Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-03
BU[GARS RAVAGE
CITY Of MONAST|R
Entente Allies Enter at Night,
Stumbling Through the Dark
ened Streets.
BREAD SCARCE AND COSTLY
copyright. 1917
BY HERBERT COREY.

MONASTIR. Serbia. November Ell
days before the Bulgarians had ridden
out Our horses stumbled through the
dark streets, over the greasy cobble-
stones. shining with rain under the
glare of an infreauent lantern. Fifty
kilometers of muddy roads had tired
them. They spread their legs and
grunted and dropped their heads al
most to the level of their knees when
we pulled up before a building. the
A black blotch upon it finally became
distinguishable as an archway
The Hotel Bosnian
"Oui. monsieur" came the voice of
French soldier. His cigarette end
glowed. But it is empty"
The Bulgarians had sacked it, We
took I'D the march again through a city
of mystery. No lights in the street
None in the windows. Now and then
mere. pencil CLEAN through close
drawn shutter told Of the presence of
Inhabitants. Sometimes an electric
torch flashed for moment on ahead,
like glow worm of a summer evening
A train of heavily laden pack mules
Jostled our tired horses. Men shouted
In Italian and Russian and French and
under the double veil of darkness and
driving rain. Once an unmistakable
voice sounded dead ahead:
Keep your bloody 'orse Off me-
Hey. British" we shouted. There
was no reply.
Serbs "Show the Way"
Our moral standards wabble A kindly
Serbian officer, who had no response
bilhy whatever for two strange news
paper correspondents, guiled US to the
Hotel Central. When possible one ap-
peals to the Serb. French and English
officers to tell one the way. The Serb
shows the way. The proprietor of the
Hotel Central gray man, who by a
miracle always. appears in the same
state of unshavenness-said we could
not stop there. All rooms had been
reserved. A shell exploded somewhere
near and the windows ratified. The dim
light from single candle shone
through the open door upon horses
patient heads.
I'VE stay here" said we. I'VE have
the right"
The proprietor expostulated.- He call
ed various deities to witness; AS final
argument he. said he would lose money
if we stayed, though his latter conduct
did not bear out his assertion.
Bring, in our bag" we shouted to
the orderly.
Immediately We became the favored
guests of the proprietor. Before the
night was over he showed the cherish
ed secret of his establishment Over the
bar hung large pictures of King Peter
and Prince Alexander of Serbia.
But on the backs are the pictures of
the King and Queen of Bulgaria" he
confided. When the Bulgarians were
here I simply turned the pictures
around"
High Cost of Bred.
Bread in Monastir is francs the
loaf. and the BREED is German war
bread. at that. 1t is largely potato
with substrltum of sand from the
soft mill STOKES. Before the Bulgar-
ians left they took all the flour they
could find and then burned the bakeries.
AS no one balses at home in this coun-
diately came TO an end. Two or three
tiny bakeries were overlooked by the
Bulgars. Their small output was con-
tracted for In advance.
Il know where to find loaf" said the
Greek ships engineer, who volunteered
of recommendation, that he knew
America well. He had visited CAL
weston four times and Rio Janeiro
twice. year ago. he brought his
in search of quiet and peace. Then
the Bulgars took the town.
Were you peaceful?"
The ships engineer had a command of
by bell. book and candle. They had
made all able-hodied citizens work on
the roads and dig trenches without pay.
Being distinctly able-bodied. he had
stayed inside his walls for eight weeks
in order to avoid this. Four of these
weeks he spent in he'd. We gathered
that it is irksome for an able-bodied
man to stay in bed more than three
weeks.
But peacefulness-pah?" we asked
His language became scriptural.
Double Locks His Doors.
The man who owned the loaf of bread
had pulled the steel shutters down on
his windows and double-locked his
door The ships engineer knew the
opening signal Inside we found our
selves in a grocery store. There were
boxes of a peculiarly tasteless German
biscuit. made of an unidentifiable COM
pound. which was neither flour nor po-
tato, and crumbled in ones hands. These
he wished to sell. AS to everything
Sc:
"F'ini"
The ships engineer knew the way
He pushed into the back room. The
betrayed him. Somewhere on the
premises he had loaf of bread. We
paved about for it remorselessly. l
have said our moral standards were
1t was discovered under the
counter, masquerading in a newspaper
wrapping The owner embraced it. 1t
was not his bread. he said 1t was
strange bread that was just visiting
him. 1t had already been sold. A dark
man had left the bundle with him. 1t
was his wife's bread. 1t belonged TO
the church.
at Is our bread
The owner of the bread became so
violent that we merely cut OFF francs
worth and went away. 1t is doubtful
if his final statement could be sub
stantiated in court.
His Appetite Rated Healthy"
Estep's appetite might be termed
healthy. lie has theoery that persons
who do not eat heartily between meals
wither to untimely ends. Long before
morning the pirated bread had disap-
small cakes. covered with an imitation
about the size of an English walnut
and was as empty as puff ball. He
ate ten Of them and stopped because |
he was becoming unbearably hungry.
Ten francs" said the proprietor |
irmly.
Ten francs is two dollars. |
Its good thing he doesn't sell |
apple pies" said Estep. |