| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Valence, to her relatives, regarding news that Aunt and Uncle have reached Sondrio safely; hopes that they will soon be installed at Chiesa; Amelia has been enjoying her rest but hopes to be working soon; Mme. Delattre ran a hospital at St. Paul (her husband's 'peace' parish); she was forced into it, but seems to have done it well; no female nurses or volunteers were allowed by the doctor; comments on French men and women and their moral standards; the middle classes are the worst, but the peasants were unbelievably generous to the hospitals from the start; 'The peasantry of France are its moral aristocracy'; Mme. Delattre was asked to set up a facility for officers in Valence, but refused, as there is no thanks in it; she is a very talkative woman; she wants the pleasure of tackling Dr. Jacquin but Amelia does not wish to be indebted to her in this way; there are other hospitals in Valence if this does not suit in the end; Miss Benett has been looking for her but could not find her as the hotel had her down as Miss Nyasa; Dr. Vittoz has had influenza and is very run down but was asking to see her; he advises her to go to Lyon to pursue her request; 'the administration scheme is largely a farce'; she is sorry that the hospital is so far from the centre of things, but will go to Lyon 'armed for the fray'; the food is apparently good at the hospital, but she also wants milk which is not readily available in the town; Elesca cocoa is difficult to buy so she will probably acquire some plain cocoa and condensed milk; it is always windy in Valence; the Rhône and the Drôme make a long, narrow valley; the dust is not kept down well enough by a motor water-wagon; description of bimonthly fair and methods to keep the merchandise from blowing away or being covered in dust; gifts for Aunt and Uncle; merchandise is dear but of good quality; yellow stockings for herself; work at the Foyer des Soldats and description of the administration there, which reminds her of Rome; the Americans are jealously cared for and each woman wants to do her job and no one else's; the French are neglected; the place is terrible and she is looking forward to working at the hospital. [Letter breaks off without signature] |