Rameses

Hotel Du Nil

Luxor

Adresse telegraphique

NILHOTEL – LUXOR

Le February 18, 1914

Angel dear:

I’ve been longing to have a nice long talk with you, for there’s so much I want to say, but in Cairo I hadn’t time to sit down a minute to write you.  It is a most dreadful place.  Shepheard’s Hotel1 which is so famous and so popular was simply jambed – hundreds of Americans and I believe every living soul on our boat stayed there, so every time I’d start upstairs someone I knew would come along and want me to sit down and talk, or go out somewhere, or do something else.

The streets were crowded with dirty, insolent tourist-trained natives getting in our way, trying to sell hideous spangled scarves, scarabs, etc.  and yelling and squabbling.  The camels, horses, children and automobiles all jumbled together, and in short the most awful confusion imaginable.

Mrs. Stewart, wife of our vice consul in Calcutta and who (I have always forgotten to tell you) was before she married Rebecca Ross of Washington- her father was from McVeaghtown (?) and also was about engaged to Mr. Harris.  You remember him, don’t you, out at the Naval Station, a pay master.  Well she wrote to a friend of hers back here, an Englishman, to look us up and he certainly did, and was most attentive.  Also the son of our consul in Java is here and he too has been only too eager to do things.  In fact, between them I was kept so on the jump that I had to just simply refuse to do things. I was so bored and tired.  The whole place got on my nerves more than I ever thought was possible.

You see it is the first “civilized” place we’ve been for so long that I was simply amazed at the clothes I saw.  I realize that here the women were even more extreme than usual.  At least I hope they aren’t as bad at home, for I was ashamed to be classed as a woman, if they are a fair representation.  I don’t think I’m an old maid, although I don’t voice the opinion of the majority, but to me it was distressing to know that any woman would dare to dress as extravagantly and exaggeratedly as some of them did, and for no other purpose and aim than to parade the hotel lobby and attract attention.  Goodness, what is this world coming to?  Perhaps it wouldn’t seem so dreadful to you, because you’ve been seeing it gradually coming, but it burst upon me so suddenly I haven’t recovered yet, and hope I never shall.

The hotel itself is really beautiful – all sorts of Turkish and Arabic rooms, wonderful hangings and rugs and everything most luxurious, but everywhere was the spirit of unrest, and I could hardly wait to get away from all those dances, dinners and silly talking.  Adelaide is of the same turn of mind, and she was nearly crazy, and we spent our time the last few days crawling out of engagements and making excuses.  However, enough of that.

You’ll be thinking I’ve turned into an awful snob, but truly Sallie dear, I was so annoyed and worn out that suddenly my voice left me right in the middle of a sentence, and for three days I could hardly whisper decently, but as soon as I left it all and came up here, I was all right and never had even a sign of a cold or sore throat.

We went out to see the Sphinx and Pyramids, rode camels and enjoyed it all, but I think I’ll be more impressed when I get home and have time to think it all over.  My mind now is fairly numb, and I know I don’t “take in” half that I should.  The trouble is besides having seen so much we are all (except father) spoiled by India.  There the natives seem worthwhile.  They are a fine race compared with these.  Color everywhere, and a feeling of more or less thriftiness, while here they are doing things and living just as they did 4000 years BC.  They wear layers of dirty, black, ugly draperies and are slow, lazy and stupid.  Certainly not people one should like to live amongst.

We’ve been up here several days and it is much more attractive than Cairo.  We wanted to come up by boat, but the Nile is lower than it’s been for a hundred years, and the boats all stick every few minutes on a sand bar, and everyone must get out and push.  So we decided we’d better take the train.  It’s just a night’s trip, and  here we’ve been busy every minute.  Every day we have done about twenty miles in the desert by donkey back to see various sights.  Walking fills up the afternoon, and at sunset we take a row on the Nile to watch the glorious colors and lights on the sands.  It is wonderful how much a place that apparently has but one color can change, for all around us is nothing but sand and hills of sand colored rocks – except  a tiny patch of green where the town is situated – but really it scarcely ever looks the same, and the camels and Arabs in their flowing robes lend the picturesque touch necessary.

The king’s and queen’s tombs are  perfectly wonderful, and how the archaeologists ever found them, I can’t understand.  Either a [low/long] stairway or incline leading down into the ground, many chambers and long, twisting passageways leading and turning in all directions to put the excavator off the track, and the walls covered with elaborate carvings and beautiful paintings depicting the life of the deceased, on down and along into the very depths of the earth, till finally you come to the real sarcophagus and in it lying the mummy of the king Amemphes or Seth or who’s ever tomb it happens to be.

