I--STORY OF THE WOUNDED GERMAN One of our soldiers brought with him a German officer, who could hardly stand on his feet. His leg had been pierced by a bayonet, his shoulder was bleeding from a bullet, and his arm had been bruised by the butt end of a rifle. He was losing consciousness from pain and loss of blood. As soon as the soldier led him to our place he dropped with his whole weight to the ground. The doctor bandaged him, exclaiming: "What luck! Three wounds, and in spite of all of them he will be well soon. The wound in the leg is only a flesh wound, his arm is badly bruised but not broken, and only his collarbone at his shoulder is broken. In a month he will be all right again. Just look! what a handsome fellow, and what expensive underwear!" The bandaged officer came to himself, looked around the yard, and, seeing the farmhouse in the background on fire, he sharply seated himself. "Now be quiet, calm yourself," said the doctor, speaking in German and taking the man gently by the shoulders. "My wife, my wife!" cried the German, tearing himself forward. "Where is the wife?" "There, in the house, in the fire!" He made an effort to get off the stretcher from under the doctor's hands. "Is he delirious or what?" muttered the doctor in Russian. "There is no one in the house," he added soothingly in German. "Your German wounded were there, but they were saved in time." "But my wife? My wife!" cried the captive in terror. "What wife? How did she come here?" "She is a nurse. She was here with the wounded. We loved each other, we married only a year ago. She became a nurse. Our regiment happened to be near their hospital. Your offensive was unexpected. There was no time to remove the hospital. The other nurses left, but she would not leave when I was so near. Where is she? My wife!" "Did any one see a German nurse in the house or yard?" asked the doctor, turning to the Russian soldiers and telling them briefly what the prisoner had said: "There was no woman," came the response. "The house was empty. Look at the fire within. Even mice would have run out by now." At this moment something metallic shrilled through the air. A heavy German shell flew over us. "Scoundrels!" cursed the doctor. "They are firing on us--and their own wounded! We must get out of this. Two or three more shells and they will begin dropping in the yard. Carry our wounded first, then theirs. Hurry, or we shall remain here for eternity!" II--A WOMAN'S FIGURE AT WINDOW OF BURNING HOUSE The captive officer, apparently powerless, could not rise from the stretcher, where he was lying with one of his soldiers who had been wounded before him. He gazed devouringly at the blazing house. Suddenly he shouted savagely: "There, at the window, under the roof! Look, she is breaking the window--where the smoke is pouring out!"