Letter from Hattie to Mother, September 25, 1873

Letter from Hattie to Mother, September 25, 1873

Letters; Housekeeping; Missionaries; Women missionaries

Harriet writes to her mother about all the work they are having done on the house, having it washed and painted inside and out. They are doing it for the benefit of Martha and Miss Crouch, who they are very excited to receive. Miss Crouch has not said if she would live with them yet. Their family will be unconventional but wonderful. The Wesleyan mission also has young missionaries coming to join. Harriet wishes them goodnight.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1

Unpublished

1873-09-25

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_103

Canton China .
Sept 25[u]th[\u] 1873.
My dear Mother,
It is time to write for
the mail again as it must
go out tomorrow morning but we
have this time no letters to answer.
You may be sure we were really
disappointed not to get our home
letters nor had we a single
one from any other source .
Our friends were almost as
unfortunate. we shall all hope
for a double share next time.
I wrote very little for the last
mail and I feel still less like
it this time although I have
several letters [u]laid over[/u] . We
have been very busy these past
two weeks having the house
whitewashed +c from top to
bottom . It is nearly finished
now and we have got things
to rights somewhat but for a

few days we were in a dreadful
mess as the workmen seemed
to want to be working at all
the rooms at once. The
matting on the chamber
floors which has been down
ever since we came into the
house we have had taken
up and turned so that it
looks almost as well as new.
I do not know whether I ever
reported that my conflict with
the fleas ended in their complete
extermination. I had the
matting washed off every
morning for a while and
coal oil sprinkled over it
and both together were too much
for them . The workmen
still have some painting to
do the dining room floor and
the front verandah, these
are all we are having
repainted. When the house
was finished off it was very

rainy weather and the paint +c
did not dry well and so came
off Easily. We want our house
to look its best when Matt and
Miss Crouch come so that
their first impressions will be
pleasant. I have set my
heart in making them happy
and you may be very sure
that [u]nothing[/u] that Either of us
can do to produce that desirable
end will be left undone .
I was so disappointed in not
getting letters because I hoped
we would hear something
more certain about their coming.
I hoped to have a letter from
Miss Crouch in answer to the
one I wrote asking her to live
with us but have not as yet
and Henry says perhaps she
will not accept of our arrangement
but I tell him if she dont
we will "appeal to the Board."
It seems too bad when we
think of your losing Matt but

I know it wont make that any
harder for you to know how [u]much-
pleasure[/u] we are anticipating in
having her here . We have had some
pretty good jokes in the past about
Henry's family but he thinks
when it is composed of three
young ladies it will be a pretty
nice family, and he thinks
it will be a model family in
being "self-supporting," Some of
the missionaries are planning
a country trip next month to
be gone two or three weeks.
Henry I presume will go but
I cannot leave the school,
so I will stay at home and
attend to that and think
about our "new missionaries" coming,
We hear that the Wesleyan mission
is to be reinforced by two young
men and one young lady,
We shall have quite a regiment
of single ladies soon if we can
only prevent desertions . My lamp
is going out and my paper is
Exhausted so I will say goodnight.
[Note: Written sideways in the left margin]
[u]Much love[/u] to all from your aff daughter Hattie.

Letter