Letter from Mattie to Clara, September 4, 1875; September 8, 1875
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Mattie to Clara, September 4, 1875; September 8, 1875
Subject
Silk; Anonyms and pseudonyms; Postal service; Health
Description
Martha writes to sister Clara about discovering her nom de plume "Clytie", and how the last package of letters from home was mistakenly delivered to Dr. Kerr but have been received since then. Martha explains how happy she was to hear of Clara's time with the Happer girls and that their mother hopes for a visit from Henry and Harriet. She concludes by congratulating Clara on school, complaining about how easily soiled silk skirts are, and discussing the health of a Miss Thompson
Creator
Kerr, Martha Noyes
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #5
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1875-09-04;1875-09-08
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_489
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Sept 4th /75
My dear Clara
I suppose this will
find you in Wooster again
and if Mary is there you
may read this to her too
We never found out
until yesterday who "Clytie"
was do not see how we
missed of seeing the name
of a dear sister written
under this "mon de plume"
of hers for I always give the
Seville Times a thorough
looking over but if Clytie
appears again she will
be noticed I assure you.
How do you get time
from those hard studies
to dabble in Authors ink
my dears as industrious as in
days of yore Well a happy
useful year I trust you will
have wherever you may
be.
[--July--] Sept 8th - Yesterday we got
such a nice large package
of letters from home and you
can not imagine how we en-
joyed them. By some mis-
take of the post master the
large envelope was sent by
the post master down to Dr
Kerr's and we did not get it
until after monthly concert
in eve. Yours was sent here
that is [u]one[/u] written to me
which gave an account of
your visit with the Happer
girls and after we read that I
felt just like a hungry child
who had not had enough yet
and you can gess what a sur
prise it was to find such a
nice lot down there. I lay awake
[Note: Additional note sideways on page two]
It was quite a joke about Mrs McCoy's letter Well I
see no way to [?mend?] it but to write another to the veritable
Mrs George
until very late [u]thinking[/u] of the
dear home and how happy
you would all be next year
Mother says she can hardly
help feeling it is ^al most to much
to hope for to have a long
visit from Henry and Hattie
but things at this end look
as if there was a good prospect
of this wish having gratified.
I am so glad you and Mary
can arrange to go to Wooster
next year. Wish we could
have done more for you
what was sent seems so little
but the will is all right. Did I
ever tell you Lucy and I had
blue silk skirts like those
we sent you and Mary. I do not
think I am going to make
mine to the best of service
it soils more easily than
expected. The Wooster items
were digested most thoroughly
I am very much interested in
your account of Miss Thompson
perhaps we may welcome her
to China some time so Willie
Chidester has made up his mind
to [?daple?] with this Chinese
language some time. Well
I think if he should find his
way to Canton he would find
a warm welcome. We
received letters from the
Happer family who are now
safely at their Uncle's in [?Semn?] [Note: seems to be an abbreviation]
she does not seem much
better and we can not but have
