Unsigned letter from Hattie to Mary, March 31, 1873

Unsigned letter from Hattie to Mary, March 31, 1873

Birthdays; Missionaries; Gifts; Fashion; Games;

Harriet wishes her younger sister Mary a happy birthday and talks about how old she feels now as a twenty-nine year old. She is anticipating her trip home. Henry now wants to wait until it has been twelve years but she believes that as a single lady she should be able to go home in eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Sites, from Ohio, visited and were disappointed about the lack of frequency with steamers. Harriet is sending back home a little box with a pair of soapstone vases, and a game called Jackstraws for the children. She herself received a present, some fine buttons (maybe amber set in gold) from Mrs. Sites.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

Unpublished

1873-03-31

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

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eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_093

[Note: Additonal note in the margin of page one]
I forgot to tell you that Mr Sites gave me such a [u]beautiful[/u] present a
pin + sleeve buttons carved of birds beak which looks something like amber and
beautifully set in gold. They cost [u]sixteen[/u] dollars Henry has been
wanting to
get me
one for a
long time
so he was
delighted.
Canton China
March 31[u]st[/u] '73
My dear Mary,
I thought about
this being your birthday the first
thing this morning and have
thought of it several times since
but I have not yet written you
a birth-day letter and it
is now after eleven-o-clock I
think I must send you my
good wishes and leave the rest
for another day, It seems
strange to think that "little
Mary" our "[u]baby[/u]" has reached
the mature age of [u]twenty[/u].
I wonder if it does'nt [u]feel[/u] rather
old to you. I think twenty
nine [u]seems[/u] to me fully [u]ten[/u]
years older than twenty Eight
did. I expect I am growing
older faster than the rest of you
but never mind I shall
come home by and by and
get renovated. [u]I hope to[/u] spend

your birthday of '7[?6?] [u]with you.[/u]
and mine too so you see
I am setting my heart upon
coming Early in the year
It will be soon enough to
think of changing our plans
if we are [u]obliged[/u] to do so which
I do not anticipate. Henry
never suggests now waiting
until he has been twelve
years. and I think and if
I ever get home shall advocate
warmly the idea that if married
people can go home at the End
of ten years single ladies who
come out alone ought to be
allowed to go home in Eight.
The English Wesleyans Expect
married people who have their
home and all its comforts
and pleasures with them here
to remain ten or twelve years
and allow their single missionaries
to go home in six or seven.
which I think is quite right
and [u]fair[/u]. Of course I fully
appreciate that I am on a
different basis from most [u]single[/u]
ladies but I am speaking for others.

April 10[u]th[/u] - As usual I have precious little time to write
for this mail Mr + Mrs Sites staid with us until yesterday
and after they left it took some time to put the
house to rights so that I have only to-day to write
for the mail and I have spent [u]seven hours[/u] of it
with the Chinese. Mr + Mrs Sites and their three children
Belle, Clement + Ruthie were with us nearly four weeks
They were disappointed when they reached Hongkong
to find that no steamer would leave in the middle
of the month + they would be obliged to so prolong
their visit in Canton but I think they soon became
reconciled to the situation and we enjoyed their
visit very much. They were so Easy to Entertain and
made no trouble in any way the children were so
different from many. I hope and [u]believe[/u] that you
will have a visit from them and I am sure you
will Enjoy it they are nice sensible Ohio people. Her
home is in Coshocton and his in Richland a twelve
miles south of Mansfield. They said the last morning

that there was no place outside
of their circle of relatives. that they
wanted to visit more than our home.
The last Evening they were here we
sung some of the pieces "our folk"
have written and we fancied they
thought that they would like to go
and see a family of such [u]smart[/u]
people. This is "between you and I"
you know. I was glad to have
an opportunity of sending by them
a little box to the dear ones at home.
The pair of soapstone vases are from
Foochow you will find that one is
broken but if you will take the thread
off and take it apart carefully you
will find it can be easily glued so
that it will look all right. The little
things inside are designed for covers
but I think the vases look prettier to
stand without them, a matter of
taste however. If Edward finds the
pair of [--slippers--] shoes we send him too small
perhaps he can dispose of them.
The box of Jackstraws is for playing a
game which little children and
sometimes large ones like. Takeout
the two hooks and then taking all the
rest hold them up in one hand the
ends resting on the table then suddenly
letting go let them fall as they will
of course in a confused heap Then one
of the players taking a hook draws out
as many as he can without making

Letter