In the early winter of 1916, the sector in Russia where Marie was, became active and wounded patients were coming in en masse. Pskov’s railway station was 2 miles from the hospital and transportation was a problem. Older pupils from the school carried stretchers. The men who were lightly wounded would be attended by the nurses, as they walked to the hospital. There were stretchers lined along the highway and stumbling in the deeper snow occurred. Marie continued moving despite the frostbite beginning on her feet. Marie washed and disinfected her hands often which had an effect on her hands texture. She worked tirelessly.
Dmitri had stopped by unexpectedly for Marie, and he teased her some as she greeted him with blood on her apron and other areas due to caring for her patients. There were few lamps and so lighting was less than optimal. Most of the deaths occurred between 3am and 5am. Their bodies were ready to pass, yet there was an inner will to still live despite the patient’s suffering. Those last hours, minutes, were to ask that messages be relayed to their relatives along with their last wishes. One patient had lost use of his tongue and his skull had been opened, so all the patient was able to do was to speak through their eyes.
Another patient was a daughter of a priest who had recently been widowed. He was of the white clergy of Russia and was required to marry before ordination; afterwards, he was forbidden to marry - which meant he would have lost the opportunity to have another family. As it turned out his daughter passed from meningitis, so the priest then joined a monastery.
Winter had passed and Easter was approaching. Preparations were being made for this celebration. There suckling pigs roasted, eggs colored, and all the hospital building windows and wards scrubbed clean under Zandina’s supervision. Father Michael was busy with services and spent much time in his wheelchair. The Greek Orthodox Church was celebrating Easter through worship. There was a short service at midnight of Holy Sunday with a mass to follow. Marie had invited the Commander of the Armies of the Northern Front headquarters who was now in Pskov. The wounded were dressed in new clothes. the nurses wore starched aprons and headresses. The priests led a procession and there were lighted candles for those who attended. “Louder and louder rose the triumphant tones of the Easter psalms, more and more joyfully sounded the hymn to eternal hope and eternal life.” (Page 214)
The wounded were given gift baskets which included porcelain, chocolate, and soap eggs. The ward with the tetanus sufferers received a porcelain egg with a red ribbon. They required board on both sides of the bed to keep them in bed when they convulsed. The 3 in this ward did pass and each were placed in a wooden coffin with their Easter gift. Each casket, wooden box, was on a wagon. The 3 wagons with chosen pupils went with the Priest with the cross. Along the way, the chant was “Christ is Risen!” (Page 218) The church bells were pealed. At the cemetery, the coffins were lowered. Afterwards, they walked in some deep wet snow back to the hospital and some came back on the wagons.