Belgian Congo, Central Africa
(Via Antwerp)
January 12, 1922
Dear Hickman and Nettie:
I mailed a letter from B.M. to you which should not have been mailed until I got my letter written, but now you will hear from us twice instead of once, and we certainly owe you two letters at least. It seems like there has been so much going on at Luebo of late we don't have any time to ourselves. The Mission Meeting, Christmas, which meant more than I ever dreamed it would mean in the Congo. We had such a nice time. I got several nice presents. A porch swing, one dozen linen napkins from B.M. which I needed very badly, and an ivory bracelet. These were the nicest things, but we got a few smaller things.
I have been across the river to the state post this afternoon to pay my respects to the Commissaire's wife. I don't generally go across to call, but Miss Black didn't want to go alone, so I went to keep her company. The Madam is a very pleasant woman in her way. She is Dutch and her husband is Belgian and it would shock you to hear her speak of how it freshens one's mind to smoke, that when she was going to school she would take a cigarette and could study so much better. And, of course, she drinks wine, but not before us. All Belgians drink wine and when we were there they called us "ducks" because we drank so much water. The Madam is really an educated woman, and is interested in the study of Botany. She has beautiful flowers and always has a good garden. She was showing us this aftemoon her watermelons, one is about twenty inches, and that is very fine for the Congo, as they are hard to raise out here.
I get the "Club" (I guess you know what that is) either next month or March and I am certainly dreading it. It's one of the hardest jobs I have ever done.
James certainly must be a "dandy." I wish he could see my little monkeys. They are surely cute; sometimes I turn them loose in my paw-paw trees and they jump from one to the other; sometimes the leaf, there is only one leaf on every limb, falls and they go with it, but are up by the time they hit the ground and half way up the tree again; they seem to be very tough. All I lack now is a parrot, and they say they aren't very hard to get. I haven't tried yet. I am hoping to bring my monkeys home with me when I come if I find the duty isn't too high.
I have a baby goat five days old that I'm trying to raise, some of the village people have stolen its mother and I am giving it all the goat's milk we get and some canned milk, too. It seems to be getting along fine.
This is a beautiful moon light night and the village people are having a time. They have their dances and plenty of their kind of whiskey is drunk. You can hear them from all parts of the village. Then, too, the children from the two homes, girls and boys, are out at play and they are right at us. Some of the songs they sing are real good and we love to watch them at play.
9:20 P.M. It is late for the Congo, so good night. Kiss James for me and love to you.
Dorothy
P. S. Give Eva my love the next time you see her and that I want to write her a letter soon.
Dot
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