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Sorry, I haven't yet recorded the document.
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I'm always hoping for a definite definition of "kesinga". There may not be a good one. Sometimes it seems like "meeting", sometimes it just seems like "together".
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Dondi, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 11:45
My dearest Byl:
I have just developed the films from Sunday afternoon and am hopeful for one good one out of the lot. They have yet to be washed and hung up to dry and that will keep me up till 12:30.
This evening's meeting lasted until 9 pm and then I walked kesinga with Mary and Elizabeth while they talked plans. They are advocating making the wedding in October and getting Mrs. Pryor to take the Bailundo cases to give you time to prepare. I said you had about decided on Dec. 16 and I had agreed to it though the October proposition looked good to me. They have made out a good case for October and Elizabeth will probably put it up to you on her return to Chissamba.
[vertical on the side of the front page]
Extra: Dr. Sanders just arrived to take me to Camu to set a leg. Will go from there to Chissamba. Elizabeth plans to come too. F.
[vertical on the side of the front page ends]
I will make a call at V.S. Porto to see that the legal documents are in order. My passport should do the work of a birth certificate. It accounts for my arrival on the earth and gives the time and place.
My return from Chissamba was not as easy as before. Before reaching Silva Porto, I had t repair my front tyre. That delayed me about 45 minutes and after that lost my pump and turned back and found it or rather an auto following me had stopped for a man to go back to pick it up and he handed it over to me.
In trying to make up time I got a spill in the sand with no damage beyond losing a little gas and time. The last 40 kilometers were done after dark and by the light of the acetylene lamp I got home at 7:30. But for the accident I could have made it by daylight.
I have kept Mrs. Tucker in bed all day today for a threatened abortion. Last evening during the meeting of the Board of Education she had a slight flow of blood but went to bed at once. There were no clots and no pains so I hope there will be no more trouble.
I have been stopping every five minutes to change the water and stir up the films and it is about time time to hang them up to dry so good night my darling
from your own Fred.
Wednesday night I have just finished developing a batch of prints to go by Elizabeth on tomorrow's train. There are two out of the lot of films exposed Sunday that justify the "waste" as you called it. One standing and one sitting. You will now admit that you have never given the camera a chance in all the groups you have stood for in the past years. Don't be afraid to smile when being taken - you have good teeth. Your mummy will not know you if you continue to stand straight and look up. There is still the elusive picture that I must work for and I am encouraged to "waste" a lot more film. Perhaps it would be best to send you only the two best of that lot - there was one blank.
Today there was a carrier from Galangue with letters from Procter + Mill. The side cars +c are there now and will be here next week. Procter wrote on Aug. 2, ten days after I had left the Cueler [???]. He said the ham looked nice and after it is smoked he will send it on to me, also some of the tinned meat from the room [???] and snout [???] hog [???].
This afternoon I took Miss Clark on the luggage carrier of the motor from the Means school to Tuckers. The road is not real hard and she bobbed about some but arrived safely. She did not seem to appreciate the upholstering of the seat. Childs was the first to try the seat and he asked for a thicker pillow for the second trip.
The Committee meeting ended tonight and there was some real progress made. They got after the curriculum and laid out courses for station + central schools. Even Tucker was pleased with the schedule for Dondi.
I will have a number of classes when the preliminary courses have been taken by a class or two.
There will be a lot of building here this year and there should be some outside help for it.
So far my bed time has not changed much from that of Chissamba - it is now 12:20 and time to put the prints out to dry so I will close for this time.
With lots of love from your
Fred. [with splotch]
Thursday a.m. Dearest Byl: This morning Elizabeth telephoned that she would not be able to come over ahead of the party to go up to see the lot but I still hope to get her away for ten minutes and that would get her there and back to Dart's.
Mrs. Childs did not like the idea of a substitute nurse and I said I did not either except to advance the wedding date. If you could not, with that additional time, make it in October I wanted you at Bailundo. She thought much of the "preparation" could be made after the wedding. They returned to Bailundo last night, leaving Means School at 9:30.
