A Maid and a Million Men: the candid confessions of Leona Canwick, censored indiscreetly by James G. Dunton
John Stuart Mill · en
“Vyvy met Jay-Jay in town. He said he had seen Leon in camp the
day after her party, and Vyvy told him he must be mistaken
because Leon did not leave here until three o’clock in the
afternoon. I don’t know what he thinks, but he must have some
ideas of his own.... I think you would do well to tell him the
truth and let him help you. He has influence, you know, and
might be able to make things easier for you.
“Another week or so and Leonard’s arm will be out of the sling.
He is determined to act at once. I don’t know what he will do
but will let you know as soon as I hear from him....”
Auntie was foolish. The idea of my confessing to Jay-Jay and being under
obligation to him for his silence! I knew him well enough to know that
he would be delighted to have something like that on me. He was just the
kind that would take advantage and I was in no position to defend myself
under the circumstances. No, sir—I didn’t want to see Mr. Marfield at
all, and if I did see him, I didn’t know what I’d say or do. He was
suspicious already. If God was really with me, he’d keep us from
meeting. I didn’t like his type of officer anyway—and the more I
thought about him, the less I liked him. I always said there was
something about him I didn’t like: it was that suspiciousness, I guess.
You didn’t feel that you could trust him at all, and I certainly did not
want to take any chances on a man like that in a time like this!
My troubles seemed to be beginning. I hadn’t had a good bath since that
one on board ship and I couldn’t see how I could get one until we moved
from this place: there wasn’t a single public bath in the unrestricted
area in Brest. And to add to all this my tummy was feeling not so good
and my back was aching sort of ominously. If it wasn’t one damned thing
it was another. Armies and war certainly are For Men Only. This was no
place for one woman, and I can’t imagine what it would be like if this
camp were full of women instead of men. Anyways it would be worse than
now. Women just can’t be bunched and crowded in together.
It occurred to me that I might try Christian Science. They claim that if
you have enough faith and wish hard enough, you can do anything—even
grow a new limb where one has been amputated. I guess it would take more
than Christian Science to change me into a man now: perhaps if my mother
and father had used Christian Science, the change could have been made,
or rather the necessity of change prevented. However, I doubt very much
if those devilish little ova and those other jiggers, gametes or
spermatozoa or whatever they call them, pay much attention to what their
owners think and wish. I guess we are God’s children, after all—more
than our parents’ probably.
Anyway, I wished I were Leonard Lane. I didn’t feel so good. Maybe
“fightin’ is a lot of fun” but I just didn’t feel kittenish enough to
enjoy this prelude to battle.
And with that Jay-Jay to think about besides!