July 20, 1933

Dear Mother and Dad,-

Keep up the good work. Letters mean an awful lot to us. Don't let the mosquitoes keep you away. Tell Dad that we have lovely nets to sleep under and they are very satisfactory, and in the evening citronella and punk do the work quire effectively. It has been hotter for the last two days than it has since we have been here, but thank goodness the hot spell is almost over, so we will be looking for you any time now.

It tickled us to hear that Wallace and Florence are getting ready for their son. Ain 't you learned yet that you're liable to get most anything. If the heart beats are strong it might be a tomboy. I have been looking around for something suitable for a cheeiled[sic] but the Chinese children don't have the same things ourn[sic] do. I think I will send Florence a papoose bag just for a joke. The Chinese women carry their children on their backs. The little fellows are tied on by means of a square kerchief effect that just fits the seat and back. Their little legs and arms are wrapped around the mother's back and the heads loll back. We asked the doctor why the Chinese children didn't have broken necks, and he said the kerchief was tied so that all the important bones were held in place. I will take a picture of an amah and baby and send it to you. The Chinese believe in the magic of black paper. When their children have sores they paste black paper over them. The kids always have something, so most of the time they look like polka dot babies. The Chinese also practice a rather cruel treatment on their children. When the child has a sore throat or something of that sort, they burn with live coals the skin over the hurting portion. This seems cruel and barbaric, but it is not as dumb as it seems. The burning takes the place of Iodine or other counterirratants drawing the blood away from the congested area. The Chinese show their most human side with their children. They love them and spoil them utterly. They are first care and first thought, and for all the spoiling they are well behaved children. In the crowded parts of Canton children are thick. Little tiny ones by the dozens, and they are never pushed or stepped on.

I hope that Wallace and Florence are all moved in and settled by now, and that they like their new house O. K. We think of you all lots and certainly will be glad when you say you are coming over.

I wrote a letter to Stu's folks explaining the cable, but he said I better not send it because it might be censored. So he has written all he can and Stu's folks will tell you about it. Last week end we took Mrs. Deeds to the boat, and afterwards we made up for all the sorrow of the past three weeks. We danced and had a swell time. We also mailed a letter with Mother's birthday present in it and it ought to reach you before this does. I hate to talk about birthday presents in advance, but if you will send me Dad's shirt size- collar, sleeves, length, chest I will appreciate it. Also send Wallace's. The make beautiful tailor made shirts here of light but strong dull finished silk. The men are crazy about them.

The daisies on the porch and the asters have passed away, so in their place we have gotten two little cedar trees- that is they are similar to cedar. The prettiest flower here is the lotus. It is just like the sonf- 'pale hands pink tipped'. They are really beautiful, although without scent. I am going to try to bring back some bulbs with me. I think they could be grown in a tub of water. The Chinese make little shrubs grow into men's shapes. There is a superstition that you have to bow to these little plant men or they die. Last week in Hong Kong after the dance we went down to the lobby of the hotel and there were the Malleys with an old sea captain friend. He told us about the superstition of the sea, and mentioned that someone had given him two plant men. He put them in his cabin, one of them faced the door where he could see it every time he came in. Just to be funny he used to come into his cabin and tip his hat to the one near the door, but he always forgot the other. Much to his surprise he other slowly faded away and got sick. He took it to a nursery, but nothing could be done for it, he said that he had gone to see it that day in Hong Kong, but it had died completely. We are going to get two of them and I will not bow to them, so we will see what we shall see.

Today Stu and I are going down blackwood street to look for our purloined chest. We have planned on getting it for the last two months but something always comes up. This time we will get it. I am sending you some pictures of us and our house and boy, you will get them along with this letter. I was terribly sorry I could not get another set of the ones that Stu got for his folks. He had them printed before I got here, and we intended to get some more, bud the negatives belonged to Ed Deeds and before we knew it he was gone. Stu said that you could have some taken off the ones he sent his folks, however we have a set here and perhaps we can do it here.

Speaking of pictures, I wish that you would send me the one one of you and of Dada that I like so much. The Chinese fix them up and I would like to have them done. You can send anything that goes in an envelope without duty. Send it letter post.

You know in this crazy country they tie up the cats and let the dogs run loose. Most of the cats are terrible looking things. They are never fed and they are mangy and scared to death. Only a few that are kept for pets are well kept. These pets are tied to a little cat house like dogs to a dog house. They look mighty funny to me. The dogs are mostly chows with a little interspersing of Peke plus fox terrier, and they are all the most lifeless things you can imagine. They chow dog goes around with a wrinkled forehead and a worried look on and it is very amusing to see. Gwen is terribly afraid of dogs. You would have laughed to see her trying to climb a little bamboo shoot to get away from an old chow that couldn't have stood up if he tried and anyhow he didn't want to.

