Narok,
Masai Reserve, Kenya,
E.
Africa. July 9, 1936.
Dearest
Lora:
In
looking at my diary for last year I find “Wrote Lora’s
birthday
letter” - so it must be high time to do so again - for then we
were
at the coast - so much nearer to you.
I’m
waiting for John to come up from Mr. Clarkes. What do you
think they
are doing down there? Making a record cabinet for the
gramaphone! There’s a Mr. Richardson with Mr. C- has been here
for two weeks
and he has made 4 drawers and Mr. C- has made the rest of it.
It was
___ ___ ___ ___
Sun.
the 12th. I don’t know what “it was” but I’m
determined to get this finished up today. This is just after
breakfast - before Sun. Sc. for some how we seem to have
gotten up
extra early. so it’s an hour or so before the bell rings. Then
this P.M. I can’t go to Narok as the car wont run. a
connection is
finished - broken - so the evangelist will go early &
walk. That
leaves me free this P.M. unless I go to the Bible Class one of
the
boys is teaching & see how they are getting on.
Yesterday
& day before, both Jno & I were sort of knocked out -
like
flu. ached & upset generally - most like a go of fever.
but we
both feel better this morn. Mr. Clarke has it too.
It
is clear this morning - first time in weeks - & so
cold. We’ve a big fire in the fireplace & my feet are
freezing
anyway. I believe we’d have found frost if we’d have looked.
We’ve been having so much dark gloomy weather that we are glad
for
the sunshine. There was such a bumper corn crop but its been
so damp
that a lot is moulding - and now the rats are so bad too.
Every one
is working hard to get it harvested. but we tell them unless
they put
it into granaries built up from the ground & tinned posts
they’ll
have the rats among it in their houses. These people have
never
built granaries - never have any thing to store.
Well,
say what a surprise in Thur. mail. Not another thing from
U.S.A. but
Alice’s letter! Well, we didn’t need any thing else - that
told
us you were all OK. and about the trip and we were very glad
for it. We had had one from Aunt Anna a few mails ago that
said Als had been
on a trip and she was disappointed in not seeing them. I’ve
had a
letter of hers in my writing pad for a mo. as the next one to
answer
& some how it doesn’t get answered; and I know letters
mean so
much to such as can’t be as active as they used to be.
I’m
using quite a lot of letter writing time trying to put on
paper what
we did during our 3 furlos. It’s fun going over my old
diaries. I
always hoped to some time and now that you, Lo, want
that
information I’ve been at it some. but it takes a lot of time
reading about 3 yrs of daily happenings. I get so lost when
I’m at
it that I forget all about where I am or what I’m supposed to
be
doing. But I’m at 1926 now so I’ll soon be thro and then I’ll
have to type it & some day, Lo, you’ll get it. You see in
last
mail word came again that we’d better get ready to go to Lasit
by
end of Aug. Shaffers didn’t know if they’d go to Congo or not.
but no matter, either way, they’d be thro’ here with the truck
and could take us & our things down. so we begin to think
perhaps
we’d better be putting things together a bit. Mr. des Farges
has
come to Kijabe and they are keeping him there tho we
understood he
was to come out here. They cabbage every body they can. His
sister
who was nurse down at Shaffers has been at Kijabe for some
time &
wanted to come back here to work among the Masai. but they
kept her -
now she has just undergone an operation for appendicitis - but
I
think they will both be at Lasit with us.
Here
this is a birthday letter & I’ve not even said “Happy
birthday”. We’ll be thinking of you Sept. 2. Does any one hear
any thing of Warren? You didn’t see them Alice? Course we
always
think of his birthday. I’ve a mind to write him to
their
old address & if they arent there some one will forward it
no
doubt. I’ll put my return on it. We hope you’ll have a happy
time - Lora even if you are 60! How awful. If I were rich I’d
give you $10. for each year and put a proviso on - “if you use
it
to come & see us”. Aren’t you sorry I’m not rich? Or
perhaps if we’d begin manufacturing something that you’d have
to
come & get in order to have it. like Detroit. Well,
perhaps next time you are 60 we’ll be doing something like
that.
Guess
I told you in my last the Gramaphone had come. and now it
stands in
state on its own cabinet. made to measure, and it looks real
imposing. We’re going to take a picture of it & us one of
these days then you’ll see how fine it looks & what an
ornament
it is. We are so pleased with it - it’s a perfect Portable -
sweet
deep tone. Last week we got the set of 3 records: Haydn’s
Concerto
in D Major - ‘Cello & orchestra - Scudders sent it saying
twas
our birthday presents. It is so pretty. We’ve had Mr. C. &
his friend up two nights for supper & played it as well as
others. The night of the day they finished the cabinet we had
a
chicken dinner. A young R. Red rooster was the victim - &
he was
good. Mr. Clarke said he’s had a good many enjoyable dinners
but
he never had one he enjoyed any more.
Last
Sat. - the D.C’s little 12 yr. old daughter and her governess,
Miss
Napier, rode horse back over here for a picnic lunch down
river &
then also staid to tea. The mother - Mrs. Buxton had just left
for
Eng. to be with her 3 other children for the summer months. so
Rosemary has been rather lonely. & this helped. She’s such
a
nice girl.
Cora,
your Siloam S. letter came just in time to send it on with
mine to
Ray & Sara for their birthdays. Guess I told you in my
last how
we hadn’t heard from them for 8 weeks and so I sent an airmail
to
Aba to Mr. Van Dusen to let us know what they knew.
