Every Little Detail about the Baby

Jaipur Hotel

 

Rajputana, Jaipur

December 11, 1913

Mary dear:

            How happy I was to get Arthur’s letter telling me of the new daughter’s arrival!  and that you are so well!  aren’t you simply in the seventh heaven?  I’m so anxious to see her and all of you I can hardly wait to get home and now when I know that in six months I’ll be there I have little shivers all up and down my back.   Only five months by the time this reaches you!

            Arthur was a dear to write to me and it pleased me to pieces to hear from him and especially such joyous news.

            Sallie has told you, probably, all that we’ve been doing.  We have certainly seen some wonderful sights of late and all India is one of the most interesting countries we’ve been to – it seems more real somehow just as China does, while Java and Japan are more like toy countries and the people playing games of “make believe”. 

            Today we went on an expedition that we had to do on elephants.  It was heaps of fun, and the biggest elephants I’ve ever seen – dreadfully jolty till we got used to the sway and swell and bump of each foot fall.  We went way out to the ruins of an ancient city where there is a beautiful palace and Maharajah’s stables. Did you know that polo originated in India?  I didn’t, but all those high-mucky-mucks used to have big strings of ponies and beautifully kept polo grounds in front of their palaces.  The people certainly knew how to live in those days – such luxury and extravagance I’ve never seen: wonderful marble buildings elaborately carved and inlaid with flowers of jade, lapis lazuli and turquoise, rose water fountains set with rubies and emeralds, rich Persian carpets, cloth of gold hangings and jewels by the bagful.

            The poorer class is just as interesting, and of course we see lots more of it.  The native life is a little different in each place, but always crowded;  beggars, camels, monkeys, oxen, babies, lepers, veiled women by the  thousands and all mixed and jumbled together into one yelling, scapping, happy-go-lucky mob.  Traveling here is very different from that in other countries as we have to have everything imaginable with us, including a stove and a servant.  All the baggage is carried on women’s or coolie’s heads, so we sent our trunks on to Columbo two months ago, and are now managing in suitcases, band boxes and bird cages – twenty seven pieces in all.  Imagine that in the States, but our trusty and faithful Abdul takes charge of it all, and we have nothing to do but occasionally jump on him.

            Do tell me every little detail about the baby.  What color is her hair going to be, does she look like you and how does Amelia feel with her nose so out of joint?  Won’t you give me in fact a short synopsis of your daily performances – when does she start to yell in the morning, when do you bathe her, feed her, take her out and tuck her in at night.  I’m longing to know so much, all that you are doing and just everything.  Dear me, I want to see you and talk to you!  Oh! yes how much do you weigh?  I’m still as fat as ever, and my hair is dropping out in chunks.

            Heaps of love to you all

            Alice

December 11, 1913

            The baby (are you going to call her that or Sara?  I think it is lovely that you named her for the Angel) and I can almost celebrate our birthdays together.

Address:

c/o U.S. Consul

Cairo, Egypt

Kyber Pass

Dean’s Hotel

Peshawar

Nov. 30 [1913]

Address c/o U.S. Consul, Cairo, Egypt

Sallie dear:

            My last letter was written in such a hurry that I didn’t tell you half I wanted to, so must go back now and give you some old news.  We spent a couple of days at Lucknow where they had the fight and so much trouble in 1857, and at Cawnpore where was the terrible massacre – saw the well where they threw all the women and children after cutting them up.  Did you ever learn about that?  If I studied it I forgot it and had to read it all up again just before going there. 

            Oh!  Our trip through the Khaibar Pass1 was thrilling. We were unusually fortunate to get the permit – only last week an English general was refused and as I told you only two women have ever gone through.  We went thirty five miles from Peshawar, about ten miles through the Pass itself to Landicotal [Landi Kotal], an army post where an officer met us and showed us their quarters, etc. and then took us up a hill which is the boundary line of Afghanistan.  We had armed me with us the whole way and had our picnic  lunch which we had brought with us right where this officer had been shot at a few days before.  All the way there and back we passed thousands of camels, huge caravans of donkeys, mules, oxen and camels laden with spices, pottery, and hides – hundreds and hundreds of men, women and children walking and riding.  We got dreadfully tangled up with them as they were so interested watching us that they would just stand spellbound instead of getting out of the way – wild, villainous looking people they were too.  It really was a most worthwhile experience, but I shouldn’t like to live there – mud houses, dust knee deep, and desert country around everywhere.

            Oh! angel, I have a sad, sad tale to tell you about Mr. Wallenberg.  I told you, didn’t I, about Mrs. Chandler having met him on the steamer coming out here two years ago, so when we met him I paid very little attention to him feeling that he belonged to more or less to her, although he was awfully nice to me, in a very impersonal way always giving me everything imaginable, etc.  I thought so often how nice it was to be with a man who apparently enjoyed doing things for me without the idea that eventually he would make love to me and with whom I could be a real friend.  After we got back to Calcutta from Darjeeling he used to beg me to get up early while it was still cool in the morning and go motoring.  I had learned to drive his big, Belgian car, so loved going out and we had some fine times together.  One morning he asked me if I was engaged and never dreaming that he meant it seriously, like a chump, I said no and laughed – but he made some remark about my being able to say one thing and mean another, so I felt sure he didn’t believe me, but the climax came the evening we left and I never was so surprised in my life.

