dquarters, and all day long they were coming and going
and it was far into the evening before the last one had departed. And,
what a good-natured, patient, orderly crowd it was! Seldom was there any
loud talking, screaming, quarreling such as is ordinarily heard in a
like gathering, in scenes with which I had been more familiar. The
shadow of the terrible calamity that had befallen them had in no wise
departed from them, and not yet had the dawn of the new day restored the
happy, careless, cheery manner that seems to be natural to them.

When they were admitted to the office, singly or in small groups, as was
necessary, for our quarters were limited, how quietly, respectfully,
they made their entrance! No crowding nor jostling to get the best
places or be served first, but patiently waiting their turn, entering
with a low bow or deep courtesy, they received the slip of paper that
meant so much to them and, with words and tears of gratitude, withdrew
as quietly as they came.

It is simply impossible within the limits of this report, and indeed
words are inadequate, to convey even a faint idea of the immensity of
the labor required in this department. Kind hearts all over our land had
been stirred by the appeals that had been made for those needy ones,
and boxes, barrels, bundles, all sorts and descriptions of these came
pouring in upon us. All of these must be unpacked and sorted and again
repacked before they could reach those for whom they were intended.
Think of this, careful housekeepers, as you sort over and pack away your
family wardrobe and household goods. Think what it would mean to sort
over and pack away clothing for the use of thirty thousand people.

       *       *       *       *       *

As I think it will not be without interest to our readers, to give a
little closer view of the people among whom we worked; for this purpose
I shall make a few extracts from various letters received at Red Cross
headquarters. The first is a plea for help and is a fair sample of these
papers, I copy words and spell