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Sierra Club Bulletin 



gram from my Bordeaux boss saying that I was being considered for 

 work with the Balkan commission, and if I wanted to go I had better 

 be prepared to close my work up quicker than I had planned. Of course 

 I wanted to go, and at once began to speed up preparations. The Wed- 

 nesday before Christmas the Paris office telephoned that if I could drop 

 work and be in Paris in two days I could go. It was maddening. Elsie 

 was in Bordeaux with Lizzie and I couldn't get hold of her, and upon 

 consideration I knew that she was entirely incapable of closing things 

 out here, especially the financial and statistical part. I have done all the 

 bookkeeping and making of reports and inventories, and it has grown 

 too complicated to turn over without a course of instruction. And 

 there was Christmas coming, too, and I had to lose the chance ! Wasn't 

 that hard luck? In a few days more came a letter from Irving Clark 

 asking whether I would consent to be his assistant at the Red Cross 

 depot at Mezieres, near Sedan in the Ardennes, providing he could get 

 my appointment confirmed. I wired that I would, and yesterday T 

 heard that I am appointed, and I am to report in Paris next week. The 

 Red Cross is not going to do reconstruction work at all, but is to es- 

 tablish warehouses at Lille, Amiens, Laon, Mezieres, Chalons sur Marne, 

 and Verdun and work entirely through French committees. As I un- 

 derstand it, my job will be to "make decisions as to which societies re- 

 ceive supplies." That sounds as if it were to be rather aloof from any 

 personal contact with the returning people, which may be less interest- 

 ing than the work here ; but as between that and returning to America 

 I did not hesitate at all. There are only to be twelve such Red Cross 

 positions in all France, according to present intentions, so I feel mighty 

 lucky at that. 



"I know you all want to know about Christmas and what the many 

 francs you all so generously sent did to make the day a happy one in 

 my department. So before I tell you about our parties I'll give you a 

 brief and informal accounting. With the money you good people sent 

 we bought toys, handkerchiefs, nuts, oranges, figs and chocolate for 210 

 refugee orphans ; gave a Christmas dinner, with chicken, salad, wine and 

 dessert to 150 old people who hadn't tasted such things for four years; 

 produced two cinema shows in Mont de Marsan and Dax, with Christ- 

 mas trees for the 150- old people and about 800 children (I bought the 

 toys and goodies for these with Red Cross funds), and gave 220 francs 

 in money to special deserving people. ('Gee whiz!' I hear you say. 

 'And do they say that there are war prices in France!') Yes; but you 

 don't know how many checks came independently and how little it takes 

 to 'show these people a good time.' The man who received the largest 

 lump of money, you may be interested to know, is not only a refugee 

 here with his family, but is an 'ampute de guerre.' He fought three 

 years and lost both legs above the knee. Moreover, he lost all his 

 teeth, and is now suffering from indigestion and malnutrition besides. 

 Unfortunately, before I knew that he ought to have false teeth the Red 



