Kinshasa Guest House
November 24, 1923
My own dear homefolks:
We are comfortably settled again in our new home. It's the nicest place I ever lived in, but of course we won't be here long. It may seem long though especially if we have many guests. While I have had no one since the Davis's left still I know it's a job when a crowd comes in. I almost dread it. The cook is not a very experienced one and having had a good cook my whole term at Luebo I have not learned to cook. Therefore I may have some trouble with the meals, but maybe not. There is plenty of help here -- about twelve boys in all so the main thing is to keep them busy, and superintend the work. I will wait to tell you all about it until we come home. The organ here is broken so I won't be in practice when I reach home.
Fortunately for us the Millers have not passed through so I will get my clothes in good time. Everyone dresses up here so expect to use them some before I leave. \Of course, I will take good care of them and as we expect the Millers on the Dec. boat, I'll have only two months to wear them here. All my dark dresses that I brought out with me are most worn out.
I wrote you in one of the letters we are sending in the same mail that I was afraid you had forgotten to address me here. But to my great joy I found four big long letters waiting for me. If you could know how I enjoyed them. Even though we found everything so nice, I felt “sort of” blue when I thought of having to attempt it and also having to let the other people go on home without me. B. M. thinks I'm still a baby to want to go home so bad.
I'm glad Aunt Sarah got to come to see you, but I am sorry I did not get to see her, too. While I don't remember very much about her I know she is a mighty sweet woman. I shall never forget the dear letter she wrote me when I married.
From what you say about Aunt Nennie coming I judge you and she are going to try to hold the school down again this year. I'm sorry, for I'm afraid it will be too hard on you and I do want you well when I get home. If you can stand it, though, it will certainly make the time go faster.
Yes, I remember Mrs. Turner very well. Who is living on Mrs. Bell Turner's place? I'll fill you with questions like that when I reach home. Everything has changed so out there, and while I think of it, I want you to be sure to put on a raincoat when you hear the car and me coming. I didn't get to cry when I left for fear people would say I didn't love my husband, but believe me, I can let loose if I want to this time 'cause everyone ought to know I love him by this time or I would not have stayed with him all this time.
I know I'm going to like all my dresses for you see I have already gotten the velvet dress that you wanted to get for me for five dollars. Almost a new dress and perfectly good style for now. We can make it over when I get home if need be. It's short, so I'm going to get some satin to lengthen it here. If I find I am going to need a kimono very bad, I can get most anything I want here. Prices as a rule though are out of sight. I have put part of your letter away telling about my clothes until they come.
We are rather fortunate in the way of food here. There are plenty of vegetables and fruit in the market and beef and fish downtown; we also brought a lot of chickens and ducks. Eggs are scarce, but we do get a few and our hens lay some.
I saw Mrs. Marrs picture in the "Observer" recently. I always thought her a pretty woman, and Mr. Marrs is so fatherly. I always had the idea that their daughter was of the "Better than thou" class. But she may have outgrown that though. No, I don't remember Miss Lucy Caldwell though I believe she was in the primary schools in Terrell perhaps when I was there. I don't understand why she should be representing C. A. Bryant. If that is Hettie Lee's father, he is a merchant, a big merchant in Dallas.
I hadn't realized I was writing such a long letter. You are going to get three long letters from us if everything goes through tin time. We know just when our letters leave down here and people here seem to think you will get these by Xmas time, but I have my doubts.
I wonder what John went to New York for, but I suppose it was for music or pertaining to that. I know he must have had a nice time. New York is interesting, but we did not get to see much of it. We were kept so busy shopping while we were there. We may spend a day or two there on our way home.
We passed Mr. Martin on the Lapsley in mid-stream on our way down from Luebo. We brought Cisuaka and his wife and baby to Kin with us. It's certainly not a good place to bring natives, but I felt that I could not do without him. You see, they have a different language here and it's hard to make ourselves understood.
No, perhaps you or no one else heard your father speak cross words to his Wives, but that is no sign he didn't do it. Lots of people have bad habits and do things that no one else knows about. I'm not saying your father did fuss at his wives, and he must have been a mighty fine man to have a daughter like my mother is, but he might have spoken cross to them and you or no outsider have known it. Some people have the gift of being able to keep things to themselves. I don't happen to be one of that kind. As Rowena says, if I am happy everyone knows it; if I am sad or mad, people know it. Everything comes out in my face. I had the same trouble in school, if I wanted to do bad, I was afraid, for I knew my teacher would know it the moment I did it. And oftimes if I hadn't done wrong and the teacher looked at me like she thought I had, guilt would be written all over my face. Going back to the subject, no one should fuss and if they do to try to overcome it. Everyone has their faults I find after living among what are supposed to be the pick of our church people, and some have great faults.
[Evidently the last page of this letter is missing.]
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