Api
Hill, Mahagi, Belgian Congo
Sat.
night; Sept. 7, 1912
Dear
Home Folks:
And
how many that does take in now for I imagine Alice’s are home
now. You have never once said that they are going to run the
farm next
year but have several times hinted at it. I think it will be
awfully
nice if they do. I imagine they’d find their hands pretty full
but
I should prefer that to going to a city.
Well,
today was mail day and your 3 fold letter came, Co, Lo, &
mama. Were so glad to get it for we hadn’t heard for over a
month - but
were sorry for the sad news in it about Aunt Mary and Mr.
Eschelman.
but such is life. Aunt Mary’s death tho’ makes one realize how
old grandma is getting. God is certainly good to them in
letting
them live together so long.
See
by your letters today you are planning to celebrate the 12 of
Sept.
instead of 19 as at first planned. You all mention it but none
say
why you changed. Tho’t the other date just suited Chas. &
Bess. But perhaps their plans changed too. At any rate I have
5
days to think of you getting ready. O dear what wouldn’t we
give
to be there that day. It just seems some times I can’t stand
it
that you can’t see & enjoy these children. Claudon does
prattle everything so. He mimics Raymond to perfection. About
the
only native word one can recognize when he says it is “Hapana”
which means no and no matter what the natives say to
him he
answers that and sometimes it fits so well they walk off
hooting &
laughing. We have an addition to the family the last few days
in the
shape of a 3 weeks old puppy. The official had such a nice
little
dog - good at catching rats & it had several puppies so we
got
one. it is about ¼ native dog tho’ so we don’t know whether it
will be any good or not. The children get a lot of pleasure
out of
it & when it whines Raymond has a way of saying “Well,
well,
well, what’s the matter” just as one would to a crying baby.
and
Claudon does it just like R. It’s killing to hear him. The
other
evening Jno walked up where we are going to put our house -
walked
slowly with his hands together behind him and first thing
Claudon was
following but he couldn’t get his hands together as he’s too
fat
but he had that little green dress on again - no other would
look so
funny & one stocking was down again and his hands were
plastered
tight against his back & he was as sober as could be. I
just
laughed until I cried he looked so funny and he’s such a sober
sides he never cracked a smile but kept right on marching
along back
of Jno. In some of his sober moods he makes me think of Lynn
when he
was little. And Raymond! I wish I could think of a few of the
funny
things he says and does. Such questions as “Why is it Sunday
tomorrow?” and “Why doesn’t it get night in the morning” and
“Why do potatoes grow in the ground & not like tomatoes”
and
“Why aren’t castor beans good to eat” etc etc at the rate of
150 an hour. Lately he wanted to know why we don’t put rat
skins
on the floor for rugs. We could cover quite an area with all
we’ve
caught since we are here. We caught one this eve by slamming
the lid
of a box shut quick and caught the rat in it.
Your
last letter mama, came to us by way of Boga that is way south.
The
only open port for any one coming from the East and we should
have
come in that way but we were left here by the boat and of
course all
the women & children couldn’t chase back there so they let
us
in here but all our goods had to be listed & pay customs
on. Now
there is a customs officer here and things can come in. We got
permission for Mr Gribble to come in here but he can’t bring
any
boys. We are so sorry about that for I was depending so much
on
getting the boy we had when we came away. Can’t trust these
people
at all. You remember 3 big white figured buttons I put onto
that
dark gray dressing sacque Mother S. gave me. I washed it last
week &
the boy rinsed it & put it out & when I got the
clothes in
the middle button had been cut off goods & all leaving a
little
hole. The boy denied dong it of course but I’m sure he did and
I
was beginning to think a lot of him. He has been the nicest of
all
I’ve had. A few weeks ago doctor had a waist in the wash and
sometime while it was drying some one cut off every other
button the
whole way down the back. I never think of going away from the
tent
without leaving Raymond stationed on the veranda.
I’m
just wound up and could keep on yet for hours but it’s after 9
P.M.
& I’m tired & sleepy and we have to bathe yet - which
means
a little more than turn on the faucet. A kettle of water is on
the
fire outside. I’ll continue another time.
Sun.
eve.
I’ve
been next door to homesick today for thinking of you as
altogether at
home having a nice time. Here, we didn’t do as always. Most
always I go out to villages with the girls about 9 A.M. &
get
back to get dinner but today it was so hot and Doctors
helmet
is not very good so we didn’t go but we had an early dinner
&
Jno left right afterward and was gone til just as our 4 P.M.
meeting
closed. Then I fixed a quick supper for us & the girls
&
then they went to some near villages afterward.
We
haven’t dropt the tent curtains yet & it is lightening so
bright above the Lake and the reflection is so pretty. Never
noticed
the lightening reflected so before. Yesterday morning and this
morning were some of the prettiest sunrises I’ve ever seen.
Very
often in the morning there’s a long line of fluffy white
clouds up
the middle of the lake and when the sun rose out of a bank of
black
clouds & shone on these white ones they were lit up so
that they
looked like a huge chunk of sunshine & then were reflected
in the
Lake too & this morning there were long clouds reaching
over
about ¼ of the horizon and they were so brilliant in
shades
of yellow and red and reached up to the zenith & the
reflection
was something glorious. The sunsets are often very bright too.
That
is altogether a different picture for it sets among hills.
This is
the finest spot I’ve seen in Africa for view and all. Wish you
could all see it. My! I wish you could all have been here
today. But wont it be fine when we’ve said the goodby for the
last time
and have only all hellos to say. I can’t help but think of it
a
great deal these days. I’m reading “Light on Last Days” by Rev
& Mrs Guinness. He explains prophesy so clearly &
well. Has
some different views from Scofield & Pierson and other
Bible
teachers but agrees with them in many things. His dates for
Christ’s
return agree - some time between 1915 and 1934. Most Bible
teachers
agree on that and when one thinks how near it may be it makes
homesickness disappear for thinking we’ll perhaps all be
together
again in a few more years, and make one try all the harder to
get the
gospel to those who know not yet. We are doing something but
it
seems so little and so many to be taught yet. Many all around
us
have heard but they are slow to take up new things, and many
understand only partially.
I
can’t realize it is Sept. already. I tho’t of you Warren &
Lora on your respective birthdays. We celebratd on Lora’s.
I’ll
tell you later about it
[rest
of letter is missing]
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