You were wondering about heat. Well, we have a beautiful fireplace that will burn easily three lumps of coal or two pieces of wood, but if we feel the cold we will have to indulge in some oil stoves which are plentiful and satisfactory.

While we were at Hong Kong a girl came up to us, and we knew her. She is a Pomona girl on a trip. She visited us here in Canton yesterday and is now on her way back. Her name is Mildred Bissett and she teaches school where Velma does.

The rain came up while we were having tiffin and now a lovely cool breeze is blowing. Poor Stu, he comes home every day soaking wet and all night long he drips. For some reason I do not perspire as much here as I do at home, but I perspire in different spots. My back is like a wash rag all the time, but my face is usually dry unless I walk.

Gwen is a lot of fun and we have good times. The other day we were on the bund (river front) waiting for the boys to come back. We were sitting in the Cheve[sic] and as usual the Chinese passing were gaping and holding up their children so they could see the funny people (they really do that) and we decided to give them something to stare at, so we put our hats on the back of our heads and started making faces. Well- the Chinese think foreigners are nuts anyways, so [when we] started this monkeybusiness they just took it for granted [we were] acting naturally and continued staring without even tu[rest of page missing]

It certainly is a comfort to be where you can make a fool of yourself and not have anyone know the difference.

You have no idea how strange it is to be where you cannot understand a word of all the talking going on around you. Stu said that when he gets back home he will feel like an eavesdropper. That reminds me when the heir arrives and Wallace and Florence shout with joy what their baby has just said Da-Da- you will be very popular with them if you say that there is a Chinese family living in back of us that have a baby. I hear it saying every morning Da-Da- and I know perfectly well that thing can't talk english. DaDa is probably the Chinese word for feed me so the Chinese probably tell their friends with glee that the baby can now say feed me. Ah well, when Stu and I have a our children we will have them saying Mother and Father and kindly feed me now before they have their eyes open.

If it is not too expensive, I am going to send you a newspaper from here. Read it carefully- it will amuse you. The English terms and the English genius for leaving out anything of interest or importance. The other night at a party on Shameen there were several English people present. They are very nice but their speech always sounds strange to me. If Dad had been there I'm afraid he would have laughed out loud when they all said 'How j-do' when they were introduced. One Englishman there stepped out of a P.G. Wodehouse book I swear. He said to me 'Motha coals me Wottie' Translation- Mother calls me Waty. There was also one there who was elderly and very nice indeed, but the night was hot and he was as damp. 'You dawnce like an angel, my deah' said he to me as the perspiration dripped off his nose down my neck. I wanted to say that I felt more like a rain barrel than an angel, but I summoned my American dignity and just smiled.

Mrs. Malley always compares notes on how we say things in America until I get so mixed up I can't figure out how I did say it. If I come home and ask for a Banawna don't faint just hand me a long yellow fruit. There was present at the same party a Danish man who was very nice as all were them. For some inexplicable reason he reminded me of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Old world courtesy is charming but somehow it makes me feel like a jolly good awss.

We sent our boy to the doctors for an examination the other day and found that he is perfectly healthy. No disease of any kind. That is a big help. He is doing fine so far, and the bills are coming down.

The wind is coming up strong and more rain will follow. The thunder here is the loudest you can imagine. It cracks with a terrible bang. Looks like we are in for a good rain, the clouds are low and thick and black and the wind is blowing my paper onto the floor and making the light shades swing wildly. It feels good.

Stu is getting along fine in his work, although he gets pretty tired. He enjoys it too, but he does not want to continue for very long, because the longer he stays the more formally he will be entrenched and life in this country is not so hot for foreigners. You can stand two years maybe all right, but after that the soup is gone. The Chinese are built to stand their own country we aren't. It certainly is a world of experience, though being here.

I had my teeth cleaned by a Chinese dentist. He is American educated and not bad, but seeing as how the Chinese do everything up side down I wondered just what was going to happen. It was all right though, and Crip hearing the report went down and had some teeth filled. Stu is going to have to go, but Crip said that he did not hurt them at all, so it may not be so bad.

I received a letter from Mrs. Wales and will write one back to her.

Well it is almost time for my boss to come home, so I had better go and powder my nose and see that tea is ready.

Lots of Love,

Jeannette.