New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-03

Hllo"Skl, VINO must have been very
pretty once, but what with many chill
dren and recent troubles now seems
old before her time. enumerates hel
woes in an even tone Of lamentatior
that conveys both heavy grief and dull
resignation.
She is a Jewess. and there is a kline
of Old Testament cadence in her re-
cital of the trials laid upon her-or il
II an echo of Shylock's wailing in the
sunlit Venetian square that / catch in
her weary sing song?
Ten thousand rubles gone" she be-
gins when we exchange condolences
"ten thousand rubles gone and the
house in Kalisch burned! Cur cor
Samuel in New York-from MIN we
have had no word since the war came
"The high born can see for himself
the state of our son here-the affection
of the lungs. And my man, he is never
we'll the heart of him not strong
Two Of the children are with my sister
in-law, two moro with an uncle, and
three with us here. We, to, are quar-
tered.
This is not our house. Our house
was in Kalisch-the house that is
burned. So the high born can see that
for all that was said by the soldier
who brought him it is little we can do
for him. We with 10000 rubles gone!"
Always she winds up with the rubles
and signs heavily. "Krieg list schreck-
Itch" Then she hurries away to an
swer the querulous call of the boy who
is struggling with the "sffliction of the
lungs"
It's story you may hear a dozen
times in week these days-home de-
stroyed. savings lost. families dis
persed, or the remnants Of families
huddled in quarters in strange towns.
Aye. "Krieg ist schrecklich."
Living in Three Rooms.
The Czernilowskis had lived in IA
lisch and evidently were well TO do
folk there. Their present quarters on
second floor overlooking the wide
square that the Germans have renamed
Hindenburg Platz comprise two living
rooms and kitchen.
| have been their star boarder FOR the
best part of a week, and from cold
tolerance have been advanced TO the
POSITION of one who, if not friend OF
the family. is at least not an enemy
They interest me, for their anxious
existence is typical of the life of the
distracted civilians Of this invaded re-
gion.
Ny introduction to them was not
suspicious.
After had for two nights shared an
unglazed bedroom with purely pla-
tonic porcelain stove soldier doomed
in the doorway with the message, 81
am ordered to take you to room with
glass in the windows"
He was carrying his rife. | casually
asked him why. MANY of these peo-
Pile are tricky" he said. when the
back is turned they think they can do
as they please. But when you talk to
them with the rifle on your shoulder
they unders and that orders are or
We gathered up my belongings.
did not like to leave the window cur
tain that had served for coverlid, but
the German army's rules as TO loot are
so strict and explicit that | had no de-
sire to do a thing which, though il
seemed justifiable to me in view of an
uncertainty of finding more tedcloth-
ing, might place me in dubious posi-
ton.
THE system" in other words. had
put the fear of the Lord into my heart
and | had never forgotten what cap
tain from Munich had said to me at
Laon. in France.
We had been dining with the staff OF
General Won Heeringen in the old alb
hey which for many years has served
as the prefecture of the Department OF
the Aisne. 1t is situated on the heights
of a town forever memorable to Ameri-
cans as the birthplace of Father Mar
quette. and it is full of beautiful
things.
Severe Penalty for Looting.
The captain, who in civil life is a
dealer in pictures. had pushed his chair
back from the table and was talking of
German discipline, especially as it is
applied to loot. He leaned forward and
caught up a pretty bit of china.
you see that plate" he said. "Well,
let US say that you are a German Off
GER. The plate appeals to you. 1t is
pretty enough, but after all it has no
great value.
you say you will send it home to
your wife as a souvenir of these fight
ings before Laon. Suppose discovery
follows. A year in fortress then!
Oh, no, my friend. the German army
does not look with favor on this souve-
mir business!"
SO left the window curtain behind.
The soldier swung the rucksack onto
his back as if it were favor to be al
lowed to do so. and led me down Hin
denburgstrasse, across the platz,
through a cobbly court, up flight of
stairs on the outside of a house,
through litchen, through a living
room where the sick and the well OF
the Czernilowski family were more or
less huddled, and into a large, cold
front room, where there were two
single beds and the twin brother of the
porcelain stove from which ! had Just
taken chill farewell. go.
Into that room he summoned by mt
ing one finger the head of the house of
CZernilowski, and he remarked to HIM
in peremptory German;
mo man is TO sleep here except this
herr"
Mr.. Czernilowski made a depreca-
tory bow in reply, pulled his shoulders
which seemed constitutionally depreca-
tory, a little closer together. and hit
ed the palms of his hands in an out
ward gesture. He wore long black
cassock and black skull cap, and has
grayish red beard came nearly to his
middle.
He was very pale, and except that
he had mild and pleasant eye he
might have gone on to play the part
of Shylock without at all outraglng
ones sense of the fitness of things
Even His Tone DeprecatOry.
In tone which, like his bearing,
was deprecatory, he began what
Judge was a speech of protest, where
upon the soldier again lifted the adj
monitory finger and said: at is strict
lv fnrhidden 10 any man TO Sleep