Narok, Masai Reserve, B.E.A.
Oct. 24, 1919.
Warren & Mattie
Dear Brother and Sister:
We hope you are all having a jolly Xmas
time. Mama wrote in her last about visiting a place in
Wisconsin and I’ve about decided she meant that you bot it but
she didn’t really say so tho I suppose she thot I’d know that
much. Well, I hope you’ll like Wis. as well as I do. That last
letter of mama’s telling of her visit up there and driving
past Dutch Heights & visiting with the folks at camp
meeting time & Conv. in Monroe and then Uncle Henry’s
death and all the relatives coming to the funeral - well,
taking all together I’ve come about as near to a spell of
home-sickness as I usually get. But before we know it we’ll be
due home again then we’ll come up to see you. How far are you
from Monroe? I’ll bet you’ll get cold feet this winter &
yet John said he didn’t mind it any more in northern Wis. when
it was 40° below all day long & a week or weeks at a time
than he did where it was 20° below & then some days would
get warm enough to thaw.
Miss Simpson has just sailed for America
and I sent with her a serviette ring (napkin rings) for each
of you of two varieties of wood that grow here. She was to
label them with the name of the wood - at least I suppose she
took them, she said she would. She will likely send them to
you when she gets there. That’s to be your wedding present -
rather late, isn’t it? “Better late than never.”
Jno just brot the leopard skin in. My you
would have enjoyed being here about 3 weeks ago. A lion got
into the kraal about 5:30 A.M. & killed a cow. The other
cattle broke out & another lion was waiting outside &
chased them. caught one about 200 ft from the house & had
it down when Mulungit came up & chased it away. The ox was
pretty badly knocked up; throat & sides clawed but is
recovering. We set a gun trap but got only hyenas and one
leopard. Our ammunition is done for but expect Tagi to bring
some next week when he returns from Kijabe. Then we’ll set the
trap again. We may sell the skin if we get a good price for
it. If we had it in America we wouldn’t tho.
I’m sending this to Alice as I don’t know
your address. I’ve been sending feathers to them at different
times. They may call on you, Mattie, to fix them up. Miss S.
is also taking 3 big white ostrich feathers which you may be
able to fix up.
There are lions around every night. Some
nights they come here onto the hill so near the house that
their grunts sound as tho they were outside the window. If you
were here, Warren, with a 303 you’d fix ‘em, wouldn’t you?
Come along. We’ll board you free if you rid the country of a
few of the brutes. You could almost pay your fare back home
with a few good skins.
Now I’ll stop. Write when you can. May you
have a prosperous and happy New Year. May God bless you all
thro the year, & make you a blessing to others.
With much love to you both. Florence
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