Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-23
BY EVA zAINTz, Soldier in the Ranks

sat at her bedside with his head bowed
upon his hands. lie looked at me, un-
seeingly. for moments when l entered,
and then he spoke TO me as IL had
been absent only an hour. At first could
only weep over those two old persons and
our cheeress home. Tho wounded SOL
diers were no longer there. There was
no warmth and not sufficient food for
them.
At last ! realized that the lives of
my father and mother depended upon
what ] should do. 7 reused myself
though 7 felt that would gladly lie
down and die with them My father
had. as always, plentiful store OF
money In the house. I took possession of
all of it. BY standing in the diminished
and weakening lines before the shops and
paying eXorbitant prices I was able to
obtain supply of food. Conditions
were terrible in Taganrog then. Air
planes from the Turkish front flew over
the town. apparently merely to frighten
the people, The poor were starving Yet
they were still loyal and devoted to
Russia. In shame before them ! con.
cealed the preparations for our dcpar-
ture. They would have looked upon me
and rightly, 7 thought-as traitor a
deserter. Yet knew that my father and
mother would die II did not save them
and to desert Russia was the only way.
Bought Way Out OF Russia
heard of some other persons who had
gone away. through Siberia 1t had
taken them five months to get a pass
port, and peop,e assured me that In no
shorter time colIld one be obtained. How
ever, ] knew the value of my fathers
name-of his influence which had ex-
empted Ms from all Of the laws of race
restriction. | managed to rouse him TO
a realization of the effort We must
make. He went to the officials and re-
turned with permission to depart at once
through Siberia. on account of the i'll
ness of his family To do this. it was
necessary to eXpend considerable sum
of money. I shall not tell in what way
this was done. I am Russian and
feel the deepest shame that Russians
are willing to accept our money even
though it was with the greatest relief
that | found that we could save my
mothers life by dishonorabe purchase Of
a privilege.
We left our home as IL stood. as ir we
meant to return In an hour. We carried
only small parcels to distract attention
lrOin our purpose Ol Eolng away forever,
felt as if my heart would break when
| looked my last upon the familiar things
which had endeared themselves to me
in my girlhood and then walked down
the street, my father and mother both
leaning upon my arms.
We were five days on the train which
took us the short distance to Chelobinsk.
Ordinarily. it was "a journey of only a
day and "A half. The trip was one of
discomfort, but that is hardly worth the
mention. There was the trip through 10
Vladivostok to follow, and of its suffer-
ings and hardships | cannot adequately
tell. We waited three days in Chelo-
binsk for the train to Nladivostok There
was a strike on the railroad and during
this time. while we were I'm small lodg-
ings near the railroad station, the strik-
ing workmen and those opposed to them
had fight and several were shot down
in our sight.
When the train set out at last for
its journey to the Pacific we were
barely able to crowd upon platform
of one of the cars. had actually to
! fight to prevent my father and mother
from being suffocated. People were
crowded into the toilet compartments
and many lay upon the roofs of the
cars. For forty-eight hours we remained
on the platform The train was unheat-
ed and we We're in the midst of bitter
Siberian winter. The whole experience