Doesn’t it in a way seem wicked to be looking at him when he tried so hard to be hidden, especially when it was against his religion to be found?  I think people should be satisfied to look only at the tomb, instead of having him not even in the mummy case, but opened to the public and even the clothes removed.  Crowds of natives are busy everywhere excavating.  Wouldn’t it be exciting to find wonderful jewels and gold ornaments and [] and such things right in the ground?

Mrs. Chandler got a cable from her brother-in-law saying she must come home immediately to sign some papers and settle some dispute that came up about the settling of her husband’s property, so she left yesterday and will sail in a couple of days.  She was quite upset about going, and so disappointed to miss Greece and Turkey.

Lover wants to meet us in London, go home and marry me this summer, and take me back to Tien Tsin having his service there extended if possible, but I told him I didn’t think you would approve, and anyhow it’s best to stick to our former plans.  Don’t you think so?  In almost every letter he speaks of you, sends you his love and says something about what we’ll do when you visit us and what good times we’ll have.

Feb. 20 – I forgot to tell you that yesterday while coming down a hill at full gallop “Rameses” suddenly struck a stone and fell, and I shot over his head and slid on my tummy for about fifteen feet.  The rest thought I was killed, but I wasn’t hurt a speck except having my breath rudely knocked out of me.

Today we sailed in a little boat several miles up the river, and had our lunch which we took with us in a beautiful orange grove where the trees were fairly laden with fruit.  It is so lovely having the Gillis’s with us, for we have such fun doing everything together.

I had a letter from Sue Carter saying she had written me five letters and every one had been returned, but she was trying once more as she had been asking me in each one to be godmother to Suzanne, and now she was almost discouraged as the baby was a year old and hadn’t been christened yet.  Her address is 111 Warren St., New Rochelle.

It is cooler here than anywhere we’ve been.  Everyone is wearing suits and black shoes, something I haven’t done for over a year.  Warm in the middle of the day, in fact on the desert sizzling, but at night quite chilly.

Address now is c/o U.S. Dispatch Agent, 4 Trafalgar Square, London.

Oceans of love,

Alice

Pillow Fight

NORDDEUTSCHER LLYOD BREMEN

DAMPFER LUTZONE

Sallie dearest:

This is our tenth day at sea and the time has simply flown.  I haven’t done half the things I wanted to and can’t believe we are so near Port Said.  Two days more.  Tomorrow we hope to reach Suez.  I have for a long time labored under the impression that people didn’t make a bit of difference to my state of mind, but I believe I’m only human after all, for this trip has seemed shorter  than I ever thought any on the water could be, and I think it is all due to having such nice people as the Gillis’s to do things with and talk to or not have to talk to if I don’t feel like it.

I do hope sometime you can know them, for Mrs. G. is a dear and such fun.  She reminds me so often of you: the funny little things she does and says – and she’s as pretty as a picture.  Adelaide and I have been going to gym every morning for an hour before breakfast, then take our bath and dress and have breakfast and feel fine the rest of the day, till five o’clock when we have another hour of strenuous horse back, camel riding, weight lifting, etc. before dinner.

A very energetic Dutchman has made up an elaborate scheme for daily sports – had a programme printed and from 10:30 to 11:30 and 4:30 to 5:30 we indulge in sack races, pillow fights, swimming, stunts, etc.

Feb. 11 – Last night we had a fancy dress ball.  Father made a wonderful Maharajah in full dress donated by Dorothy – a beautiful gold and scarlet silk and elaborate turban decorated with diamond pins and strings of pearls collected from Mrs. Gillis and some other people.  Adelaide and Dorothy were his Hindu and Mohammedan wives in beautiful costumes they got in India.  Mrs. Chandler was a sight as Topsey.  I braided her hair in dozens of pigtails and blacked her face, and she wore awful looking clothes.

I went as a nun – wore a long, black satin coat of Mrs. G’s backwards.  It had a wide collar effect over the shoulders so was just the thing, borrowed a black veil and used white linen handkerchiefs around my forehead and chin, and had a great long string of big, black beads.  Headed by the band, we all walked twice around the deck – I at the last and all alone as modestly as possible.  It was loads of fun and I took the prize, a lovely carved tortoise shell jewel box.  I vowed I wasn’t going to dance, as it wasn’t fitting with my costume, but when an awfully good looking American who was dressed as a monk asked me I couldn’t resist, and found we had the floor to ourselves.  Everyone had stopped to watch the novel sight.

