Indian
Ocean May 13, 1924
Dear
Folks All:
Tho
we are on our way to you yet I’m going to write this and have
it
ready to mail at Genoa & it will get to you a while before
we do
because of our stopping along the way.
I’m
hardly yet able to realize we are on the way and only when we
received your letter mama, when we were on board the boat
& you
told of Stacy announcing in S.S. that we were coming &
Alice
having a fit about it did I begin to get worked up about it
myself. And then Coras letter telling of “getting there” and
plans for
school, so now I’m really thinking we shall see you soon.
We
sailed Sat. eve about 5:30 and we got your letter about 3 P.M.
mama. It did me morn’ a bushel of good. The home going this
time has not
been so attractive - the problems are bigger and so many of
you have
left & we don’t know it so well at this distance. Just
think,
you are our onlyest mother and father as well. - -
Raymond
ordered cold drinks & the steward just brot them. Tastes
like a
bit of grape juice in ice water. Its nice & cool. You’ll
have
to spread yourself mighty big to cover your whole brood this
summer.
O
dear its hard to write here the boys are playing dominoes. It
was
very rough when we left Mombasa and altho we had intended to
attend
German service Sun. morning we were all glad to stay in bed.
Jno &
C were up & down all day but R & I pretty well staid
down tho
I ate a bit of plain bread & kept it down. I took 3 doses
of
Mothersills which no doubt helpt a lot. Yesterday I was on
deck all
day & ate a bit but wasn’t very ambitious. Today I hope to
accomplish more. Its fairly smooth and while things don’t
taste
good yet I keep what I eat. Paul Hoyt has done very well.
better
than any others of us - even Jno. Did I tell you that [bottom
of
page truncated in scan]
This
is a very nice boat. About as nice as any we’ve been on. 3rd
class is fine. Lovely big airy dining room. Cabins are small
but
have fans and therefore are very comfy. During midday there’s
little air on deck even. I guess twill be hot enuf when we get
to
New York. We can probably send cards even from Switz. that
will
reach you before we do.
I
must begin a bit further back - & be orderly. Guess I
haven’t
written since we actually left home. We got to Kjb. &
found boys
fine. We staid at Davises where my birthday was properly
celebrated
by having the boys with us for dinner & two cherry pies.
The
last of the cherries you sent out. My it was good even tho I
made it
myself. Everything went as we had planned. We left Kjb. Apr.
26, we
went down toward the coast til within 100 miles of Mombasa
then we
took a branch road to Moshi at the foot of Kilimanjaro. There
we
expected to see a boy with a letter from Mrs. Hult but we
didn’t
find him however next morning early we met Mr. Hult. He had
come
down to see some of their people off. They are on this boat.
We
had a long tramp that day. Supposed to be 6 hrs. of steady
walking
but it took us longer for we stopt twice for tea. but we got
up to
their station about 7:30 at night. There we met Mrs Hult &
Paul
& spent 3 delightful days there. They are half way up the
mountain & have a beautiful view out across the hills
&
plains. From there we got only a short peek at the top but it
was
enuf to make us hungry to see more. From there on Sat. we went
to
another station where a Kewanee girl lives & before they
came to
Africa they preached in Wis. near Monroe so we had lots of
interests
in common. I have things from both [bottom of page truncated
in
scan]
(pg.
2) Thanks for the pretty kerchief. Very useful.
Sun.
evening the clouds blew aside & we got a beautiful view of
Kilimanjaro. Its sort of flat topped. Looks like a huge cake
with
icing poured over it & it runs down in places. Pictures
don’t
do it justice. I took pictures at both places but the films
were
poor and so the pictures aren’t much.
Mon.
P.M. we left there for the station & on Tues. to Voi where
we got
the train for Mombasa. Hoyts & George B. were on & so
we all
went together to the A.I.M. rest house in Freretown where we
boarded
ourselves & went into the sea bathing every evening. The
boys do
like the water. There’s a swimming pool on the boat & the
boys
went in yesterday. They said there were so many there that one
couldn’t swim - too many people. Cora, our table steward got
the
stamps from your letter. I keep forgetting that I’ll see Cora
&
not need to write any more. I’m going to send the third copy
of
this to Emils.
-
- This is Wed. morning & we are rounding Cape Gardafui.
