"A LONG TIME GOING OVER THERE"
In a week Mrs. Burton and the Sunrise Camp Fire unit sailed from a port
somewhere in the United States to a port somewhere in France. Not only
were they accompanied by Miss Patricia Lord, but apparently they were
led by her. Whenever any information had to be imparted it was always
Miss Patricia who gave it and she also appeared to settle all questions
and all disputes. Under ordinary circumstances the Camp Fire girls would
have been annoyed, but at present they were too absorbed in a hundred
interests and as many emotions to be more than vaguely aware of Miss
Patricia's existence.
Mrs. Burton, in spite of finding her own position frequently usurped and
her opinions regarded as of small value, nevertheless from the moment of
leaving New York felt a sensation of gratitude each time she glanced at
Aunt Patricia's homely and uncompromising countenance. In time past they
had weathered many storms together; if there were storms ahead Miss
Patricia could be counted upon to remain firm as the Rock of Gibraltar.
Difficult and domineering, yet behind her brusqueness there was great
good sense. Moreover, Mrs. Burton knew that Miss Patricia possessed the
gift of kindness which is the rarest of human qualities. The Irish humor
was there also, although now and then it might be hidden out of sight
and only used by Miss Patricia as she used her Irish brogue in moments
of special stress.
Conscious that her group of Camp Fire girls was not pleased by the
addition of a new member to their party, Mrs. Burton hoped in time they
might come to appreciate Miss Patricia's real value, although she made
no effort to propitiate them at the start.
The leave-taking these days is perhaps the hardest portion of the
journey to France. One must say farewell with apparent cheerfulness to
one's family and friends, assuming that whatever dangers may lie in wait
for other people, for you there can be only plain sailing, since this is
the gallant spirit these tragic times demand. But for the Camp Fire
girls there was also a certain fear that they might find themselves
unfit for the service they wished to offer. However, there was no
faltering and no regret, but only tremendous inspiration in the
knowledge that they were to be the first American Camp Fire girls to
enter France upon a special mission and with a special message to French
girls.
Of the date or the port from which passenger vessels sail these days
there is no published record. It is enough to state that the Camp Fire
party sailed one morning in the early winter a little before noon from a
small harbor south of New York City. The morning had been cold and rainy
and the fog lay thick upon the water many miles from the land.
In spite of the fact that their vessel was to form one of a convoy of a
dozen ships, each boat left port at a different hour, to meet further
out at sea.
Soon after their own sailing, Mrs. Burton retired to her state-room.
Aunt Patricia and the Camp Fire girls insisted upon remaining on deck
for an indefinite length of time.
At what point the United States considers her ships have entered the
danger zone on this side of the Atlantic only persons who have lately
crossed to the other side can know.
When this hour arrived the Camp Fire girls were standing close together,
although separated into small groups. Peggy Webster, Vera Lagerloff and
Bettina Graham were talking to one another; Sally Ashton and Alice
Ashton stood a short distance off with their arms about each other,
drawn together only in moments of excitement. Within a few feet Marta
Clark was beside Mary Gilchrist, with Aunt Patricia not far away, but
apparently paying no attention to any of them.
In truth, it was Aunt Patricia who gave the first signal. The ships
which until now had been at some distance apart were deliberately
forming into the position necessary for their convoy. It was almost as
if they were making ready for a naval attack; the boats slowed down,
mysterious whistles were blown, signals were run up.
An hour or so later and the entire convoy, guarded by United States
torpedo destroyers, were steaming rapidly ahead.
Bettina Graham was leaning over the ship's railing looking toward the
western line of the horizon through a pair of long-distance glasses. In
another moment she offered the glasses to Vera.
"I wonder if you can see the destroyers more distinctly than I can
manage, Vera? The fog is so heavy and the boats are so nearly the same
color. No wonder they are known as the 'gray watch-dogs of the sea!' I
suppose one should feel safer because we are so surrounded, and yet in a
way I am more nervous. Certainly the destroyers do not allow one to
forget the reason for their presence, and I really had not thought a
great deal of our danger from submarines until they appeared."
For a few seconds as she stared through the glasses Vera made no reply.
As she turned to present the glasses to Peggy, Vera shook her head.
"Then I am a better American than you are, Bettina, because I most
assuredly do not feel as you do. Our guard of destroyers gives me an
almost perfect sense of security. It may be absurd of course and a kind
of jingoism, but I do not consider that we can possibly come to grief,
protected by our own navy."
As they stood thus close together the Camp Fire girls were wearing the
uniforms which had been especially designed for their trip abroad.
Their ordinary Camp Fire outfit was of course not suitable; nevertheless
the new costumes had been made to follow as closely as possible the idea
and the model of the old. For military reasons they had chosen a darker
shade of brown than the ordinary khaki color. At present over their
serviceable brown serge traveling dresses they wore long coats of a
golden brown cloth made with adjustable capes to conform with the
changes of climate. The only suggestion of the Camp Fire was the
insignia of the crossed logs with the ascending flames embroidered upon
one sleeve. Their hats were of soft brown felt.
In spite of the variety of striking and interesting uniforms on board
ship, already the Camp Fire girls had excited a good deal of quiet
attention. However, this may not have been due to their uniforms alone.
As a matter of fact, they were younger than the other passengers and
many persons were curious with regard to the work they were planning to
undertake in France.
Sailing upon the same vessel there chanced to be a Red Cross unit of
twenty other girls who were to do canteen work among the French and
American soldiers. But except for one conspicuous exception, this unit
of girls was noticeably older.
This made the one girl appear rather an outsider; moreover, the Camp
Fire girls learned that she was not an American girl, but a French girl
returning to her own country.
There were no passengers on the ship who were not sailing to France for
urgent reasons and for reasons which the United States government
considered of sufficient importance to permit of their crossing.
There were a number of business men whose affairs were not only of
importance to themselves, but to the Allied interests as well. There was
a medical unit with a staff of doctors, nurses and assistants, three or
four newspaper and magazine men, one well-known woman writer. But the
most distinguished among the travelers were several returning Frenchmen
who had been in the United States upon a special mission.