"Bradford",
Kodaikanal,
24th December 1929.Dear Miss Turner,
Your very kind letter of November 23rd reached me this afternoon, and our mail letters must leave Kodai early to-morrow morning. Miss Stokey, Eleanor Mason, Miss Cosmey and I have rented one of the Madura Mission houses four our vacation and are having a peaceful time. It is Miss Stokey's first opportunity to see the vegetation of the hills and she is enjoying it very much. The rhododendruns [sic] are most beautiful. We came on Saturday and so far have had only one bright day, but the eucalyptus and acacia are perhaps more beautiful seen through the mist. Even though Miss Smith had not planned a trip to Kodai, every beautiful thing I see here or on the plains makes me say, "If only Miss Smith could have seen this!" It does seem so sad that she could not have seen more of India, and how eager we were to have her at the College.
I wrote to you last week, I think, about the shipment of Miss Smith's things. some people here had said that it was foolish to have everything sent home and so I was relieved to read in your letter that everything should be sent. I felt that everything should go but some did not agree with me. I hope that it will not make things more difficult for Helen Larrabee that the valuables will come later by Gertrude Chandler. That seems to us the safest plan. The letter of credit and traveller's checks and balance of cash I hope to send myself, or give to the American Consul to send, when I return to Madras. Except for the funeral expenses, which the Mount Holyoke people in South India have paid, the only expenses have been the cables and the shipment of the things. I do not know yet how much tht last was as the Consul attended to it, but I think that there is cash enough for all expenses. Yes, I know that she would be happier to have these expenses met from her money, as you wrote.
There is only one letter of yours here. I had intended to send it back to you but shall instead let Miss Stokey look it through, as you suggested. There are a few letters from others which I am sending you. You will know whether to destroy them or send them to the writers.
How kind of you to suggest my keeping the book from the Univ. of Chicago Press! I mailed it to you last week.
What a sad Christmas Eve this will be for you as well as for us here. And yet how rich is our heritage because we knew and loved her.
Yours very sincerely
Edith M. Coon