Tonight the prizes were awarded for the sports.  I got a lovely piece of Canton linen, a bureau cover, for driving a blindfolded man around a lot of bottles.

It was a year ago on the eighth that I [met] Lover.  All this week we were in Baguio, and I [have] simply been living it all over again.  It’s funny to read my diary and know how indifferent I was about it all.  You remember when Lover was with us from Shanghai to Hongkong on the “Yorck”?  Well this is a sister ship and exactly like her in every way.  We even have the same stateroom, and every time I walk the deck I think of how we used to [] together and at every turn I expect to see him.  It makes me so homesick for him I don’t know what to do.  So many things come back to me, and I realize more than ever what good times we had together.

We are in the canal now – passed a Japanese steamer this morning and on board was a Japanese girl I went to school with at Miss Romey’s.  We were close enough to call to each other.  She is going to Cairo too, so will see her there.  Wasn’t that an unusual thing to have happen?

Your last letter came just before we left Columbo.  It is a dear.  I’m so glad Mary is all right and you had such a happy Christmas.  Lover sent me a list of our Canton china which had just arrived and includes everything you ever heard of, two big boxes which he won’t open till we do it together.

This is a picture I’ve meant to send before, taken in our car in India.

It is wonderful tonight, full moonlight and the desert is glorious – quite cold too, so cold that we’ve all appeared in coats and dark clothes.  Hope to reach Port Said tomorrow, leave by train at one and arrive Cairo at five.

Goodnight, Sallie dear, I love you

Alice

Throw the Corsets in the Lake *****

The Anuradhapura Hotel

Anuradhapura, Ceylon

Shang dear,

We’ve been flitting around such a lot and so suddenly lately I can hardly remember all that has happened.  After several lazy days in Kandy, just sitting on our little vine covered porch, and reading and talking and dreaming and occasionally walking around the lake, we set forth for Nuwara Eliya – 7000 ft. and lovely and cool, but it poured cats and dogs, so father didn’t like it. 

Adelaide and I put on old dresses and went out walking one whole afternoon till we were soaked to the skin, but feeling fine.  It was the first rain I had seen for so long I loved it, and should have enjoyed a week or more of it, for there were lovely little winding paths and dense jungles to explore, but we stayed only one day and then came back to Kandy, expecting to have some more lazy times, but a telegram was waiting for us saying we could get rooms in the Anuradhapura hotel, so we left in a rush, and now will be here a few days. 

This is a wonderful place and I am surprised not more is known about it.  At least I wouldn’t have known anything if I weren’t out here in these regions.  It is the ruins of an ancient city dating back to 300 B.C. and said to have been the largest in the world, boasting over twenty million inhabitants all packed in like sardines.  Very little has been done in the way of excavation or restoration, but it is all intensely interesting and most picturesque being covered with vines and all sorts of tropical growth. 

This leaf is from the sacred Bo tree, the oldest historical tree known.  Ever since it was planted 2400 years ago, it has been guarded by an unbroken succession of priests – and Buddha himself sat under it to teach.

Mrs. Gillis and Dorothy haven’t wanted to go any of these places, so are in Columbo having clothes made, etc.  and Adelaide is now my sister.  She is just as much a crank about exercise and physical culture, etc. as I am so we have lots in common.  I’ve almost decided to abandon my corsets.  Down deep in my heart I never have approved of them, but not long ago I read a dreadful discourse on that subject, and now I’m wondering if I have strength of mind to really throw them in the lake.  For a whole week I’ve gone without, and am doing all sorts of new exercises and hope in a month or two to be as hard as iron around my waist and hips. 

I’ve just finished two fine books and wonder if you’ve read them.  Price Collier’s “The West in the East” and “England and the English”.  If you haven’t, do get them for they would be fine read aloud, especially the latter you would enjoy for he is very fair, states facts rather than criticizes and has such a “pat” way of expressing things we all know, but I at least had never thought them out so clearly. 

Never in my life have I seen so much tea as is grown on this island.  Everywhere you look the hills are covered with straight, regular rows of tea bushes, and the whole place dotted with men and women pickers in bright colored head dress and baskets on their back.

Later – didn’t get this finished, for we suddenly decided to come back to Kandy, where the hotel is splendid.  We had  enough of  mosquitos, lowlands, etc. at Anuradhapura – the only means of transportation being bullock carts – little, springless, two wheeled affairs with palm leaf hood[s] and so called trotting bullocks, but from the strenuous clucking, prodding, tail twisting and yelling that the driver did I don’t think the trotting was natural.