Just
rocks & rocks & two or three Arab towns. Jno was up
early
and we’ve been looking for signs of life with the glasses, but
theres nothing green nor nothing alive so far as we can see -
just
native houses and a few big white buildings. We’ll get into
the
Red Sea by evening.
We
use oil on this boat & that makes it much cleaner. Every
nook &
corner is full of passengers. We have the most deck room of
any -
1st & 2nd class people come over
here &
complain about their accommodations. We have people from both
classes using our 3rd class cabins. There isn’t
much
variety in food but all is well prepared and there’s always
something that’s tasty & nice.
Raymond
had a go of fever last night but seems better this morn. We
were
badly mosquito bitten at Voi where we had to sleep in the
train
compartment. I guess that’s where he got it.
With
all the other letters was yours Lora dated Mar. 4. You were in
that
school. It was nice you could help out. Its very much like
R.V.A.
only more children. We have study hour too & eve. prayers.
Our
building is used as hotel every Conf. time, and usually Miss
Slater
does the cooking.
This
morning I have your bungalo apron on Lora. We are hunting the
cool
things more & more. Mrs. Hult said she knew Kathryn &
Clayton Minch. Probably just knew of them. She graduated from
Gene
Hi 1916, I think. I’ve read over again your 3 long newsy
interesting letters [bottom of page truncated in scan]
Cora
you wrote of making lemon pie with oranges. We had such a one
at
Zeilingers. The Kewanee girls home. These are all Lutheran -
Swedish & German - but we are all very much alike on the
mission
field. These people were ministers at Prairie du Sac, Emil.
&
know quite a number of our preachers as well as our people
there. Mr
Z. would never be taken for a preacher. He’s so funny - keeps
Raymond tickled way down to his shoes most of the time They
have a
girl of 9. Such a big church of over 1000 members & only
they to
do it all. They all need help so much.
Yes,
Cora why not Geneseo for all of us. Beth could have
Kindergarten
too. Lois & Claudon grades. I fear C. wont be ready for
Hi. &
Raymond hi. Wonder if anyone is living in Grandpas house or if
we
could rent. Then one or the other of us could be away if
necessary &
still the household could go on. Jno wants to be where theres
a R.R.
- he’d prefer being near Chi. but I wanted to be near the rest
of
you. Mama could come in & stay with us awhile, not so?
Mother?
and Al could come in & get us Fri PMs for over Sun. out
there and
I think it would be fine. Perhaps Edward could do his Post
work in
Chi. where he could run out sometimes. You said Minch reunion
is
Sat. after labor day & I’ve forgotten when that
is. First Mon. in Sept.? I spose we will be there in time for
Naperville
Conv. & I’d like to go but I hate to take part. I don’t
mind
it after I do it awhile but it always goes bum just at first.
I so
much prefer a crowd of blacks - feel freer, you know. I’m
going to
stop now & add a bit more at Genoa or just before mailing.
I’ll
write to Kenya ites now to leave at Port Said.
-
- - This is May 25. Sun. A.M. We are landing at Genoa
tomorrow, so
I want to get this finished up & mail there first thing,
so it
gets off to you. We’ve had a fine trip - Never had such smooth
sea
before in all our travels. I give a lot of credit to [bottom
of
page truncated in scan]
(pg.
3) Hereafter we may mail post cards but no letters or we’ll
not
have anything to tell when we see you.
There
has been sort of epidemic of “flu” on board. Some of all 3
classes have been down. The 5 men of our crowd had it but not
I. It
isn’t very severe. Usually a good high spurt of temp. for a
day &
no appetite for a few days. I doctored all but Paul. His temp.
went
no higher than Raymond but it seemed to effect him more. He
was sort
of flighty - so we thot best to call the Dr. He (Paul &
Howard &
our two) were going with 30 others to Cairo. Hoyts didn’t go
but
R. & C. did. Theres a nice Christian young man at our
table &
he sort of looks after them. They left Suez early one morning
&
after 4 hrs train ride got to Cairo where autos took them all
around
to pyramids etc. They also had camel back rides. They had
breakfast, lunch & dinner & then the train to Port
Said to
meet the boat there. It cost £5
& a bit over for each. ‘Twould have been nicer if they’d
have had more time but ‘twas pretty good anyway. They got to
the
boat by midnight. Enjoyed it all fine.
