Shanghai, Nov. 10—Back in Shanghai after my lazy voyage through the southern seas, and faced at once with various problems which had arisen during my absence. The, much. flooded garden was still in course of "raising"—looking a complete wreck—a near-typhoon had destroyed a lot of trees, and the old Magpies' nest was almost ruined: the birds which once greeted my appearance each morning with a cheery call had transferred their affections to other gardens. And so I had to try and piece together all that had happened during my absence from my own little world.
Birds are curious things, and in spite of all the trouble they take to make a safe home for their offspring, they leave their nests to be dealt with by the elements as they will and start afresh next Spring. But not so the Magpie. My old friend Maggie (not to mention her spouse, Father) had come home one day to find their nest all but destroyed: Father took a look and stropped his bill on a branch to show his displeasure—which is proper Magpie behaviour. But Maggie went into transports of anger—it I may believe the evidence of my own wife who was present when the trouble occurred. Maggie just let herself go...and apparently the whole root of the trouble was Door old Father, who was blamed for everything which had happened—typhoon and all. In vain Father pleaded his innocence. Maggie had it all doped out that he was the party responsible....and although I cannot vouch for the accurate translation of the bird-language used, I am sure that the expression "big loafer" loomed largely in the conversation: my wife admits that Father took it well and did not give any provocative back-answers. However this may be, the fact remains that this, most interesting pair of Magpies decided that the old site was mo use could have told them that years ago. but did not know how to do iD: so since early September they have been collecting sticks and building a new apartment for use next Spring when the new family of black and white rascals will be sent out into the country. I cannot answer. for Magpies....but I have a general idea that their slogan is "Why worry?"—Es-w. esser ne ae alien Mr. Winston Churchill, sid the sea, or descents Here are some of the atrocities being perpetrated daily:—
Prisoners Tortured and Beaten Moscow. Dec. 1. The correspondent of."Pravda" writes: Two Red men were in the steppe. the machines, drained the fuel tanks, the wounded with benzine and set them fre. The brutes took special looking from a distance at the sight men writhing in their agony. Similar facts are countless. Representatives of the German command themselves incite their men and officers to brutal maltreatment of Red Army men. They circulate secret orders instructing them not to render aid to the wounded and to shoot war prisoners.
Near Berislav on German seized territory our wounded men lay in the field for three days, and stretcher-bearers indifferently passed by. Local peasants picked them up and brought them to hospit: lut even then the wi Soviet soldiers were placed not in a hospital
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.