 Since then I’ve had lots of telegrams from him.  He went to Burma and the day he got there he sent me one with ninety words, so I then sat down and told him gently but firmly that I was as good as married and could not allow such “goings on”.  You see he planned to come clear to Bombay to spend Christmas with us, and bring his automobile and motor us all through southern India and Ceylon – nearly a two month’s trip, and when I discovered that he really wanted to marry me, I thought I’d better nip it in the bud, although I hate cheating the rest out of that lovely trip, for Mrs. C. declares she knows now that he won’t come.  I felt dreadfully about it all because he had been so awfully good, and I just wish he had fallen in love with Mrs. C. instead, for he has mints of money, is most attractive and could have made her very happy. 

I have always thought a woman must be blind who couldn’t tell when a man was crazy about her, but I truly never dreamed of such a thing and can’t see why he should care a scrap for me, although Mrs. C. used to tease me a lot about him and say that things were looking serious, but I thought it all absurd and that she was only joking.  He has a yacht and an aeroplane too! 

Goodnight. Here’s a kiss

Alice

November 30, 1913

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1 The special pass-port for this is in the photo collection.

Two Caribou Fighting*****

November 27, 1913

Dean’s Hotel

 Peshawar

Dear Angel:

Here we are right on the border of Afghanistan – doesn’t that sound thrilling! Really this is the most exciting part of the world I’ve ever lived in, but there is so much of it, if you can understand what I mean and never before have I felt that my vocabulary was so utterly inadequate for I can’t even begin to describe it, so we’ll just wait till we are sitting in front of the fire at home some evening with nothing special to talk about. Then we’ll have a little trip to the Himalayan Mts.

By the way, Sallie dear, so take the map of India and look it over – compare it with the U.S. and see what an enormous country it is. The train distances are tremendous and the place is so much bigger than I imagined, and such thousands of people packed together too. We walk for miles through dirty, narrow streets lined on each side with little shops just big enough for one man to sit hunched up in – hundreds of beggars deformed and diseased, lepers, camels, donkeys, oxen, big tailed sheep and goats and every other ordinary animal crowding around everywhere, and all the people talking and yelling at the top of their voices.

This afternoon Adelaide Gillis, and father and I were driving down through the market when we came across two carabous fighting, huge ferocious ones and an enormous crowd gathered round watching, so of course father got out of the carriage to take a picture and we followed. The animals had their horns locked and were trying to put each other down or twist the other’s neck. At such times they are very dangerous, especially to white people as they can scent them a long distance off. We were right in the thick of the crowd when it suddenly swerved as the animals came near and knocked poor father over and over in the road. He hurt his shoulder and elbow badly, but there was no room to get through, so there we had to stay. Father was just ready to take another picture when all of the sudden the animals got unhooked and charged up the street, one rolling over and over and screeching in a most awful way. Several natives were kicked over and trampled and that crowd was the worst I have ever been in. Once I thought I was down, but managed to keep my feet, and after many struggles made connections with the rest of the family, and we all drew a sigh of relief that we had escaped alive, but it was one of the most exciting five minutes I’ve spent for a long time.

All the people in these northern provinces are celebrated thieves so Abdul, our servant, is in a chronic state of locking up and telling us not to leave a thing around; the windows in this hotel are way up near the ceiling with ropes hanging down to open and close them and all the doors have locks, padlocks, and bolts so you see it is all very thrilling. The people look exactly like Bible pictures. We see Rebekhs at the Well, Father Abrahams and Josephs all the time.

Mrs. Gillis gave such a lovely Thanksgiving dinner for us this evening. We had a real turkey which father carved, the table beautifully decorated with poinsettias, and on the place cards were written silly things which each of us had at some time or other said we were thankful for. She had an awful time because neither the cook nor proprietor had ever heard of mince or pumpkin pies so she practically made them herself. The salad was red pomegranates filled with nuts and apples, etc. So you see, although we were far away we had a nice homey dinner. Afterwards we sat around the fire and talked about you all at home.

Tomorrow we go through the Kyber pass. That’s really what we came here for. Only two women have ever been through before, but father got a special permit from the general here so we’re to have an armed escort, and if we’re not too much peppered by shot and shell, I’ll tell you all about it in a few days.

Not a word from you for three weeks, but I’m hoping for some next week in Dehli. After the first of the year address c/o U.S. Consul, Cairo, Egypt as we leave [Colombo] the first of February. My, I feel quite near when I say that.

All sorts of good wishes for 1914.

