S. S. Suing
Going up the Yang-tse
Sept. 1, 1934Dear Gertrude -
I feel as tho' I were in the Land of the Lotus-eaters as I drowse on the broad deck of this comfortable river steamer this jewel-like day of late summer with nothing happening except the pageant of river life unfolding before me - steamers fluttering flags of many nations, stately junks, busy fishing boats, clumsy lighters towed by puffing tugs; on shore distant mountains blue and quiet, farms, temples, shrines, villages with crouching protective walls. New York seems more than nine thousand miles away!
We just steamed thro' a dense swarm of huge grass-hoppers. I never had seen one. They certainly are awesome.
Thank you, my dear, for the nice letter that came at the time of Katharine's wedding. We had many misgivings about the match - she is so very young and flighty, times are so hard and Philip's ability to support her is so uncertain but they have been interested in each other for more than two years, one of which he spent in California and during that time they didn't correspond for eight months. We felt that was a fairly good test and in any case neither Everard nor I felt we could refuse our sanction to the marriage when the young people were so ardently in love.
Philip has a great deal of charm, is about six years older than Katharine and it maybe that this marriage is the best thing possible for her.
She made all her modest trousseau including her wedding gown and the bridesmaids gowns - not only made but designed them. She got everything at wholesale, having an entree to wholesale shops thro' a job she had a year ago in a specialty dress shop. Her wedding costume complete (shoes & all) coast about six dollars! She planned the whole affair really cleverly. It was pretty and artistic and most inexpensive.
I ought not to worry about her for she is an excellent cook, a good laundress and has long made all her own clothes.
Marian is living with an adored cousin in New York and going on with her course in The Fashion Academy on the tie-and-carry principle - that is she studies a while and then works awhile. It's not at all what we wished but our daughters are headstrong young people and parental co-ercion seems quite out of date.
We had - Everard and I - a long motor trip of seven weeks in the spring, a combination of speakng on China and visiting our friends. After our return there were just about seven more weeks before the wedding and our departure for China. You can guess how hectic our days were.
We had a marvellous trip motoring across the continent, - it's a thrilling thing to do - sold the car in San Francisco (we owned only half of it anyhow) and came on across the Pacific which proved to be a true summer sea.
And now we are on our last lap of the long journey. We expect to sleep in our own home to-morrow night.
I long to get back, homesick and uneasy as I am about my girls, and to settle down to regular ways amid my own Penates again.
In San Francisco we had tea with Letty Evans in her beautiful home. Oddly enough she is a friend of the friends who were entertaining us.
I had a steamer letter from Reddy. All her children are now educated and self-supporting. Pretty fine for courageous Reddy!
Elizabeth's plight quite wrings my heart. She goes from pillar to poast as a mother's helper and never gets more than her keep. I last saw her in March when she seemed old and broken.
I am glad to have had some chats with you. Old friends are ever best.
Take care of yourself and mabe some time you'll feel moved to write to me.
Always fondly your
Lucy