Luebo, July (?) 1921
Dear Mother & Daddy:
We had a mighty good mail today and like all mails, it was a great pleasure for us. We are always happy when we get our letters, for you know we don't get them every week. It's nearly always a holiday, or part holiday, on the station when the mail comes in. As the previous one was so long in reaching us, this one came very much earlier than usual, for it has been only a week since the last, due to the fact that a steamer came direct from Kinshasa (Stanley Pool) to Luebo. We certainly enjoyed your three letters of April 20, 25, and May 9-10th, even if they were written from a sick bed. And it was a relief to us to know that you were better.
People at home imagine that a missionary out here ought to have plenty of time to write letters, but after you get caught in the mash of work and the conditions here, it gets to be a problem to find a suitable time to write letters. It looks like I never get ahead with my work, so that I can take a little extra time and write something about our work and surroundings that I think would interest you folks. As I have to get out a monthly statement, that means towards the end of every month I have more work. And just now we are getting up orders for the next six months, and I am responsible for the ordering of supplies for the Luebo station, as I have a job with that just at present.
The natives are here just as our people there about a new song; it just takes the country and everybody is singing it. At this moment while I am writing you I hear them singing a new song that has come from the lower Congo. It has a catchy tune, and they sing pretty well and it is pleasant to hear them. Right now the moon is out in full and that is the time the natives love to sing and dance and they often sing far into the night; last night after we retired I could hear them in the distance still holding forth - for the moon is bright.
You were telling us in one of the letters that one of the Houston banks failed. This is the bank in which we had our money; however, it wasn't a fortune and I think we can outgrow it. But I am taking this matter up to (?) in Houston and we are pretty likely to get a good bit of it back. Fortunately, I drew out $250 in New York just before we sailed. Wish you would write us what news you have about it. It seems that a number of banks have gone down during the past year. I suppose the low price of cotton has injured many of them, as a good many are no doubt carrying cotton loans and with the slump in cotton, it leaves them in strait circumstances.
Dorothy wrote you about the changes made here at our station, the Hobsons going to Bulape and the Wilds coming here. We are hoping that Wilds will be able to recuperate here at Luebo under the doctor's care there is no doctor at Bulape where he has come from.
Along with my other duties, I now have charge of our garden - truck garden; Dot, I think has also told you this fact. This garden is for the sole purpose of raising vegetables for the missionaries. During the rainy season it isn't very difficult to raise vegetables, but during the dry season it takes a great deal of care and attention, for they must be continually watered and cared for, for you know we get practically no rain during this season. At present we have in our garden young cabbages, tomatoes, beans, celery, lettuce, mustard, peppers, okra, sweet potatoes, the most of which are still in their youth. We are getting now lettuce, parsley, greens, and a few egg plants; however, the prospects are that in a few weeks things will be humming. Our garden is in a low plane near a swamp about a mile from our station; the ground seems to be fairly good, is near the water, and easily worked.
Trusting this finds mother doing well and NOT trying to do much work. I feel sure that she just worked herself down. Also, that Daddy Short Legs is as spry as ever, and that some of these days, he will actually sit down and write us a letter, after he gets thru washing and drying the dishes.
With lots of love to all,
B.M.
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