Alice

[on a little sticker]

Prepaid

Here’s a Christmas Lettergram,

Sent by hand of Uncle Sam.

Fifty words the law permits

To the person who remits,

Ticked off by the ringing chimes

Love! Repeated fifty times.

A square turned corner wise and raised like a pyramid*****

Darjeeling

Angel dear:

Today is my birthday, so I must tell you how dearly I love you and how I wish you were here. Although right now I’m afraid you wouldn’t like it much, because it is freezing cold. We have been here five days and I haven’t been so happy for ages or felt that life is so worthwhile, and I hope now that this will last at least till we get to Europe, where it will probably be cool again. The trip up here is most interesting. The first afternoon and night are not unusual, but early the next morning we changed on the funniest little train – the track only two feet and the engine like a toy one, but in four hours we climbed 8000 feet, having glorious views and getting colder every minute. This is just on the border of Thibet, so the people are different from any we have seen, great big strong husky looking ones – a lot like our Indians, only more Chinesey.

The women do all the work nearly. Coming up from the station, women met us and each one took a trunk, or two or three suitcases on her back held by a strap over her forehead, and walked right up the hill faster than we could without anything. They wear more jewelry than you ever saw. As soon as they make any money it goes at once for necklaces, anklets, bracelets, etc. which they wear all the time, dozens of rings set with corral, turquoises, etc. and gold earrings actually as big as bread and butter plates, sometimes set with such big stones that they have to tie a string in them and run it up over their heads to lessen the weight on their ears. They wear piles and layers of clothes, high snow leggings made of red and blue patches and most ridiculous looking hats.

I saw an old Tibetan ring in a curio shop that I was crazy for, and this morning was pleased to pieces when father gave it to me in [a] dear little crushed turquoise box. It is rather big and almost too conspicuous but very unusual – a square turned corner wise and raised like a pyramid set with turquoises and spiral rubies (a stone found near ruby mines but not so valuable as real rubies) and in the center a good sized pearl. That sounds rather weird, but I think it is lovely and I hope you will.

I had to dig out my poor old serge suit and heavy coat which I haven’t worn for nearly eight months to come up here and never budge without my sweater. We walk miles every day, ride horseback, and go to bed early. We keep fires going in our rooms all the time and it is perfectly heavenly. Mr. Wallenberg is dreadful. Whenever we go out he gets me something so that now I don’t dare admire anything I see or mention anything I like. Yesterday he gave me a necklace of turquoise – and the first day we were here a man came with lots of beautiful furs. He showed us some fur robes and just in fun I selected one that I said he should have for his automobile and then another for a coat for him. He asked me if I really liked the latter, and when I innocently said yes he handed it to me saying it was mine – Tibetan fox and really lovely, but how I’ll ever get it into New York I don’t know. Just now I sleep under it and it more than covers the whole bed. My only hope now is that he will come to the States and that we can do something for him there.

The Gillis’s will be with us through the rest of India I think. They are awfully nice. Adelaide is just my age and a crank too about physical culture, diets, etc. and Dorothy twenty so we have good times together. When we were in Singapore Mrs. Cunningham the consul’s wife was going home in November and said she would be glad to get anything for me in Japan, so I gave her the money and asked her a white embroidered guaze and send it to you when she reached the States so I hope you have it by now. It is the only Christmas present I’m sending and I do hope you will like it. You must give my love to all the others and tell them I’m thinking of them. We’ll be in Bombay for Christmas I think.

Yesterday morning we all arose at 2:30, bundled up in all the warm clothes, blankets, rugs, etc. we could find, and set forth in chairs for the top of Tiger Hill – 10,000 ft. high. On account of the altitude we each had five coolies who were dressed most picturesquely and as we went up and up through the jungles in full moon light, they kept time with a weird sing song, chanting all the time. It was really a most wonderful trip. At five thirty we reached the top just as all the sky was growing pink and casting lovely rosey tints on the snow clad peaks. We had a fine view of Mt. Everest, only 100 miles away, and then shortly after sunrise the clouds commenced to rise out of the valleys, and we felt as though we were standing right on them. Coming back Mr. Wallenberg and I walked the whole way, eight miles, getting back just in time for breakfast at nine o’clock.

We have lunch and two and dinner at eight thirty or nine all over Burma and India, and I think I told you they always have soup, fish, poultry, and meat for breakfast – everything but the pudding – also coffee and fruit at six or seven before you get up in the morning, but this I skip. I’ve invested in some grapenuts and cornflakes which I indulge in for breakfast, so manage all right. Mrs. C. gave me a lovely delft blue silk crepe Japanese kimono for my birthday. We go back to Calcutta in two days and then on to [Benares]. Goodbye sweetheart, I love you bushels. Oh! Yes, Lover sent me a lovely Chinese pin, one of those with the Kingfish feathers.

Alice

November 14, 1913

Can you give me Sue Carter’s address?