ng black eyes of the Slavs, and boasting twenty years perhaps. Her
sister, Mme. Marincovich, is wife of the Serbian Minister of Commerce
and Agriculture. It was Mme. Marincovich who had written the letter.

"I've just had this letter from my sister in Serbia," cried Miss
Losanich, when a friend called, and she waved in one hand a dozen sheets
closely written in a script that resembled Russian. "I've hardly had
time to read it myself. But we will sit down and translate it into
English, if you say.

"She says here that, when the Austrians had to leave Belgrade, they took
1,200 people as hostages--non-combatants, you know. When they came into
the city first they gave assurances that all non-combatants would be
safe; but for the last few days before they left, no non-combatant could
walk on the street without being taken up as a hostage.

"Just imagine, it says here that they even took a little boy. He can
fight when he is older, they say. You know, the Turks used to do that.
They came and took our boys of nine and ten years, and trained them as
soldiers in their janissaries; and when they had forgotten their own
country they sent them back to fight against it. It is terrible, isn't
it!

"The Austrians took the furniture from our people's houses and carried
it across the River Save to the Semlin. They behaved frightfully, my
sister says; brought all kinds of people with them, including women from
the very lowest class; broke into the houses and stole the ladies'
toilettes. One lady with many beautiful dresses found them all cut to
ribbons when she got back to Belgrade.

"The Austrians brought lots of tea and crackers and conserves with them.
Some soldiers had taken a lady's evening gown and pinned strawberries
from strawberry-jam all over it, in appropriate places, and laid the
gown out for the lady to see."

A merry smile illuminated Miss Losanich's face as she read this part of
the letter.

"Our brother," she went on, "entered Belgrade with the army. He came
back to Nish on leave about Christmas, the Serbian Christmas, which is
about thirteen days later than yours. Nish is the temporary capital; and
my sister is there. He told them all about Belgrade. He had been to his
house; the whole house was upset, drawers forced, old letters opened and
thrown on the floor, papers strewn about, King Peter's picture
(autographed by the King) thrown on the floor, and King Ferdinand's
picture stamped on.

"Brother went to a pr