The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1918-03-01

obtain sufficient supply. | should judge that
Russian ponyskn coats which have often been
so popular in America. ought to be cheaper than
ever this season If there has been any way of
curing and transporting the skins of these glossy
coated animals of the steppes.
Women's army kitchens adequately sup
piled with horse meat, and from ladies of rank
to serfs the soldiers have learned how to
prepare palatabe food. They have also learned
not only to draw their field pieces, but actually
Garry them.
All women are enrolled In the infantry division
of the army. that theirs are machine guns.
which three four women carry together.
Some of these guns are light enough to be borne
the shoulders Of one woman.
While Russians are not good marksmen they are
expert at bayonet work, and there is nothing the
Germans fear more than Russian bayonet
counter when the sturdy dwarf of the North not
only sticks his enemy through. but has appal-
ling habit of lifting him up the bayonet. l
victim of this shocking act slide off the
keen blade dead.
And II the Germans fear such attacks of unin-
spired Russian men, they dread the savage charge
Of fiery Russian women, and when they succeeded
in capturing three In battle they tortured them to
death by way of satisfying spite against those
hundreds of young women who lay slain-martyrs
to patriotism.
l watched women soldiers dig out their own
trenches, where rain bombardment had caused
them fall in pull around their heavy ammuni
ton wagons and guns as well as their field kitch-
ems, and set up their barbed-wire entanglements.
Many of them noblewomen and wealthy mem
bers Of the upper froth' of Russia; quite num-
ber wives and mothers whose husbands were
fighting in another sector on the line; and every
volunteer.
With courage went cheerfuness. In the midst
of the hardships of trench life-and they can
scarcely be observation-disclosures women sang bal
lads and catchy songs they worked at the busi-
ness of death. Some played on musical instru-
ments that they had brought into the trenches.
while most of them found time to attend to the COM
fort of their pets. especially the battalion mascots
"a parrot and n cat
All were short of clothing-smple as was their
uniform. 1t consisted of grayish khaki colored
material, like washed-out khaki, made in overals
and jumper, with tight-ftting high collar and
belt They wore the same boots were used by
men, and some had their feet encased in shoes and
puttees. One of the chief difficulties in equippng
boots, and to the rigors of trench life has been
added the discomfort and, fancy pain of dainty
feet in coarse, heavy unaccustomed boots, stand
ing often in a mire of mud and water.
Women soldiers had shifts of ten days in first
line trenches of the enemy, with four hours and
four hours off duty At the least unusual noise
or sudden skrmsh the whole $500 women were
out and in readiness for battle.
Every thirty feet in the women's sector stood a
post" or sentry who fired without ceasing. 1t
was her duty call out, on occasion. the soldiers
who rested In their malodorous dugouts on shelves
that protruded from the walls along each side.
Mere children were many Of these modern Anna
zons for their ages vary from fifteen to thirty-dve
years. and for ten days on q stretch they had no