Rumuruti,
Laikipia. B.E.A. Oct. 29 ‘07
Dear
Sister and Brother:
Your
splendid Post Cards came about two months ago. They were so
cute. Thanks. They’ll make a fine addition to my collection.
Then your
letter with pictures enclosed came a week ago. How glad we
were for
them. They are splendid. You must have had a good time when
papa &
Mama were there. Mama wrote that you took them some place
every day,
and fed them on candy ice cream and water melon. Well we have
the
latter just as good as you but the candy & ice cream - O
how my
mouth waters - well perhaps we’ll call around your way some
day to
see if there’s any left.
How
gray papa looks. Is he really so gray or is it the light? We
had a
letter from Mr. Downing today written just after he had been
at our
homes. Am glad he got there and met the people. Even grandpa
&
ma. Had two letters from Lora. In one she said she finally got
your
album. They seem to lose a good deal of mail. The only things
we’ve
ever missed was two rolls of papers and music that mama sent.
Haven’t been getting very many letters from them lately but
they
are so busy I don’t see how they get any written. Was so glad
they
got that nice visit among all you people. It’s been a long
time
since they’ve had such a good long trip. They deserved it.
Hope
they’ll keep on until they land out here.
We
aren’t alone any more, when we came from Conference at Kijabe
we
bro’t Bertha Simpson along. Her home is near Napervile and was
in
school with us. She visited at home before she came out here.
She
is living in the tree-house. She helps with the teaching but
can’t
do very much until she gets the language a little. We have
class
every night after supper. Besides the school work we’ve been
visiting at the kraals on 4 days. Just we two girls and one of
the
Christian boys; then on Sun. John and we go to two other
kraals
besides having a meeting for the people near here, at our
boys’
kraal. Well I never was so busy in my life as I am now. The
days
seem so very short when we think of what’s to be done but long
enough when we stop to think if we’re tired. Lora always
writes
she feels so sorry for us that we’re out here all alone. Well
we’re not alone any more, so she will feel better I hope. I
think
I’d prefer our place to theirs: that is I’d prefer to be some
what alone - and we aren’t all alone - only 1 mile
from the
Gov’t station where there lives an Englishman - and have these
people to work among and plenty of room to breathe with fresh
air and
good gardens so we can raise almost every thing and fresh milk
if we
pay enough and fresh butter too. That’s what I like about this
country. But O dear I wish some one else had the fleas. We
can’t
have everything nice. But as long as we haven’t board floors
we
can’t get rid of them. We hope we may have board floors some
time
after we get into the other house. It’s going up fine. John
has
the iron all on the roof and is now finishing up the walls -
for they
weren’t nearly finished. We have the boards for the doors and
also
all the windows - Thanks to my generous brother. So as soon as
he
gets the walls up and the mud floors dry then we’ll move in.
We
intend to plaster the walls and send home for paper. Papering
them
keeps them from rubbing off or from little pieces crumbling
off and
keeping the floor dirty and dusty. We just plaster with mud as
there’s no sand near here. It keeps John awfully busy but we
hope
he may have help soon. We hope a married couple may be sent to
us
soon. Just as soon as we can get into the house we will tear
down
and rebuild it into a cook house, then next is a chapel and
school
rooms and O how badly we need them. 6 boys in school & all
come
into our dining room for school work - around our table. And
when
that’s finished Miss Simpson will need a house and then we
want a
girls house and a boys work shop. Then perhaps there wont be
any
more building to do and perhaps there will. But after we are
in the
house I hope J. will feel as tho’ he can go a little easier.
It’s
awful hard on him to work all day at heavy work. He could do
it
always until he was so sick at Kijabe but since then he has to
take
things a little slower or get so tired that he’s almost sick.
Just
heard a lion. It’s dark and kinda rainy and such nights sound
travels well. Last night they were around all night. Miss
Simpson
feels quite safe in the tree house but am afraid she’d be
pretty
nervous in a house.
We
are expecting Mr. Hurlburt and Mr. Marshall from Chicago, any
day. Mr. M. is making a study of the African Mission Fields.
He was at
Conference. Came there from Jerusalem where he had just buried
his
wife. He had had fever 6 times and was pretty bad off at
Kijabe but
gained strength and is traveling again. He is from Moody
Institute.
You
both ask whether those “coon” pictures are natural. They are
somewhat but one unnatural thing is their clothes. They have
too
many on. I’ll try to find a picture for you like I sent Alice
the
other day which shows darky styles out here.
I
just stopt to look at the pictures again. They are so fine.
What is
Charlie pointing at in the one. Bessie you look like a statue
in the
one with mama & papa. That must be good of them. I do
hope we’ll get to see those rocks some day. You wait. “Every
dog has his day”, we’ll have ours. Then you’ll see “Johnny
(and his wife) come marching home”. We’d like to go by way of
China. They’ve written so much about things there that of
course
we’d like to see them and how things are. I so often dream I’m
there. Lions - lions - on all sides. Heard the hippo too as we
came
up from language study. He hasn’t done any damage in the
garden
for a long time tho’ he has a regular path thro’ it.
Guess
I didn’t tell you about the joke we got on ourselves as we
came
back from Kijabe. The men with the loads always hang back so
we go
ahead and get into camp as early as possible & let them
come in
when they like. This path was new to us so we managed to keep
one
fellow with us. He carried the box of food or chop box as it’s
called here. The next to the last day out we came to two paths
- one
over the mountain the other around. The man knew the path well
and
didn’t stop at all but took the one over the hill. We made a
very
long trip that day walked until dark then got to the camping
place
and waited for porters with the tents. We got supper and ate
it and
made some big fires and then when 9 o’clock came and no
porters we
decided to go to sleep. J. and the man cut grass which we
fixed into
a bed & J. fixed branches around & over our heads to
keep the
dew and cold air off & built up a rousing fire on each
side of us
then tried to sleep. We hadn’t a thing to put over us and it
was
cold. We didn’t sleep before midnight and only by spells after
-
but we managed to rest a little until 3:30 then we got up
& had
breakfast and by 4:30 we were on the path. There was a good
moon so
we got along fine and at 5:30 the sky began to get a tiny glow
&
at 6 the sun was up. Well we got home that day about 2 P.M. O
how
tired & sleepy we were. And do you know we never saw our
porters
until the next day. They took the path around instead
of over
and they (the paths) didn’t meet again until almost here. They
walked until 10 that night hoping to find us. but couldn’t. If
Mr.
Hurlburt ever hears of it he’ll say it’s good for John. Mr. H.
always has all porters ahead but it’s an awful drag then.
Porters
always want to go behind & wont travel good ahead. It’s
the
first time we’ve ever been left. ‘Twas quite an experience for
Miss Simpson. A hyena howled and she declared it must be a
lion tho’
J. knew there were no lions or leopards there.
But
I must stop. J is asleep long ago. What can I send you people
for
Xmas? I have no new pictures for I’m waiting for the house to
be
finished first and I’ll not get any ready in time. Perhaps
I’ll
just have to send some pictures and if they get there late
you’ll
have to take the promise of them as your gift.
With
much love and good wishes,
Yours
in Africa
Florence.
Wish
I could give you some roses or carnations for your Xmas table.
I
can’t find the picture like I sent Alice. If I ever do I’ll
send
it. Notice the new stamps - cents instead of annas.
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