We went first to the tent store. The man in the shop then instructed me as to how to put up the Tent, and was very kind, ofering to send some one to do it. But I refused.
“One must learn to do things oneself if one is to be usefull,” I said. “It is our intention to call on no member of the Male Sex, but to show that we can get along without them.”
“Quite right,” he said. “I’m sure you can get along without us, miss, much better than we could get along without you.”
Mademoiselle considered this a flirtatious speach and walked out of the shop. But I consider that it was a General Remark and not personal, and anyhow he was thirty at least, and had a married apearance.
As there was not room for the Tent and camp chairs in my car, the delivery waggon followed us, making quite a procession.
We tried several farm houses, but one and all had no Patriotism whatever and refused to let us use their terratory. It was heartrending, for where we not there to help to protect that very terratory from the enemy? But no, they cared not at all, and said they did not want papers all over the place, and so on. One woman observed that she did not object to us, but that we would probably have a lot of boys hanging around and setting fire to things with cigarettes, and anyhow if we were going to shoot it would keep the hens from laying.
Ye gods! Is this our National Spirit?
I simply stood up in the car and said:
“Madame, we intend to have no Members of the Other Sex. And if you put eggs above the Stars and Stripes you are nothing but a Traitor and we will keep an eye on you.”
We then went on, and at last found a place where no one was living, and decided to claim it in the name of the government. We then put up the tent, although not as tight as it should have been, owing to the Adams’s chauffeur not letting us have his wrench to drive the pins in with, and were ready for the day’s work.