Mary conceded that I was a gentleman when she saw the "blonde" picture. The latest picture seated [???] has not been shown kesinga yet. I took one to breakfast this a.m. and Miss Rawlings said it was just as if you were there. There is still room for improvement for I see something the camera has not caught yet. Even you were less reluctant to have pictures taken after the "blonde".
With love and [smudge] Fred.
My dearest Byl:
I have just developed the films from Sunday afternoon and am hopeful for one good one out of the lot. They have yet to be washed and hung up to dry and that will keep me up till 12:30.
This evening's meeting lasted until 9 pm and then I walked kesinga with Mary and Elizabeth while they talked plans. They are advocating making the wedding in October and getting Mrs. Pryor to take the Bailundo cases to give you time to prepare. I said you had about decided on Dec. 16 and I had agreed to it though the October proposition looked good to me. They have made out a good case for October and Elizabeth will probably put it up to you on her return to Chissamba.
[vertical on the side of the front page]
Extra: Dr. Sanders just arrived to take me to Camu to set a leg. Will go from there to Chissamba. Elizabeth plans to come too. F.
[vertical on the side of the front page ends]
I will make a call at V.S. Porto to see that the legal documents are in order. My passport should do the work of a birth certificate. It accounts for my arrival on the earth and gives the time and place.
My return from Chissamba was not as easy as before. Before reaching Silva Porto, I had t repair my front tyre. That delayed me about 45 minutes and after that lost my pump and turned back and found it or rather an auto following me had stopped for a man to go back to pick it up and he handed it over to me.
In trying to make up time I got a spill in the sand with no damage beyond losing a little gas and time. The last 40 kilometers were done after dark and by the light of the acetylene lamp I got home at 7:30. But for the accident I could have made it by daylight.
I have kept Mrs. Tucker in bed all day today for a threatened abortion. Last evening during the meeting of the Board of Education she had a slight flow of blood but went to bed at once. There were no clots and no pains so I hope there will be no more trouble.
I have been stopping every five minutes to change the water and stir up the films and it is about time time to hang them up to dry so good night my darling
from your own Fred.
Wednesday night I have just finished developing a batch of prints to go by Elizabeth on tomorrow's train. There are two out of the lot of films exposed Sunday that justify the "waste" as you called it. One standing and one sitting. You will now admit that you have never given the camera a chance in all the groups you have stood for in the past years. Don't be afraid to smile when being taken - you have good teeth. Your mummy will not know you if you continue to stand straight and look up. There is still the elusive picture that I must work for and I am encouraged to "waste" a lot more film. Perhaps it would be best to send you only the two best of that lot - there was one blank.
Today there was a carrier from Galangue with letters from Procter + Mill. The side cars +c are there now and will be here next week. Procter wrote on Aug. 2, ten days after I had left the Cueler [???]. He said the ham looked nice and after it is smoked he will send it on to me, also some of the tinned meat from the room [???] and snout [???] hog [???].
This afternoon I took Miss Clark on the luggage carrier of the motor from the Means school to Tuckers. The road is not real hard and she bobbed about some but arrived safely. She did not seem to appreciate the upholstering of the seat. Childs was the first to try the seat and he asked for a thicker pillow for the second trip.
The Committee meeting ended tonight and there was some real progress made. They got after the curriculum and laid out courses for station + central schools. Even Tucker was pleased with the schedule for Dondi.
I will have a number of classes when the preliminary courses have been taken by a class or two.
There will be a lot of building here this year and there should be some outside help for it.
So far my bed time has not changed much from that of Chissamba - it is now 12:20 and time to put the prints out to dry so I will close for this time.
With lots of love from your
Fred. [with splotch]
Thursday a.m. Dearest Byl: This morning Elizabeth telephoned that she would not be able to come over ahead of the party to go up to see the lot but I still hope to get her away for ten minutes and that would get her there and back to Dart's.
