1915 Letter 42
Lemnos
Nov. 4th, [1915]
Dear Don -
The last mail brought your letter of Sept. 24th - over a month old but doubly welcome - The censor is on to his job out here - at least he thinks so - and as I haven't much time I shall not add to his labours by giving him things to scratch out.
Your description of the town's history was very interesting - but as you say - everything in America goes back only to the day before yesterday at the very latest - but here everything is, was, and ever shall be B.C. There are a couple of legends about Lemnos which I shall hope may not interfere with the present system of sticking one's national head in the sand, and imagining one is out of sight. What happened befoh de wah will surely not be contraband news and censorable -
A long time ago the women of Lemnos got fed up with their noble lords and their gentlemen friends why - goodness knows - but I suspect that they gave them rather a cheap sort of good time - perhaps going on a picnic to Kastro - or taking them to Portianno for a quiet walk or to Therma - for a cheap and cleansing if not exciting bath at the hot springs - I don't supposed they called it bathing in those days and considered it an International sport - Those are the sole amusements on the island at time of writing, and if at this stage of the game we find it boring - I leave it to you what those poor souls must have felt.
I suppose "of a morning" they had black bread and eggs a la poulette - or I should say avec la poulette - At least most of our eggs at present would crow if encouraged. They probably had Nestle's sweetened condensed milk - no other - and some people don't like sweet tea - The Turks hadn't showed them how to make knock out coffee then - I'm sure. After breakfasts at which I'm sure their lords raised blazes - they would sit in the sun at their doors - house work not being a fashionable hobby even yet - or perhaps they took the goat or donkey for a stroll. There were no British Tommies to rob in those days - and the dull deadly daily grind got so on the dear ladies' nerves that at last they rig in a body which itself is worthy of historical mention.
Twenty-seven modern enlightened females I might name at present can never agree on any given point - last of all where men are concerned - and to think of those single minded creatures being able to pull of a stunt like this raises the Greek woman as she is in Lemnos 2000% in my estimation.
So they murdered all the men and had one long afternoon tea of gossip and general hatefulness and no men to come in for supper and growl if they were late. It was "too dootee doots" (as Miss McCoullough always calls anything indescribably wonderful.) - The old hens were ideally happy - like Mrs. Rip Van Winkle - and never cared a cuss whether they ever had to go through life single or widowed - so long as they weren't married it was all one to them.
They must have been rather provincial and secluded - for apparently no week end parties came over from other islands - I suppose the men were afraid to - and well - no women want to go visiting when they know beforehand the company won't be mixed.
Some years afterwards - the Mrs. Pankhurt, Carry [Nation] - Cassie Chadwick faction having passed away the flappers began to long for the good old times they'd heard their mothers and Aunts tell about in their weaker moments. They did their best - poor dears - and adopted a costume - the more extreme Smart Set probably began it - of wearing pantaloons and [vesties] and making themselves look as much like men as possible. At any rate the custom has spread and the Turkish ladies still stand by the old tradition. Life is much the same with them I suppose a la harem -
Well one day there was a gale and a ship was wrecked on the shore - history does not say it was Jason looking for the golden fleece - of which afterward he took the gold and left the fleas (which is another legend of this delightful land) or whether it was an Elks picnic or what - At any rate there were a few men on board and they were washed ashore - scared to death no doubt.
Well the flappers gave them a royal welcome. There was welcome on every door mat and no men in history had ever been accorded such absolute adoration and devotion. The Greeks are lazy dogs and to have these girls waiting on them hand and foot looked good to them.
I suppose there were the usual obstructions common to the paths of true love. The ladies who were by this time a trifle passe - no doubt caused some trouble by butting in on little twosomes and reading the riot act to their weaker sisters and nieces.
But in those days the short cut to the hereafter as a means of ridding ones' self of interfering friends was no doubt in vogue and I imagine the man haters soon got hemlock cocktails or a swim in the lake with enough ballast to keep them there.
Anyway they all married and lived happily ever after. The girls no doubt were too good sports to own up to any visiting chronicles even if they weren't happy - after hauling the poor men on shore against their will in the first place.
There is another sweet little story the hero of which was a famous Greek warrior. The poor devil had the misfortune to get hit in the foot. Sister hadn't been even thought of then and his foot kept getting wuss and wuss - His friends being pure and sensitive creatures took offense at this unsavoury extremity and dumped him on Lemnos. I don't know whether he landed at the time of the race suicide movement or not but he lived in a cafe - I mean cave - in the hills - at which we gaze every day - and lived a most boring life for about ten years when he decided to pass out - Rather a quaint place - Lemnos - isn't it? It may have other things in its past more like the Tanglewood Tales and the Wonder Book - not to mention the stuff Virgil & Co. got off but so far we haven't heard of them.
I think the story of the septic foot may have influenced the minds of the Medical Administrative board out here for they have - we hear - decided to send no more wounded to the island. [Precendent] is a fetish in the "[ahung]" and no doubt they thought it would be tempting Providence to utterly ignore the old story especially when the victim was an officer of considerable rank and importance. Just fancy the fate of a young Sub or a mere Tommy.
We are all well and happy and I'll write again soon. Love to Mother - send this on to her as I haven't time to write her to-day -
Yours lovingly,
Helen