Word came that the
girls had better leave as it was very dangerous to remain, but the girls
thought otherwise and refused to leave. One might have thought they
considered that they were real soldiers, and the fate of the day depended
upon them. And perhaps more depended upon them than they knew. However
that was they stayed, having been through such experiences before. For the
older woman, however, it was a first experience. She took it calmly
enough, going about her business as if she, too, were an old soldier.
On the evening of June 14th they made fudge for the boys who were going to
leave that night for the front lines.
For several hours the tables in the hut were filled with men writing
letters to loved ones at home, and the women and girls had sheets of paper
filled with addresses to which they had promised to write if the boys did
not come back.
At last one of the men got up with his finished letter and quietly removed
the phonograph and a few of its devotees who were not going up to the
front yet, placing them outside at a safe distance from the hut. A soldier
followed, carrying an armful of records, and the hut was cleared for the
men who were "going in" that night.
For a little while they ate fudge and then they sang hymns for another
half hour, and had a prayer.
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