Magda, Standing by Christine Fallert Kessides

Author:Christine Fallert Kessides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Story Press

19

The week sped by as Magda prepared for the party while Willa helped with her dress. Laying out the actual plan itself was more work, but engrossing. She went one afternoon to Carnegie Library with Tilly to look up writings on Montessori education of young children. Evenings, she mapped out possible schedules for the program: how many children they could include, how many adults were needed for how many hours, and what the costs might be, such as food, trolley fare, paper, and crayons. She was determined that, if the party was successful in identifying at least a few volunteers, she would speak to Mrs. Ubinger early the following week.

On Friday, another letter arrived from Fred.

Camp Greenleaf, SC July 3

Dear Magda,

I received two of your letters, both yesterday, so they must have been routed through Canada! At this rate, the war will be over and we’ll be picking up our mail on the way home. But please keep on writing. Some of the guys haven’t gotten any letters yet and are already worrying that their girlfriends have forgotten them. By the way, don’t worry about me and Elise. Your brother isn’t a Casanova! Just keep an eye on her and Martin for me, if they need anything. Elise knows how to manage in difficult times, I think, better than most people.

They’ve moved us to a different camp for training. We’re not supposed to say our actual locations in our letters, although, if an enemy wanted to track the army through the mail, they’d always be weeks behind us. Training so far consists of getting up before dawn, marching till our feet are blistered (please send more socks—smooth ones, without darned heels), and digging trenches over and over. Carrying our fifty-pound packs is the worst part. I thought I was strong, but all of us have aching backs. I never had to carry a rifle several miles, on top of all our provisions and ammunition.

The guys from Pittsburgh have been spread out between here and other training camps, so I lost track of Johannes but I think he’s here somewhere. There are thousands of soldiers here, many more than the camp was built for, and we’re sleeping shoulder to shoulder in tents. In my section are a few hundred guys from as far as Wisconsin and Missouri. Their whole outfit is German since there are about as many German immigrants out there as other Americans. A big fight broke out the other night when some of the local guys called them spies and enemies, and it took the officers to break it up. A few dozen ended up in the brig and our commander said he’d give a dishonorable discharge to anyone who fought with our own troops. Yours Truly did not get involved, you’ll be happy to know, although I was sorely tempted to defend our patriotism. I did put some bets on one of the fist fights and made a little money on it (the Milwaukee Germans beat the Poles and Italians, by the way).

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