doubts whether a [u]visit home[/u]
was the proper medicine
If I may be allowed to speak
in plain terms I should have
prescribed one of the shamin
merchants as better able to
effect a cure. Now dont speak
of it but we felt as if we would
like to have you home people
[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
know the truth in the matter. Hattie's visit will come
not in the same Category. They tell me we must
send our letters
off this morning
instead of eve
so I am brought
to a sudden
halt. What a
wind you did
have I wish I
could set those
[?Oats?] up all right
for poor Edward
so you girls are
hay makers are
you. I could
just see old [illegible]
standing up on
the top when Feath-
er came in letting
the secret out or
at least doing his
best in that direction
中国广州 9 月 4 日/75 日亲爱的克拉拉，
我想这会再次在伍斯特找到你，
如果玛丽在那里，
你也可以读给她听。
直到昨天我们才知道“克莱蒂”是谁，
不明白我们是多么想念一个亲爱的姐姐的名字写在她的这个“笔名”下，
因为我总是仔细查看塞维利亚时报，
但如果克莱蒂再次出现，
我向你保证，
她会被注意到。
你如何从那些刻苦的学习中抽出时间涉足作家墨水我亲爱的像过去一样勤奋好吧，
我相信无论您身在何处，
都会度过一个快乐而有用的一年。
9 月 8 日 - 昨天我们从家里收到了这么大一大包信件，
你无法想象我们是多么喜欢它们。
由于邮政局长的一些错误，
邮政局长将大信封寄到了克尔医生那里，
我们直到前夜的每月音乐会后才收到。
你的信是寄给我的，
其中描述了你与哈珀女孩的访问，
在我们读到之后，
我觉得自己就像一个饥饿的孩子，
还没有吃饱，
你可以猜到发现是多么的惊喜那里有这么多好东西。
我睡着了 [注：第二页的附加说明] 关于麦考伊夫人的信真是个笑话 好吧，
我看不出有什么办法可以修补它，
只能给名副其实的乔治夫人写一封信，
直到很晚才想起亲爱的家和多么幸福明年你们都会了 妈妈说她不禁感到，
亨利和海蒂的长期访问几乎是寄予厚望的，
但现在看来，
这个愿望很有可能得到满足。
我很高兴你和玛丽能安排明年去伍斯特。
希望我们可以为您做更多的事情，
发送的东西似乎很少，
但意志是好的。
我有没有告诉过你，
露西和我有蓝色丝绸裙子，
就像我们寄给你和玛丽的一样。
我不认为我会让我的服务达到最佳状态，
它比预期的更容易弄脏。
Wooster 的东西消化得最彻底 我对你对 Thompson 小姐的描述很感兴趣，
也许我们可以欢迎她到中国来，
所以 Willie Chidester 已经下定决心在一段时间内学习这种中文。
好吧，
我想如果他能找到去广州的路，
他会受到热烈的欢迎。
我们收到了哈珀一家的来信，
他们现在安全地在神学院的叔叔家，
她似乎并没有好多少，
我们不禁怀疑回家是否是合适的药物如果可以允许我直言不讳，
我应该规定其中一位沙面商人能够更好地治愈。
现在不要说它，
但我们觉得我们想让你们在家[注：信在第一页横向结束]知道事情的真相。
海蒂的访问将不在同一类别中。
他们告诉我，
我们必须在今天早上而不是晚上送信，
所以我突然停了下来。
你有多大的风啊，
我真希望我能为可怜的爱德华准备好那些燕麦，
这样你们这些女孩就是干草制造商了。
当 Feather 进来时，
我可以看到老 [无法辨认] 站到了顶峰，
或者至少在那个方向上尽了最大的努力
Sept 4th /75
My dear Clara
I suppose this will
find you in Wooster again
and if Mary is there you
may read this to her too
We never found out
until yesterday who "Clytie"
was do not see how we
missed of seeing the name
of a dear sister written
under this "mon de plume"
of hers for I always give the
Seville Times a thorough
looking over but if Clytie
appears again she will
be noticed I assure you.
How do you get time
from those hard studies
to dabble in Authors ink
my dears as industrious as in
days of yore Well a happy
useful year I trust you will
have wherever you may
be.
[--July--] Sept 8th - Yesterday we got
such a nice large package
of letters from home and you
can not imagine how we en-
joyed them. By some mis-
take of the post master the
large envelope was sent by
the post master down to Dr
Kerr's and we did not get it
until after monthly concert
in eve. Yours was sent here
that is [u]one[/u] written to me
which gave an account of
your visit with the Happer
girls and after we read that I
felt just like a hungry child
who had not had enough yet
and you can gess what a sur
prise it was to find such a
nice lot down there. I lay awake
[Note: Additional note sideways on page two]
It was quite a joke about Mrs McCoy's letter Well I
see no way to [?mend?] it but to write another to the veritable
Mrs George
until very late [u]thinking[/u] of the
dear home and how happy
you would all be next year
Mother says she can hardly
help feeling it is ^al most to much
to hope for to have a long
visit from Henry and Hattie
but things at this end look
as if there was a good prospect
of this wish having gratified.
