Peace in Friendship Village

hters in general. Or I don't know but it was us older ones that were helping them. Anyway, Red Cross was being wound up from being active, and the rooms were going t

always stumbled even when there was nothing in sight but the floor-he was that age. He was the Sykeses' grocer

g

se, Mis' Syk

n't take that basket of cotton pieces dow

some of the girls went to wor

hear you can speak

hing. He hardly ev

had been telling me that he could speak a

m," h

" I took i

s, in exactly

e," I said. "I'm going to be

a little thin-legged chap-such awful thin legs he had, and a pal

Mis' Sykes, that always uses a

little shoulders and threw out h

er was in the

s Mis' Sykes

ek talk,[Pg 3] though I bet Gree

ather had been killed in a strike in the Friendship mills, and his mother was sick a

rflies washing out their own wings. And yet what a lot they could get done, and how capable they got to be. Ina Clare and Irene Ayres and Ruth Holcomb and some more-they were packing up and making a regular lark of it

s Sykes broke in-her that's the leading wom

t I've lived in Friendship Village for three generations of us, unbroken. And for three generations bac

ack was Scotch-Irish; and I've got a little Welsh. And I'd like to find some

r been able to get a plate really to fit h

all the Allies in me,"

says Mis

t. "I was counting up, and there

withering. "How interesting,

ifferent continents. There's English-I've got that. And French-I've got that. And I-tal

Mis' Fire Chief Merriman,

edit-to be allies and neuter," s

g

Mame-Bliss. "I ain't got anything in me

Mame?" I ask her. "Kin

ver my head, like she does. "Ain't it nice, ladies," she sa

England," says M

ngland?" snap

Sturgis. "Don't the sun never set on her possessions? Don't she

looke

rom the time I studied g'ography I always under

But I never had any doubts that England that my

e her mouth both

pose?" she says. "You know very we

g

s little Switzerla

and has got the nicest gover'ment.

But of course we wouldn't say a word t

Antonio, whose husband

says, "nothing ha

minute. Nobody cou

countries-America, England-that have not so mu

who's got part of the Alps?" she wa

ooked around,

se the Alps is high. But everybody knows they can'

aying anything. It seemed like pr

done. And they stood up, looking like r

g

id to me, "come on with us to

doing any more work?" says

ied Ruth. "We've got oce

etimes I can't tell work from pl

fternoon. How do you tell work from play when both are the right kind? How do we know th

s this kind of work when Red

, and she drives as if it was only

be lost-simply. What we're

said Clare, "and now we've got to

eep from being bored to tears," says Irene-that is

ettiest of them all

t[Pg 8] least, I won't go back to that.

wondering all the while we gathered up the finishing

finally. "Mis' Sykes said we c

ested. And there in the middle of the floor sat Mis' Poulaki looking over the bask

"you sent me such grand clothes

wasn't one of us would tell her Achil

k. "Achilles, he had each week two dollar from Mr. S

icture of a big, handsome man; and out of b

's father. He was[Pg 9] officer of the Greek gover'ment," she added, prou

nd then we asked for the Greek flag, and

hilles carry it for

-it seemed so sad, love of a country and steal

amining it. They were all going to be in the drill at the entertainmen

e held up her hand to them. "All say

g around down there-it wasn't a neighborhood we'd known much about. They were cute little bits, all of them; and I fel

of it; and enough of it, such as it was. When he see us, his eyes got wide and dark and scared-it was terrible to see that look in that little boy's face, that

ht for the Red Cross final entertainment. "The Feast of Nations," it was going to be, and u

me the last few minutes before the curtain goes up on a home-talent entertainment in a little town. All th

d she balked out on going on, and it took all we could do to persuade[Pg 11] her. And then the Balkans got nervous-we weren't any of us real clear about the Balkans. And we didn't know whether the Dolomites was states or mountains, so we left them out altogether. But we'd been bound the little nations were going to be represented wh

ld be Arabian Nights long. Us ladies were the nations, and the young girls were the spirits-Liberty, Democracy, To-morrow, Humanity, Raw Materials, Trade Routes, the High Seas, Disputed Territory, Com

shall get," she says wild, "nothing said o

g 12] None of us could pronounce her easy,

"make a sign with her name on

her, either, including her herself. So we give it u

is' Sykes. "Nobody knows

nk of the work her mot

all felt bad, and thought mebbe the word would

me behind the scenes. She was Columbia, of course, and she was dressed in the United States flag, and she carried an armful of all the other flags. We had had all we could do to

regal!" she kept

her. "It's the regal part that we object

g

But the wreath was near over one eye whe

hole basket of stuff we sent down to old Mi

though," I

" says Mis' Sykes. "We're goi

a week, and then when he steals for his ma, we make an

capering up to do their drill, all proud and pleased and important. They didn't represent anything only themsel

er the house, where they were sitting with their families, they hopped up, boys and girls, and flashed into the aisles. A

, a lyre, a green branch, a seed, and she told them to go out and make the world more beautiful and glad. They were willing! That was something they knew about already. They lined up at the footlights and

themselves, so that you swallow your whole throat while you watch. Because they are To-morrow, and they want lif

and fine and ready, Ruth,

ow

strong and sweet. My heart did more th

epublic for which it stands, one nation, ind

unched at

g

'em say it?" says Mis' Sykes

ng willing to make an example of him instead of helpi

t is," says

was spea

thers come from Europe

and plump, and Achilles' little t

sented the different countries of the world; and we formed back of the children, and the stage

-morro

have sworn to, so that you n

swelling, mounting to full chorus, the little bodies of t

allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, po

g

children named the ruler of the stat

d the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or do

s carrying. But now, while the children recited together, Achilles stood there with them saying not one word. And then, when the names of the rulers all blurred together, A

t second I knew what ailed him. Maybe I knew because I remembered the picture of his grandfather on the wall over the lam

n't[Pg 17] see how scared she looked at me speaking what wasn't in my part. "To-morrow! I am Gr

e brighten all of a sudden through his tears; and I k

en getting clearer, and at last his voice went o

ty's laws, and do our best to incite a like respect and reverence in those above us who are prone to annul them or set them at naught. We will strive unceasingly to qui

father had learned in Greece, and that Achilles' grandfather,

that? And right out of the fullness of the lu

g

e God, where we can be true to our own nation and true to all

world is getting to know-that a great new idea is waiting, for us to catch the throb of its new life. To-morrow,

was playing they brought out the great world flag that us ladies had made from the design

rying to tell which was the best one, like we had that afternoon; and that flag floated over the children, and over

nd crowning

on goal is

de of everybody's flags-I tell you, it left[Pg 19] u

fterward Ruth and Ina a

said, "the Red Cross

" I

with these foreign-born b

the things To-morrow was preten

ng or two they can teach us," I

t I meant, an

tars on a blue field was all ready-made to

FOOTNOTE

ross Magazine, April, 19