"Luebo"
January 7, 1923
Dear homefolks:
Your two nice letters of the 14th and 25th reached me day before yesterday and were certainly welcome. Also Aunt Ninnie's letter. It almost made me feel mean, such a sweet letter and I have hardly written the Terrell people at all, but it seems that I can't write to anyone but you anymore and even yours are pretty far between sometimes. I love all my kin folks and I hope they don't judge my love by the letters I write.
I am so glad you are better but I'm so afraid you will wear yourself out teaching school. It is certainly nice of Aunt Ninnie to stay with you. It just does me so much good to know she is there, for I have the blues awfully sometimes when I get to thinking of you out there by yourself. It seems so dangerous to me and you in your condition.
I was so glad to get the lace. I think it's mighty nice, but have decided to save it for my going home clothes and get some very plain stuff that is at a store across the river for the present ones. You see the boys are so hard on lace and I have my clothes washed so often out here.
You can't judge the time of my letters by the date on the letters, that is, as to its getting to you, for often I do not mail them for several days or perhaps weeks after I write them. I can't believe there is much the matter with our mail now. Everything is too regular.
It is certainly fine to get packages out here. We got one yesterday from Mt. Gomery Ward and it had in it things that we needed so badly. A pair of shoes for me, the first pair that have really fit me. The ones you sent are beautiful and of good quality, but are a tiny bit too small. I can wear them for dress up occasions. These I got yesterday are not especially good quality, but nice for everyday. I'm hoping these will last me until I get to New York. You see I still have two pair of good white shoes. Do you remember those high healed white oxfords I got when I was about eighteen or nineteen years old. We had nice heels put on them and they are as good as new.
The subject of clothes again. I'm afraid you are going to get tired of it. Mr. Martin has decided to stay over until fall and the Wilds will likely come about that time. If you can get in touch with them it will be much better to send my things by them for there is a possible chance of their not getting here in time and that would be terrible. When you are figuring always leave plenty of time for things to get here before the first of December. We leave in Jan. or Feb. Just One Year. Look at the date of my letter. Anything you think best to get will be alright with me, but please keep strict account.
P. S. Any package sent by Oct. 1st should reach us OK, but to be sure, make it not later than Sept 20th or thereabouts. B. M.
B. M. hates for me to send to you for things because he says you will insist on footing the bills, but you want me to feel free to call on you, don't you? Well, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't, so please do this for me. If you can get hold of any fashion sheets or pretty patterns send them to me. I have two dresses to make here and I try to remember to put in samples so you can have an idea and tell me how to trim them. We still feel that there is no use to get wool underwear. It is so likely not to fit and its rather expensive to buy without being sure I can wear them. I can use my old ones and pile on clothes on top when it's cold. I wish you would order me some hair nets either from Livingston or somewhere and 2 doz. bone hair pins to come with the other things, please.
Who do you call the young people out at home now. Do you class Ruby and Dedye as young people? It would certainly insult me if anyone intimated that I was getting old. I expect I'll have to stand it when I come home for people out there think of people as being old as soon as they get married and you know I will have been married almost four years when I reach there. I'm just about as young as ever both in looks and wanting to have a good time. I think I have grown in responsibility and actions, in other words I'm not quite as "kidish" as I used to be. At our Christmas dinner, we all got caps along with our fortunes and me and my cap took the prize as looking the nicest, now wasn't that some compliment for an old married lady?
I want to tell you about our dinner and then I must stop. I shall enclose my program for the evening. It was painted by Mrs. McKinnon and I prize it, so please keep it for me. There were twenty two place cards all painted beautifully and each one different, she is a regular artist. I believe I'll send them both as the roaches are after them and I want to keep them nice. Now to explain the Menu. A watermelon cocktail (we had two watermelons for Xmas day), pork, english peas, irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, third course tomato salad or aspic, fruit cake and something to eat with it, don't remember what it was. Last course coffee and candy. Entertainment. Snapdragon (raisons on fire). I will enclose my fortune and explain to you later. The Xmas rhyme, T'was the night before Xmas. A story about Gabrial Grub in Pickwick Papers on a Xmas night in a grave yard. “Holy Night”. Now about my fortune. I suppose you have heard about the Hostel at Kinshasa. They are building a union rest house there where our people and other missionaries may stay as they pass through; well someone must go to take charge of this when Mr. Stonelake goes home (he is in charge now.) This will likely be during our furlough home or about that time, so we would be out of the question, but some of them have been teasing me for they know I don't like Kin, or that kind of work. By matchmaker, they are talking about Marge and Mr. Morrison. They tell me I was the cause of their engagement just because it was during the mission meeting when most everyone was away and Mr. Morrison was staying at our house and Mary took a good many of her meals here.
I must close now, but so often wonder if I have said the things you would like to hear about, or if I've left off the most interesting things, for I can never tell everything. Sometimes I wonder if you don't expect me to talk more about B. M. and rave about him. But as I never was much on raving and you know it, I fear you might think I was putting on. You see you all saw so little of B. M. and we had been married such a short time when we left that you couldn't tell how he was going to be. Certainly we have our outs, I don't believe there are any couples who don't, but we are just as happy as can be, and I never dreamed I would be so happy. My lines (lives?) have fallen in pleasant all my life. don't believe it can always be so, though for everyone must have their troubles. My biggest worry now is about my mother, the next is that God has given me no children and possibly never will. Please don't let anyone read this letter. It's just for you.
Rowena and I have been planning for things to go home in, nothing special, but just talking, and I get so anxious sometimes I nearly die. I get to liking it better out here every day.
Don't forget to write me all you know about styles!! and what to get in New York for a traveling dress.
Lovingly,
Dorothy
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