e queen said very quietly: "Madam, may not my husband and I
occupy this room together? It is very kind of you to arrange two suites
for us, but I am sure there are many guests here to-night--and, anyway,
I prefer to be near him."

The war had done that. Who would expect a queen to think of the
problems of housing guests, even a great queen? And the war had made
the king not the king, but her man, very near and very dear.

Many other conventions I saw die by the way as the war progressed. Then
America came in.

There is a temptation to talk about America in the war, but, after all,
that has no bearing on my story. Soon after the United States entered,
American men and women began to arrive in Europe in great numbers.
I met them everywhere; sight-seeing, in offices, at universities, at
embassies and consulates. I met them and loved them and suffered for
them.

I was proud of something they brought to France that France needed, and
I have no doubt that many of them took back to America something from
France that we need.

For pure mental quality and courage, no people on earth could match what
the American girls took to France. It was the finest stuff in the
world. They knew how to meet hardship without grumbling. They knew how
to run a kitchen and see that hungry men were fed. They knew how to
nurse, to run telephones, automobiles--anything that needed to be done.
Some failed and fell by the wayside, but they were the smallest possible
percentage.

Those American girls knew how to do everything--almost everything.

Two wonderful girls, one who ran a telephone for the army and another in
the "Y," both from the Middle West, were at headquarters the day the
King and Queen of the Belgians arrived. With others they were sent to
serve tea, and they served it. The "Y" girl, taking a young captain
whose presence made her eyes glisten to her Majesty, said:

"Captain Blank, meet the queen."

And the queen, holding out her hand, and never batting an eye to show
that all the conventions had been thrown to the winds, said:

"Captain, I am very happy to meet you."

They served tea--served it to the king, the queen, the general of the
American army, and other important people. There was cake besides tea,
and it was not easy to drink tea and eat cake standing. The telephone
girl insisted that General Pershing must sit down. The king was
standing, and of course, General Pershing continued to do the same.

"W