We shall probably stay here till Friday, go down to Columbo, and I want to have a tailor make me some sort of a silk dress or suit, if he can do it in so short a time, for on Sunday we sail for Cairo.  Father seems awfully tired.  I think it is the reaction after our strenuous times in India, for here there is practically no real sight seeing.  So I’m urging him to stay here as long as we can, for he likes it so much better than Columbo, and my dress I can go without if we don’t get there in time. 

There is a man here has the dearest little pet leopard just five months old.  Its head and paws are still too big for it, and it is as playful as a kitten – chews up everything in sight, but is perfectly gentle and lets anyone take it in their arms.

Adelaide and I are off for a long walk now before it gets dark.

Heaps of Love,

Alice

January 26, 1914

Flavored with Cinders

Hotel Suisse1

Kandy, Ceylon

Telegrams – Suisotel

 

Sallie dearest:

            We just came up here this morning. It’s four hours by train from Columbo,  much cooler and very tropical and lovely.  Mrs. C. had to wait for a package she was expecting from Bombay and Mrs. Gillis and Dorothy didn’t want to leave so soon, so father and Adelaide and I came and simply love it.  Hope to stay four or five days, and then go on up to Nuwara Eliya (pronounced New Arailia).  This hotel is splendid and we are right on the lake where at sunset all the elephants go to bathe and drink.

Our last few days in India were hot and dusty, but busy seeing the temple at [Wadura], which I think is the most worthwhile thing to see in all southern India.  We were still living in a car, so I was glad to know it was nearly over, but in [a] way sorry to feel that we had finished India.  It is such a big country, so important and such a lot “doing” there that this place seems more like a toy.  We bade a tearful farewell to Abdul at Tuticorin, where we took the steamer and had a desperately rough trip over to Columbo, so I was more glad to see it and the fine big hotel right on the beach with real bath tubs and good food.  Sardines, crackers, canned soup and cheese are all right for a while, but it doesn’t take long before such a diet grows monotonous, especially when flavored with cinders and nearly jerked off your lap with every jolt of the car.

I got a pretty blue satin afternoon gown, quite plain as to trimming but with a prettily draped skirt and rather good lines, except that it is bunchy around the hips, which I hate but I suppose I’ll have to get used to it as everyone seems to look the same.

A dear letter from you was waiting for me, written at Mary’s shortly after Thanksgiving, a lovely Maltese lace sort of scarf from Mrs. Wiegenstein, and several handkerchiefs from different people.  I sent Mrs. W. not long ago some dear little camels, elephants, etc. beautifully carved out of sandal wood.  I thought they would make lovely dinner favors.  She entertains such a lot, and so cleverly, although she has very little to do with way down in Batangas that I thought she could work them in beautifully – inviting people to the animal fair, have a little “jungle” scene for the centerpiece, etc.

I hope you will sometime meet Adelaide Gillis, for she is one of the finest girls I ever knew – just my age and most attractive, although different from the usually attractive type in that she is rather quiet, perfectly natural and simple, sweet but with lots behind her. You know what I mean.  We have been together practically for four months and will be till we reach Europe, probably.  They live in Los Angeles, but have a ranch where they spend most of their time.  She has twenty very fine horses, raises them and expects soon to have her own ranch.  She has taken the first prize over all the horses in California for the last two years, but you would never dream it, for she is not the ordinary type of horsey woman that you picture. 

It is lots of fun having her with us, and we have so much in common and so many of the same ideas that we don’t get tired of being together.

Lover is safely back from his tiger hunt, but minus the tiger as it was so cold and snowy they couldn’t get up into the mountains, but got lots of small game in the foothills.

Isn’t it too bad that John wouldn’t stick to it and make good at Culver?2 

We want to go home on the George Washington.  We have to go on the [?] D. L. you see, and she is the best of that line.  We just found out that she sails on May 31^st, so tell Shang to plan the menu and include barrels of lettuce.  Think of it, I haven’t had a mouthful of lettuce for over a year!  We sail on the first of February for Egypt.  It takes eleven days.  Father told you, I suppose, that we want Arthur and Margaret3 to meet us there.  Had one cable saying it was uncertain, but they had written.  However, we’ve received no letter and don’t know what will happen, but I do hope they can come.

Oceans of love,

Alice

January 15, 1914

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 http://www.ceylonhotels.lk/suisse.html In business in 2009.

 

 

 

2 Culver Camp in Indiana

3 Her brother and sister-in-law