I am so glad you and Mary
can arrange to go to Wooster
next year. Wish we could
have done more for you
what was sent seems so little
but the will is all right. Did I
ever tell you Lucy and I had
blue silk skirts like those
we sent you and Mary. I do not
think I am going to make
mine to the best of service
it soils more easily than
expected. The Wooster items
were digested most thoroughly
I am very much interested in
your account of Miss Thompson
perhaps we may welcome her
to China some time so Willie
Chidester has made up his mind
to [?daple?] with this Chinese
language some time. Well
I think if he should find his
way to Canton he would find
a warm welcome. We
received letters from the
Happer family who are now
safely at their Uncle's in [?Semn?] [Note: seems to be an abbreviation]
she does not seem much
better and we can not but have
doubts whether a [u]visit home[/u]
was the proper medicine
If I may be allowed to speak
in plain terms I should have
prescribed one of the shamin
merchants as better able to
effect a cure. Now dont speak
of it but we felt as if we would
like to have you home people
[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
know the truth in the matter. Hattie's visit will come
not in the same Category. They tell me we must
send our letters
off this morning
instead of eve
so I am brought
to a sudden
halt. What a
wind you did
have I wish I
could set those
[?Oats?] up all right
for poor Edward
so you girls are
hay makers are
you. I could
just see old [illegible]
standing up on
the top when Feath-
er came in letting
the secret out or
at least doing his
best in that direction
中国广州 9 月 4 日/75 日亲爱的克拉拉，
我想这会再次在伍斯特找到你，
如果玛丽在那里，
你也可以读给她听。
直到昨天我们才知道“克莱蒂”是谁，
不明白我们是多么想念一个亲爱的姐姐的名字写在她的这个“笔名”下，
因为我总是仔细查看塞维利亚时报，
但如果克莱蒂再次出现，
我向你保证，
她会被注意到。
你如何从那些刻苦的学习中抽出时间涉足作家墨水我亲爱的像过去一样勤奋好吧，
我相信无论您身在何处，
都会度过一个快乐而有用的一年。
9 月 8 日 - 昨天我们从家里收到了这么大一大包信件，
你无法想象我们是多么喜欢它们。
由于邮政局长的一些错误，
邮政局长将大信封寄到了克尔医生那里，
我们直到前夜的每月音乐会后才收到。
你的信是寄给我的，
其中描述了你与哈珀女孩的访问，
在我们读到之后，
我觉得自己就像一个饥饿的孩子，
还没有吃饱，
你可以猜到发现是多么的惊喜那里有这么多好东西。
我睡着了 [注：第二页的附加说明] 关于麦考伊夫人的信真是个笑话 好吧，
我看不出有什么办法可以修补它，
只能给名副其实的乔治夫人写一封信，
直到很晚才想起亲爱的家和多么幸福明年你们都会了 妈妈说她不禁感到，
亨利和海蒂的长期访问几乎是寄予厚望的，
但现在看来，
这个愿望很有可能得到满足。
我很高兴你和玛丽能安排明年去伍斯特。
希望我们可以为您做更多的事情，
发送的东西似乎很少，
但意志是好的。
我有没有告诉过你，
露西和我有蓝色丝绸裙子，
就像我们寄给你和玛丽的一样。
我不认为我会让我的服务达到最佳状态，
它比预期的更容易弄脏。
Wooster 的东西消化得最彻底 我对你对 Thompson 小姐的描述很感兴趣，
也许我们可以欢迎她到中国来，
所以 Willie Chidester 已经下定决心在一段时间内学习这种中文。
好吧，
我想如果他能找到去广州的路，
他会受到热烈的欢迎。
我们收到了哈珀一家的来信，
他们现在安全地在神学院的叔叔家，
她似乎并没有好多少，
我们不禁怀疑回家是否是合适的药物如果可以允许我直言不讳，
我应该规定其中一位沙面商人能够更好地治愈。
现在不要说它，
但我们觉得我们想让你们在家[注：信在第一页横向结束]知道事情的真相。
海蒂的访问将不在同一类别中。
他们告诉我，
我们必须在今天早上而不是晚上送信，
所以我突然停了下来。
你有多大的风啊，
我真希望我能为可怜的爱德华准备好那些燕麦，
这样你们这些女孩就是干草制造商了。
当 Feather 进来时，
我可以看到老 [无法辨认] 站到了顶峰，
或者至少在那个方向上尽了最大的努力
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Kerr, Martha Noyes, “Letter from Mattie to Clara, September 4, 1875; September 8, 1875,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 18, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/543.