And next
day one came from Ray. Written May 5 & we got it July 2.
It had
gone up the Nile to Khartoum & out to Port Sudan and by
boat to
Mombasa & in again! Quite a nice safari for sight seeing
but not
for letters. They were both very well then & had had a
pleasant
little outing of 4 days visiting out schools. I hope they
write you
- - - well, oftener than Claudon does. Tho he has been writing
us
very regularly - and his descriptions are so good. if
you
don’t get any about his Mt. trip let me know & I’ll send
you
a copy of mine.
(pg.
2) Excuse this sheet of plain paper. to finish on - it isn’t
quite
so heavy as the other, & I want to put in some pictures.
You
wrote you made a lemon pie - that made my mouth water. &
as we
have some lemons on hand I decided I’d make one too
for I
haven’t made a pie for a couple of mos. We enjoyed it but it
goes
soggy so quickly here - & it takes us 3 days to eat one.
Today I
made a squash pie - had it as veg yesterday & some was
left.
We
were glad to hear of Sam Austin’s home going. how can one feel
otherwise when a suffering body with a Christian heart is
released. How wonderful it must be - free from pain &
blindness and then
there are so many of our folks over there now - what a welcome
he
will get.
Don’t
forget to send us snaps of the boys & their pets. That was
a
cute idea: imprisoning the cat in the bird cage.
Don’t
send any more Guest books unless you find them cheap. They are
so
readable they make nice gifts. We shall enjoy these when the
boys
come. If you find any good book for loud reading send it
along. We
do a lot of reading evenings - anything witty or interesting
travel
or anything that you think we’d enjoy. Some one gave us “In
the
steps of the Master” by H. Y. Morton and we may read it tho
Dad &
I have read it. If you never have do try to get it - must be
in your
library - it is good. & now there’s another “In the steps
of
St Paul” I believe by the same author. I’ve only seen it -
never
read even a little of it.
Hope
you send that letter of Ethel’s out for us to read. Its pretty
hard to keep track of the Minch folks. Maybe I’ll write her so
she
gets it before the reunion & she can tell the folks we are
OK.
Did
you ever hear of eating seeds & skins of oranges. Mr.
Oulton
takes up all sorts of fads & he has a cook book which
follows the
“Hay Diet System” and an orange salad recipe says put pips
&
skins thro meat chopper & serve with the pulp.
Your
envelopes seem alright. I didn’t know they were cheap.
The
pretty poppies on them I used as pattern for outline picture
&
put onto paper & let the little folks in S.S. color them
with
crayons.
Saw
in our Nairobi paper two weeks ago that Mr. Mollison had taken
up
with the Oxford Group Movement - and last week there was a
notice
that Amy was applying for divorce as there are three women in
question. Doesn’t say they belong to the Group tho.
Mrs.
Davis has a knitted dress - not of wool but something like
that
thread I brot from Eng. for mama’s sweater - art. silk. Hers
is
very pretty - has a short jacket & a white other pattern
blouse. Hers is sort of mixed lavendar & white. They are
very practical,
I should think.
I
brot some yarn of Mrs. Probst’s along after Conf. and was to
knit
her a sweater. I’m at it now but it’s not nearly enuf - so I’m
taking the bottom off that long brown you or Cora sent me by
Raymond
& am using it as it is a very close match in color tho
hers is
heavier. so I’m making the yoke a different stitch and using
mine
for it. I wanted to shorten mine any way. I wear it a lot
these
cool days. I’m knitting a green one for my self but don’t know
when I’ll get it done. have been at it 2 years now.
What
color is Cora’s guest room - or her own room. maybe I’ll get
time
for doing something - a slumber robe or extra cover thing for
at ft.
of bed in day time. Does she have color schemes for the rooms?
Mr.
Oulton said he’d give me an elephant foot & if he does
I’ll
have it fixed up at the taxidermists place in Nairobi. They
polish
them & put cedar or other wood hinged cover on & it
makes a
nice place for rubbers, as well as a nice seat.
Miss
Hartsock, the nurse on the Kendalls station was returning in
this
last party and 11 days out of New York (They came direct to
Capetown)
she fell injuring her hip. She walked with a crutch & when
they
got to Capetown she went to the hospital to have it Xrayed to
see how
serious it was. Nothing was broken but the bone was cracked.
and
when crossing on the gang plank at Capetown her crutch slipt
&
she had to put her full weight onto that hip - injuring, or
undoing
what had knitted up - so when they got to Durban she went to
the
hospital & they put it into a plaster cast. So she’ll have
to
stay there for a couple of mos. At first they feared she’d be
permanently crippled. but at last they said with 5 mos. rest
it might
mend but she’s likely to be troubled for a long time. She’s
fairly large boned & not very thin either. Seems funny how
a
little thing can make so much trouble. She was getting up from
her
chair after listening to the radio & caught her toe on
some iron
work in the chair & fell her whole weight onto her hip.
Twas
very painful at first tho not so bad by the time she
got off
the boat at Durban.
Now
guess I better stop. We’re talking a little about going out
for a
week’s camp pretty soon. Likely that’s as far as we’ll get -
talk only.
Earl
Andersen, his wife and mother & 3 sisters may come to get
us and
spend Sept here. Some more talk. We are both fine. Mail comes
tomorrow.
Lots
of birthday loves - they are specials, you know.
Flo.
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