The Washington herald., 1919-04-19


| prised and moved.
II want to bow before this woman"
he said. shaking my hand warmly.
He then inquired as to my feeling
/ about conditions at the front.
\ poured my bitter heart out.
Il can't stand this new order of
/ things. The soldiers don't fight the
\ Germans any more. My object in
| joining the army was to defend the
country. Now. 1t is impossible to do
! so. There Is nothing left for me-
| therefore. but to leave
But where are you going from
here?" he asked.
! II don't know. / suppose will go
home. My father is old, and my
mother is sick. and they almost have
| to go begging for bread"
Rodzianko patted me on the shoul-
der.
Won't you come to me in Petro-
grad. heroitchick? Qittle heroine) 1
| will see what can do for YOU"
1 toyously accepted the invitation.
and told the boys OF my leaving soon.
I was provided with a new outfit and
100 rubhes by the commander. The
word went out that Yashka was to de-
part and about a thousand soldiers.
many OF whose lives I had saved in
battle. presented me with a testimo-
NAL
A thousand signatures! They were
all the names of dear fellows who
were attached to me by ties of fire and
blood. There was a record, on that
long scroll, OF every battle which we
had fought and of every episode of
life-saving and selt-sacrifce in which
had participated. 1t made my heart
thump with Joy and my eyes fill with
tears. while deep in my soul something
| ached and yearned.
1t was May. but there was autumn
In my breast. There was autumn also
| In the heart of Mother-Russia. The
sun glowed dazzlingly. The fields and
forests rioted in all the glories OF
spring. There was peace in the
trenches, calm in No Man's Land. My
! festival OF the newly born freedom. 1t
was scarcely two months old. this
/ child of generations OF pain and suf-
1 fertng. II came into being with the
| first warm wind, and how deep were
] the forces that 1t aroused in us. how
| infinite the promises II carried MY
( people still entertained the marvellous
/ illusions of those first days. 1t was
I spring. the beginning OF eternal spring
to them
But my heart pined. All Joy was
dead in It, l heard the autumn winds
bowling. l felt instinctively an inn
mense tragedy developing. and my
soul went out to Mother-Russia.
1he entire regiment formed in line
so that I could bid them farewell. 1
addressed myself to them as follows:
You know how I love you. how l
cared for you. who picked you up
on the field OF battle? Yashke. Who
dressed your wounds under fret
Yashka. Who braved with you all
dangers and shared with you all pri-
vations? \ baba. Yashka. l bore
with your insults and rejoiced in your
Caresscs. l knew how to receive them
both. because I knew your souls.
could stand anything with you. but l
can't stand this any longer. l can't
| bear determination with the enemy.
can't tolerate these ceaseless meetings.
can't endure this endless chain Of
orators and their empty phrases. 1t
Is time to act. The time for talk Is
gone. Otherwise. II will be too late.
Our country and freedom are perish
ing.
:Nevertheless. love you and-want
to part from YOU as a friend"
Here I stopped. could not con-
tinue. The boys gave me hearty
good-by. They were sorry. very sorry
to lose me. but of course l was enti
tied to my opinion Of the situation.
They assured me that they respected
me as ever and that, while on leave
| home, they had always told their
mothers to pray for me. And they
swore that they would always be
ready to lay down their lives for me.
The commander placed his victoria
at my disposal to go to the railway
station. A delegate from the regi-
ment was leaving the same day for
Petrograd, and we went together. As
the horses started. tearing me away
from the men. who clasped my hands
and wished me good luck and God
speed. something tore a big hole in
my heart, and the world seemed desc