New-York tribune., 1915-03-26

genious man, slowly cutting three
inches Of candle from the three feet'
lit the small piece and stuck it into
bronze kerosene lamp. Whereupon the
lamp chimney shivered in hundred
pieces and the candle fame leaped
absolutely in the wind.
Fall of Warsaw Expected.
"It's the greatest battle in the
world" he said, speaking Of the opera
tions TO the east, "and think, il you
stay here till the first OF February, you
will have bit of history TO send your
newspaper" He meant the fall OF
Warsaw.
Well. his calculations were too hope
full. for here we are we'll into Febru-
airy, and Warsaw has not yet fallen:
But the greatest battle in the world
goes prosperously on, and Warsaw,
judging by the proclamations issued to
its population. begins to sense its
doom.
Then we left the tomb of the Phara-
chs to absorb heat and difuse heat IN
it's own leisurely way, and went down
to the officers casino to see what our
New Years Eve supper was going to be
like.
There was great excitement at the
casino, for the report had just reached
there that keg of Munich beer was on
the way from freight yards as special
holiday treat. Strong men with the
Iron Cross OF both classes on their
coats almost broke down under this
news and went about the room repeat
ing "Munchener!" "Minchener" in a
dazed sort Of WY, as il the tidings
were too good to be true.
Go thau Wara in WaU for when
the beer came it was so icy cold that
all the life had gone out of it, and it
was fiat and shuddery. / shall never
forget the look, at once fatuous and pa
thetic, that came over the beamlng
faces when the men lifted the glasses
to their lips. Children whose sweet
meats had turned out to be salt could
not have looked more forlorn nor been
more frank in making known their
grief.
Supplies Run Low.
However, what with the hot tea,
which we laced with rum. and cold sau-
sage and klops, which was q kind
hashed meat, cooked in spheres, we
made out very well-80 per cent better,
in truth, than we did four days later,
when supplies began to run low.
The triumph of the supper though,
was a boucuet of flowers in the centre
of the table, where the colonels and
majors sat, and in explanation of the
flowers 1t was said that the wife of
high officer had sent them as a New
Year greeting to him by another officer
faring out of Posen, and that the re-
cipient had been so kind as to share
his greeting with the whole casino.
The flowers did good deal to recon
cie the compsny to the tragedy Of the
beer, for | don't believe German
would be happy even in heaven unless
there were flowers on the table.
In two hours the officer from Ham
burg and Che is an engineer there IN
civil life. believe, and think he told
me he has a brother-in-law on the
faculty of Pennsylvania, were back in
our quarters.
By this time the Washington Monu-
ment was giving off a respectable imi-
tation Of heat, and, II it did not and
could not warm the room, the glow OF
fire which showed through the cracks
in the iron door at least made some
thing cheerful to look at as you peered
into the dark. SO | lay down to rea-
sonably pleasant dreams.
Awakened by Shots.
Along toward midnight | was reused
by the sound of firing in the court
under our windows-nOt volleys, but
ragged firing, such as you hear IN
street fighting. The status quo OF Lo-
wicz is about to change for the fourth
time, thought |, and the Russians are
back again.
However, it was only the homeslck
Germans shooting in the New Year and
rousing one another to exchange the
compliments of the season.
At first the firing was intermittent,
but soon it became regular all along
the court. and heads were popped out
of windows and laughing men were
shouting down to their comrades
"Gluckseliges Neu Jahr!" "Prosit Neu
Jahr!"
Five hours later some of those men
were to start for the real thing In
infantry fire and find the close Of their
brief Happy New Year in the four lines
of trenches beyond Bolimow.
Then voices were lifted in song, and
the strains of "Unser liebes Vaterland
darf nicht untergehen" and that proud
plaintive ballad of home, 80 Strass-
burg. o Strassburg! du wunderschone
Stadtl" hoated over the clamor like a
benediction.
Suddenly there was a word of COM
mand, and the firing ceased; but for an
hour thereafter you could hear the
tired voices of men wishing one an
other a happy new year as they
trampe1 to their cold beds. There were
sleepy responses of "Besten dank," or
sentry's crisp "Jawohl" in response
to a command.
All, indeed, was "well," and, feeling
very friendly and peaceful, peered
out into the darkness and wished my
new friend from Hamburg happy new
year. lie replied with good will,
adding:
LET us wish Germany happy new
year" He was silent moment and
then said, like man praying, u hope
God will be good to u.s."
There was another pause, and then
he said, as simply as a child would
have said it, God knows we deserve
His goodness"
The man spoke with a simplicity so
trustful and with such genuine piety
that | thought silence was the best
answer.
While we were turning over our
thoughts in the dark the wind blew
the stufling out of one of the windows.
AT any rate" the captain said, there
is one good thing about this room
we have plenty of ventilation" With
that somewhat forlorn joke he dropped
off to sleep.
Uses Curtain as COverlid.
I slept in all my clothes and in my
fur cap that night, with the precious
window curtain for a coverlet and one
end of the mattress folded under to
make a pillow.