118 Bd. Beranger,
Y.W.C.A. Hostess House Tours,
I. et L. France.
March 1, 1918.Dear Aunt Abby,-
I have been thinking of writing you for some long time & was really on the point of actually doing it when your note & the interesting account of the fire arrived. What a thing that was! And you were in it. My! I could just see it from your description. How
alawful to think of all those collections &c which can never be replaced. This is a time of calamities! I wonder when they will cease. I suppose you can't tell how the Doctor is taking it. She wrote me but merely mentioned the fact that it was in ashes. It must be dreadfully hard for you to go on with your work. You will have a little taste of what Miss Wallace & I had in Consple. She had very little stored there in it, I think. Somebluere-prints but not much of real value. I shall try to pass the word on to her but may not succeed. Communication is very difficult now. I heard just recently however that all were well & everything at the college is going alright. Barnette Miller had had typhoid but had recovered. Living is frightfully expensive. Robert C. now has a flour mill & provides the 2 colleges with bread.Miss Gardlock & I are now in the midst of house-hunting - some task in this town which is flooded with Americans. We have been here a week - no work because of the great problem of moving such large offices - but we are to be consolidated now in one barracks.
Outside of business there have been radical changes too in my world. We have been feeling uncertain for some time -hearing one moment Carl was to be sent off, and another that I would have to leave. Miss Gardlock & I talked of going into Y.W.C.A. work - both of us having received most attractive offers but we were not allowed to leave Aviation. Finally the blow fell & we knew I must go soon - Our little family had gradually been scattered until only Miss G. Carl & I were left. So C & I decided we must be married before we separated not knowing what the days ahead held in store. We reached our decision on Valentine's Day & because of the orders for departure were given special permission to be married without publishing the banns & the 19th we had 2 ceremonies - the French one at the Mairie - Gov't Headquarters of our district & the only one considered legal here in this land & the church service in the American Church at 6 P.M. with a few of our Consple. friends present. A real war wedding but a mighty nice one. The french service was most interesting & took 2 days of some preparations - long papers of life histories which had to be sworn to & stamped by all kinds of officials. Fortunately C. had taken Dr. Goodrich's advice & consulted a lawyer so we went sailing thru the formalities. It seemed very queer to be married when I was already Mrs. Gulliver. As a result of all this I have 3 certificates & C. has 2 so "nous sommes tout à fait en regle." [we are quite in good standing]
It was mighty nice to have a few of our friends here but we did long for our own people too. We had a honeymoon of about 14 hours & then both returned to work & 2 days later I came off down here with Miss Gardlock "C'est la guerre." [It's war] No doubt about it. We have been here a week getting settled & no work owing to the fact that the offices are being moved & consolidated - but we hope to begin Monday.
I am hoping to pay a flying visit to P. to see my husband over Sunday. We're most powerful happy in spite of our cruel separation because we know happy days are ahead when we have settled this frightful business. Strangely enough we feel we would rather be here even under the present trying conditions than to be settled at home as we might be - Life is interesting over here and we do want to see this through.
Well here I am on the train about to start off for Paris & if I don't finish this up now I don't know when I shall.
I certainly did appreciate hearing from you & I shall hope to again 'ere long.
We are not at all sure how long we shall be stationed here but hope to spend the summer before moving again.
Please give my best to Anne & Lucy & all friends there.
With much love & all good wishes to you -
Affectionately yours,
Mary.
(Mrs. C. C. Gulliver)
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