April 23, 1933
Canton

No mail boat this week end, so I am letterless this Sunday. I can't understand the schedule. I know a boat leaves Frisco every Friday for the Orient, yet over here mail sometimes skips a week.

I have a new name and a new chop. I found out the first one meant Omnibus. My new one is very good I am told and means, “success in a short time”, or “easy success”. Here it is [Image]

Believe it or not that is our family name, Baird.

I have been house hunting frantically but so far have not been successful. I salve myself with the thought that I have two weeks left in which to establish a home. I think I will hire about $10 worth of palms and stand them around in corners just before Jeannette arrives. They will fill up a lot of space.

The embargo that Roosevelt put on gold yesterday and the statement that the US is going on the silver basis has surely raised the dickens with the exchange here. It was 4.40 Hong Kong to one. Now it is 3.80 and going down. I can't live on three to one so I am watching the thing seriously. I will ask to be paid Hong Kong $900 which was the rate when we arrived. If they won't do it I will have to come home. I can't live on my savings and be stranded out here with less than enough to live on.

The last three months have been pretty bad. I wouldn't care to live them over. Something is always haywire. It might as well be exchange as anything else. You aren't having all the trouble at home. I am getting along OK but believe me there are moments of doubt. I am not a bit blue, in fact I am getting quite a kick out of it all. I will have a lot to tell you when I see you again. Don't think I am discouraged and blue because I am not a bit. I am sure I can work it all out.

Jeannette's arrival will help me more than anything in the world. Her happy laugh will do a world of good. Even after she arrives it won't be clear sailing. Terrill got all excited and sent for his wife-to-be without figuring it all out. Now he discovers he will have $50 in the bank when she arrives. Poor fish! He came to me with his tale of woe and asked if he could live with us the first month. He to share expenses. I told him it wouldn't work at all. However he hasn't another place to turn and I can't just refuse and leave him in the street which my refusal would mean.

There wasn't anything I could do but take them in. I made it plain and he understands that it it was to be our house and they would be guests. Jeannette is to have complete charge and his wife is to keep out of everything. If they don't like our meals they can go downtown. Believe me that is the way it is going to be run. I may lose his friendship but with me Jeannette comes first and my home is going to be my own.

I know it won't be satisfactory in any way and so do you. But there wasn't anything else I could do. I could tell him to go to hell, but I can't leave his wife stranded. He hasn't enough to send her to a hotel. Some birds are born dumb and never recover.

I am afraid that the past months have caused me to lose a good part of my happy nature. I have a wife that I love dearly and anyone that endangers her happiness or my success out here better get his damn neck in or I will take it off.

Capt. Malley (the Australian out at the field) and his wife are perfect peaches. They have been awfully nice to me and I am sure will make it very pleasant for Jeannette. That is a silver lining.

I have been terribly busy at the field. I have a class of seven flight commanders, or did have, I washed one, to whom I gave flying instruction from 8:30 to 11:30 each morning. Three hours flying. Then in the afternoon I have lectures and ground work. Next week I also have lectures at the Primary flying school. You can imagine it keeps me quite busy. I do not see much of Canton because I am too busy with my work and preparations for Jeannette's arrival. I have a cook boy and an Amah already engaged. That leaves just the coolie to get and there are thousands of them.

I have been buying my summer outfit. Everything over here is tailor made which involves fittings and red tape. You should see the summer formal dress. It consists of a linen mess jacket which is a bobbed tail affair that only comes to the waist, - a white vest, tux shirt and tie and black tux trousers. It really is quite good looking and cool. I had to order a pair of tux trousers made of very light black material. Ordinary trousers are so heavy you can't stand them. Then of course linen suits. I still have to buy a white sun helmet. Won't I be a picture? I will have one taken and send it to you.

I am writing this in my room at the club. Feminine voices come from the room across the hall. There seems to be no thought for privacy. These visiting girls walk all over the place and catch you in your bath or perched on the toilet. It is quite a surprise to find a spectator at those places. I don't mind being caught in the tub quite so much.

By the time this reaches you Jeannette will have been here two weeks. Oh happy day when she arrives.

The old US must be in a terrible mess. What an absurd price for oranges. I surely hope things straighten out and soon. People can't stand up under those conditions. I am very much concerned over your problems there so please keep me advised as to how things are going with you all. It seems we have problems but yours are terribly tough now. I think I am lucky to be over here.

All my love to you and all my wishes for your happiness and success.

Love, Stu