Mrs. Childs did not like the idea of a substitute nurse and I said I did not either except to advance the wedding date. If you could not, with that additional time, make it in October I wanted you at Bailundo. She thought much of the "preparation" could be made after the wedding. They returned to Bailundo last night, leaving Means School at 9:30.
Mary conceded that I was a gentleman when she saw the "blonde" picture. The latest picture seated [???] has not been shown kesinga yet. I took one to breakfast this a.m. and Miss Rawlings said it was just as if you were there. There is still room for improvement for I see something the camera has not caught yet. Even you were less reluctant to have pictures taken after the "blonde".
With love and [smudge] Fred.
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Lots of names here, of people and of places here. I'm hoping to put more on them in the Non-Family page for mission folks, but at the moment there isn't much.
People:
Mary was Mary Hurlbut, stationed in Dondi - a teacher, I think.
Elizabeth was Elizabeth Read, a teacher, stationed in Chissamba with Sibyl, so I don't know why she was in Dondi.
Mrs. Pryor was a nurse, stationed in Dondi.
Dr. Sanders was a missionary of long standing, the mission's Umbundu expert, stationed in Camundongo.
Mrs. Tucker had a baby in about January 1928, I think.
Miss Clark was Edith Clark, stationed in Dondi.
Dart's - this was Sid Dart.
Mr. and Mrs. Childs and were stationed in Bailundo, I think.
Miss Rawlings - I don't have much about her at this time.
Stations/towns - someday I'll write up more about them, with maybe a map.
Dondi, where Fred, Mary, Mrs. Pryor, and Edith Clark were stationed. The Means School was located there.
Chissamba, where Sibyl and Elizabeth were stationed.
Camundongo, where Dr. Sanders was stationed.
Bailundo, where Mr. and Mrs. Childs were probably stationed.
Galangue is where Dr. McDowell and his wife Bessie and son Curtis were stationed.
V.S. Porto is Vila Silva Porto.
I have kept Mrs. Tucker in bed all day today for a threatened abortion.
Interesting use of the word "abortion". I checked and found that abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, which this apparently would not have been. Fred was not careless in his wording, so maybe the meaning of the word has evolved.
Don't be afraid to smile when being taken - you have good teeth.
I like this practical advice, rather than something subjective like "I like your smile".
People:
Mary was Mary Hurlbut, stationed in Dondi - a teacher, I think.
Elizabeth was Elizabeth Read, a teacher, stationed in Chissamba with Sibyl, so I don't know why she was in Dondi.
Mrs. Pryor was a nurse, stationed in Dondi.
Dr. Sanders was a missionary of long standing, the mission's Umbundu expert, stationed in Camundongo.
Mrs. Tucker had a baby in about January 1928, I think.
Miss Clark was Edith Clark, stationed in Dondi.
Dart's - this was Sid Dart.
Mr. and Mrs. Childs and were stationed in Bailundo, I think.
Miss Rawlings - I don't have much about her at this time.
Stations/towns - someday I'll write up more about them, with maybe a map.
Dondi, where Fred, Mary, Mrs. Pryor, and Edith Clark were stationed. The Means School was located there.
Chissamba, where Sibyl and Elizabeth were stationed.
Camundongo, where Dr. Sanders was stationed.
Bailundo, where Mr. and Mrs. Childs were probably stationed.
Galangue is where Dr. McDowell and his wife Bessie and son Curtis were stationed.
V.S. Porto is Vila Silva Porto.
I have kept Mrs. Tucker in bed all day today for a threatened abortion.
Interesting use of the word "abortion". I checked and found that abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, which this apparently would not have been. Fred was not careless in his wording, so maybe the meaning of the word has evolved.
Don't be afraid to smile when being taken - you have good teeth.
I like this practical advice, rather than something subjective like "I like your smile".
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