On Duty and Off; Letters of Elizabeth Cabot Putnam (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1919. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER III U.S. AIR SERVICE, PARIS HEADQUARTERS September 13 You will be as surprised as possible before you have finished this letter, but you can't be much more surprised than I. This morning I was peacefully in the office, when the telephone rang for me and Amy Bradley asked me to go in to lunch with her. It transpired that Betty Potter would be there, too, and had some business to talk to me about. After lunch, all the other girls filed silently out of the room, leaving me and Betty for our business conversation, and then she outlined to me a position she considered most important-- secretarial work at the technical department of the Aviation Headquarters. The position had been offered her by her friend Mr. Skinner, and she had refused it. They were in desperate need of an American secretary, and implored her to come if only for a few weeks, and she promised to give them her three weeks' vacation time or find some one else. Well, she made me feel that it was of sufficient importance to go and talk to Mr. Skinner, and the upshot is that I am "confidential secretary to Major -- Somebody," and begin work there Monday at nine. I wish I could give you his line of argument, or rather the details, for I can give you the line; anyhow, he made me feel that I simply had no right not to go if they wanted me. He feels that our great contribution to the war is airplanes, and that the quality and quantity we turn out in the next six months may determine the war, and will certainly decide whether it is to be six months longer or shorter; and that if the work failed anywhere along the line it would be the worst failure we could make; and that one place it might fail would be in the office -- if they did n't have the right personnel -- and that at present they lacked painfu...