The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1918-05-29

American Woman. Tells Vividly Of.
8. Hex i e canteeln ! The Gaye$t,
Brightest Little Room on, b 7.
One Ever Saw (.
NEVER so PROUD Of 81 :....
ANYTHING N IN all HER LIFE.

Just what a Red Cross canteen is.
how It IS QUILTED, and the hundred
problems the American women have
to meet in feeding the French, Eng
lish and American soldiers is well
shown in this letter from an American
Red Cross worker: - t~-:..f$s Il
We have really q wonderful place.
1t was given to us SO, rough and plain
and ugly. I had. a coat of plaster put
on the walls, painted q bright blue
wainscot three feet high with a stem.
Gil Of flowers Of red, white and blue
above, white walls and ceiling, doors
and windows outlined with light green,
and stencils Of bright colors between
the windows Of trumpets, and over
the i've doors delicious little paintings
by Miss Kirkpatrick and Miss Beckett
Of soldiers and canteeners in the most
clever and attractive way.
slightest Little Room.
At the end Of the room we have two
girls, one American and one French,
holding French and American flags.
We have red and white oilcloth on the
tables, red glass carafes and red tur-
key window curtains, and always fow-
ers on the counters. It is the gayest,
brightest little room you ever saw.
However; 1t only holds about 120 men
seated at the tables and it is to be
used as a recreation room and even
movies. Our big room is to have a
huge kitchen and seats for 1000 men
or over, and will open right on to the
platform. It is to be decorated by an
artist from the Beaux Art, as Miss
Beckett has gone and Miss Kirkpat.
rick is too busy.
1t will really be splendid big place
and we can work in comfort instead
of being put in straits as we are now
in to feed so many men with only six
gas burners in long row. We make
the coffee, soup, cocoa, and ragout Or
sometimes regular Irish stew on our
stoves and the roasts are cooked for
US gratuiteusly at the bakers. All
food except coffee, meat, cocoa and
sugar is cheep down here. It is the
garden district Of France. All the men
are so pleased and grateful and We
get such post cards and thanks. We
have stewed apples, stewed dates and
figs for deserts and tell you it keeps
us hopping to keep things going,
Sometimes we run out of meat and
then we fry eggs for them and they
love them. The dormitories are won,
derful. I never was so proud of any,
thing before. Two Hundred canvas
stretchers for beds. We never used
them before, but we, can keep them
clean and put them outside If there
is any vermin. ....
Model ct cIean illness.
We have a splendid fumigating plant
and an incinerator, and the place is 4
model Of cleanliness AL the men
take off their wet and dirty boots. We
have good felt slippers for them, two
wooden blankets for each bed, two. big
stoves and an orderly that wakes
them for their trains. gpod shower
baths and wash rooms and altogether,
when the big room is finished, it win
be a model Of everything 1t should be,
particularly as our last to4chis bar
Der. Last year the men slept in the
road. We have adopted the Aubergs
sabots as the only sensibleI footwear
as the roads and our floors are always
wet, r. .ts*: z=s9 s35S#