The
boys went to German services last Sun. Jno was having his go
of flu
so we didn’t go. ‘Twas led by Mr. Eisenschmidt of the
Kilimanjaro mission. We visited his station while at Hults but
he
had left. Today there seems to be no one. Theres another
German
minister on but there has been a call for Church of England
service. Some were after Jno but he is not ordained &
there seems to be no
ordained man on board - only Germans. tho most (pg.
4) of the passengers are
British. Theres a Catholic father or two. At Port Said Jno
went
ashore. I didn’t care much about it. He took all the money
&
so when the vendors came with their goods I couldn’t buy a
thing. Some were still there when he came back & I got
post cards. There were lots of beads
& Persian rugs and silk shawls. all pretty expensive but
lovely. I saw a shawl I wanted much for you, Mama but the guy
wanted $40 for
it. I didn’t get it!!!
This
morning we passed Rome. With the glasses we saw the dome of St
Peters. We do make good use of the glasses. This eve about 5
we
pass the island of Elba where Napoleon was banished. “Able was
I
ere I saw Elba”. Reads the same either
way.
There
are a lot of people getting off tomorrow. We haven’t been on
very
long but were glad to get off. Some have taken the whole trip
all
the way around Africa. It takes 3 months. I shall be so glad
to be
able to walk & not have to do it in a circle. Guess I’ll
get
the chance, we want to do a good deal of walking thro
Switzerland. We are staying a couple of days at Genoa as
there’s quite a bit
there to see. We did
wish the boat stopt at Naples so we could go to Rome too but
it takes
too much time to go back from Genoa. This morning we past an
island
where they were either harvesting or haying. Saw shocks in the
fields. & it made me eager to get home to it. we shall be
in time
for haying shant we? & threshing too? I’ve written Emil to
get
extra pitchforks ready. It’s quite a different thing - this
trip
home to previous ones. In many ways. The boys are so big -
able to
look after themselves well as us. We are thoroly enjoying things
&
hope to all the rest of the way. We shall probably never have
such a trip again & we’re in for all we can get out of it.
Must stop now. Lots of
love.
See
you soon. Cora we thot of your birthday.
Florence
& the rest.
(pg.
5) [This page included
here in scans, but apparently from a missing earlier letter,
written
from Siyabei.] Sun. P.M. Like mama, I don’t often use the
machine on
Sun. but I must get this finished today & I would use the
machine
only I want to write on the veranda & the machine isn’t
handy
on my lap. Yesterday your letter came mama begun July 1. We
were glad for it & all the news especially from Monroe. I
shall
not answer that letter now for I do want to get at another to
you all
very soon again. Had word also from Gabbotts & they say
they may
not be able to come over as Mr. G. is in bed most of the time
lately. We do hope they can come - for we thot it would be
nice for the week
of prayer. Nicer than just alone.
I
don’t know that I have said the waists came & so many
thanks. I guess I’ll try to make ‘em a bit shorter easily done
at belt. I know they should be long waisted but the pretty one
has the rubber
in & it wont stay down over my hips & I just pinned a
bit of
a tuck in & that seems so much better. I think it will
improve
the khaki too.
The
papers & games are here too & when the boys are here
we will
look them over & see what will be fun. Then many many
thanks for
the little calendars for ‘24. So glad for ‘em so early. Your
last letter - before yesterdays was the limit for deaths. Poor
Ethel. I shall write her soon for she answered Uncle Dans. so
I owe
her.
Eve. I have had a good go of sick headache
again today & my head is
still very touchy so I guess I wont go to meeting as it is
mostly
singing. It seems after about so long of Africa I get into the
run
of headaches. have them more frequent than when we first
returned.
How
I would like to see the house. I think it must be very nice
&
how nice the flowers will look against the nice new paint. You
ask
about my hearing. I fear it is getting a bit worse. I notice
the
ringing in my ears so much more when I have headache. The sun
was so
bright this morning that may have caused my bad head. I’ll
write
Ella Brandt. Bless her heart.
I
want to put a few pictures in here so I must not make it any
heavier
with paper & will stop with this sheet. I’m enclosing one
of
the children at Shenchow to you Lora as Cora said I should. In
this
one Lois is the picture of her daddy.
By
two weeks from today the boys will be here. Its been such a
long
term every body is glad its ended. Now I’ll stop &
continue
very shortly again.
Very
much love to all around
Flo-
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