on arriving at Warsaw,
went to the first Orthodox Greek
church to get married. a kindly
priest readily performed a hurried
war wedding. From the church
straight to the firing line. On the way
the girl managed to obtain a soldiers
kit and assumed the name of Lau-
renty. Her appeal addressed to the
officer commanding TO allow her to
remain in the trenches was so elo-
quent that the officer pretended not to
have recognized her sex.
She soon received her baptism OF
war. The position where she and
her husband we're stationed was one
OK the most critical On the River
Rawka, and subjected to continual
German attacks. After one particular
ly severe encounter, all the officers OF
her husbands and neighboring COM
panies were put hors de combat. Her
husband, although only lieutenant,
found himself in temporary command
of four companies, with his wife-his
lieutenant.
When the battle ragged at it, highest
the husband sent one of his men to
the front line with an order to retire.
The German guns had found their
mark, and were mercilessly moving
down the Russians Further delay
meant complete loss Of men.
The orderly came back with mes
sage that the front line men refused
to retire.
They had their order from the late
commander" they said, rather to die
than give up one inch Of ground, and
they we're going to carry it out"
Another man was sent to bring
them away, but he also failed in hi
mission. They had given their word
to their dead commander, and they
were going to keep it.
The husband sent his wife as his
last trump card. Perhaps you will
be able to persuade them," he said.
She tried, but without success. The
dutiful soldiers were obstinate like
mules. AS she was shouting at them
her 'superiors" orders the enemy's
shrapnel shells began exploding
right in the trenches with deadly
precision The Germans were crawl
ing nearer and nearer to the front
trenches
Seeing there was not a moment to
be lost, she resorIed to her weight
lest argument. She angrily raised her
rife and brought its butt-end down
with all force on the shoulders of one
and then another man. Her angry
voice, full of authority, and still more
forceful action had their effect. One
after another the men evacuated the
trenches and ran towards the back
line, Laurenty remaining behind until
the last man left the danger spot for
safer place. a. she stood there
shrapnel splinter struck her right
arm. In another ten minutes there
would not have been one man left in
the front trench.
When she got back to her husbands
position she found him wounded in
the leg. They were removed to the
same hospital, and the Soldier Prin-
cess was soon presented to the Com
manderin-Chief, and received Cross