The camp didn’t have a working inside toilet yet, though the cold sure made getting one built a priority. Meanwhile, we had to suffer with more canvas hung around a board seat over a pit. And hung on just three sides, too. The fourth side, which was left open to a view of the prairie, let in as much wind as scenery.

It made for humor, and we needed it, being discouraged by how our camp-building progress had slowed way, way down. The delay was partly due to some roofing materials not showing up when they should have, but mostly it was due to the cold making any chore take twice as long.

Gloves made nails hard to pick up. Tar had to be heated forever before it could be spread. Glass seemed to crack extra easy, making setting in windowpanes a special difficulty.

None of us realized how proud we’d been of all we’d accomplished, until the forced slowdown made it suddenly doubtful we’d get the camp done on time. After all, to be able to say we’d built a camp—a whole camp—in under six weeks! That would be something to write home about.

Without anybody asking us to, we upped our work hours till by the short days of mid-December we were going from can’t see to can’t see, and on either side of that, too. The morning work would begin under big lights that ran off electric cables we’d strung into camp from the county power lines. Sometimes we’d put in a couple of hours before breakfast.

And we finished up under electric lights, too.

We tried to keep each other hopeful. If you asked any fellow how a job was going, he’d say, “Almost there!”

But at lunchtime on the Friday before the main company was to arrive, Major Garrett asked for our attention. We were eating in the mess hall, which was the only building 100 percent done.

He said, “It’s time we did a reassessment. Nobody could have worked harder than you boys have, and you have every right to be proud of what you’ve accomplished. But we’re going to have to accept that the camp’s not going to be ready to move into by Monday. Close, but there are just too many things undone, in the barracks in particular.”

Murmurs of disappointment floated about. “But where will everybody stay?” someone asked.

“I’ve requested troop tents from district headquarters,” the major answered. “It won’t hurt the new guys to sleep under canvas a few nights. Make them appreciate what you’ve done. And now I want you to knock off early today and go enjoy yourselves with an evening in town.”

“We’d as soon keep on working,” Sam said, looking around to the rest of us for agreement. We all nodded.