-68 
However, she is unable now to get a passage to the States? the 
Barber boats say they are booked solid up until next February. What 
the poor woman is going to do I cannot imagine. Africa can be 
pretty tough for the women folk. 
In the afternoon we drove into Monrovia to attend the reception 
at the American Legation. Our Charge d' Affaires, Clifford R. 
Wharton, is a pretty smooth diplomat, and makes a good impression. 
He has a little colored blood but could pass as a south European 
anywhere - tall, well-built, pleasant, and always smiling and 
well dressed. He greeted his guests at the head of the stairs 
and when everyone was there proposed the health of the President of 
the United States - which we drank in whisky- soda, champagne being 
"out” - that common complaint in regard to anything you want at the 
moment in Liberia. Most of the guests were colored. Xn the morning 
he had held a reception for Liberian officials and the diplomatic 
coppsj this was for miscellaneous whites (chiefly from the plantation) 
and for minor government officials and clerks in Monrovia* They were 
all dressed up in their best, and as Bill said, it might have been 
a scene in Southwest Washington or in Harlem, with the loudest 
oin stipes and brightest polka-dot ties obtainable* 
In the evening we went to the Club for a Sonia Henie movie, 
a patriotic speech by George Seybold advocating that America join 
the war to help England (none of the German employes were present}, 
dancing, a. beer-drinking contest, buffet supper, and further conferences 
on. what Mrs. P allant ought to do now. Mrs. Pall ant is considerably- 
cheered up by the war news, this being the day that the British navy 
demolished part of the French fleet and captured the rest® 
We heard rumors yesterday that Flomo, our pet steward boy, 
who has been so good natured and so willing to turn his hand to all 
sorts of work that we were afraid he couldn’t last, was finally in 
trouble. Today while we were at lunch a bearded and uniformed member 
of the Frontier Force walked into the dining room and presented Bill 
with the summons for Flomo to appear in court. He has, in the local 
vernacular, been "humbugging” Garway ’ s wife, Garway being Vi’s wash- 
man. Vi asked him if it was true, and he giggled and admitted it. 
Garway claims his wife is a "dowry woman.”, which of course makes it 
a greater offense than if she had not been bought and paid for# Flomo 
went off to court, and we expected that he would be put in jail until 
we relented and paid his fine but he got the case postponed until 
Saturday. 
