My trunk has now gone, and I have but just returned from Chapel, where Miss Everett made a Speach, as the Head has quinzy. She raised a large Emblem that we have purchaced at fifty cents each, and said in a thrilling voice that our beloved Country was now at war, and expected each and all to do his duty.
"I shall not," she said, "point out to any the Fields of their Usefulness. That they must determine for themselves. But I know that the Girls of this school will do what they find to do, and return to the school at the end of two weeks, school opening with evening Chapel as usual and no tardiness permitted, better off for the use they have made of this Precious Period."
We then sang the Star-Spangled Banner, all standing and facing the piano, but watching to see if Fraulein sang, which she did. Because there are those who consider that she is a German Spy.
I am now sitting in the Upper House, wondering what I can do. For I am like this and always have been. I am an American through and through, having been told that I look like a tipical American girl. And I do not beleive in allowing Patriotism to be a matter of words--words, emty words.
No. I am one who beleives in doing things, even though necesarily small.
What if I can be but one of the little drops of Water or little grains of Sand? I am ready to rise like a lioness to my country"s call and would, if permitted and not considered imodest by my Familey, put on the clothing of the Other s.e.x and go into the trenches.
What can I do?
It is strange to be going home in this manner, thinking of Duty and not of boys and young men. Usualy when about to return to my Familey I think of Clothes and AFFAIRS DE COUER, because at school there is nothing much of either except on Friday evenings. But now all is changed. All my friends of the Other s.e.x will have roused to the defense of their Country, and will be away.
And I to must do my part, or bit, as the English say.
But what? Oh what?
APRIL 10TH. I am writing this in the Train, which accounts for poor writing, etcetera. But I cannot wait for I now see a way to help my Country.
The way I thought of it was this:
I had been sitting in deep thought, and although returning to my Familey was feeling sad at the idea of my Country at war and I not helping.
Because what could I do, alone and unarmed? What was my strength against that of the German Army? A trifle light as air!
It was at this point in my pain and feeling of being utterly useless, that a young man in the next seat asked if he might close the Window, owing to Soot and having no other coller with him. I a.s.sented.
How little did I realize that although resembling any other Male of twenty years, he was realy Providence?
The way it happened was in this manner. Although not supposed to talk on trains, owing to once getting the wrong suit-case, etcetera, one cannot very well refuse to anser if one is merely asked about a Window. And also I pride myself on knowing Human Nature, being seldom decieved as to whether a gentleman or not. I gave him a steady glance, and saw that he was one.
I then merely said to him that I hoped he intended to enlist, because I felt that I could at least do this much for my Native Land.
"I have already done so," he said, and sat down beside me. He was very interesting and I think will make a good soldier, although not handsome.
He said he had been to Plattsburg the summer before, drilling, and had not been the same since, feeling now very ernest and only smoking three times a day. And he was two inches smaller in the waste and three inches more in chest. He then said:
"If some of you girls with nothing to do would only try it you would have a new outlook on Life."
"Nothing to do!" I retorted, in an angry manner. "I am sick and tired of the way my s.e.x is always reproached as having nothing to do. If you consider French and music and Algebra and History and English composition nothing, as well as keeping house and having children and atending to social duties, I DO not."
"Sorry," he said, stiffly. "Of course I had no idea--do you mean that you have a Familey of your own?"
"I was refering to my s.e.x in general," I replied, in a cold tone.
He then said that there were Camps for girls, like Plattsburg only more Femanine, and that they were bully. (This was his word. I do not use slang.)
"You see," he said, "they take a lot of over-indulged society girls and make them over into real People."
Ye G.o.ds! Over-indulged!
"Why don"t you go to one?" he then asked.
"Evadently," I said, "I am not a real Person."
"Well, I wouldn"t go as far as that. But there isn"t much left of the way G.o.d made a girl, by the time she"s been curled and dressed and governessed for years, is there? They can"t even walk, but they talk about helping in the War. It makes me sick!"
I now saw that I had made a mistake, and began reading a Magazine, so he went back to his seat and we were as strangers again. As I was very angry I again opened my window, and he got a cinder in his eye and had to have the Porter get it out.
He got out soon after, and he had the impertinance to stop beside me and say:
"I hate to disapoint you, but I find I have a clean coller in my bag after all." He then smiled at me, although I gave him no encouragment whatever, and said: "You"re sitting up much better, you know. And if you would take off those heals I"ll venture to say you could WALK with any one."
I detested him with feirceness at that time. But since then I have pondered over what he said. For it is my Nature to be fair and to consider things from every angel. I therfore said this to myself.
"If members of the Male s.e.x can reduce their wastes and increase their usefulness to their Native Land by camping, exercising and drilling, why not get up a camp of my own, since I knew that I would not be alowed to go away to train, owing to my Familey?"
I am always one to decide quickly. So I have now made a sketch of a Unaform and written out the names of ten girls who will be home when I am. I here write out the Purpose of our organisation:
To defend the Country and put ourselves into good Physical Condition.--Memo: Look up "physical" as it looks odd, as if mispelled.
MOTTO: To be voted on later.
Pa.s.sWORD: Plattsburg.
DUES: Ten dollars each in advance to buy Tent, etcetera.
UNAFORM: Kakhi, with orange-colored necktie. In times of danger the orange color to be changed to something which will not atract the guns of the Enemy.
NAME: Girls" Aviation Corps. But to be known generally as the G. A. C.
as because of Spies and so on we must be as secret as possable.
I have done everything thus in advance, because we will have but a short time, and besides I know that if everything is not settled Jane will want to run things, and probably insist on a set of By-Laws, etcetera, which will take to much time.
I have also decided to be Captain, as having organised the Camp and having a right to be.
10 P. M. I am now in my familiar Chamber, and Hannah says they intended to get new furnature but feel they should not, as War is here and everything very expencive.
But I must not complain. It is war time.
I shall now record the events from 5 P. M. to the present.
Father met me at the station as usual, and asked me if I cared to stop and buy some candy on the way home. Ye G.o.ds, was I in a mood for candy?
"I think not, father," I replied, in a dignafied way. "Our dear Country is now at war, and it is no time for self-indulgence."