March 10, 1944

My dearest Hal,

Today I had your letter telling about all your bad luck. How badly timed your visitors are. I don’t wonder you were unhappy. I am so unhappy to think of your having to suffer so much. I hope the dentists will do a wonderful job that will last you the rest of your life, so you will never have to go through it again. It seems to me that teeth can cause a mighty great deal of trouble both coming and going.

Let’s hope that this inspection means that they are getting ready to make some changes and let some of the 1% come home. Surely they will get it working before long. I was so sure that you would be home by summertime and now you don’t sound so very encouraging. I’m the worst person in the world to count my chickens before they are hatched.

Honey, I don’t think I would worry too much about Mr. L though. He probably wants you to agree with his ideas, and I admire you for telling the truth which everyone knows is bound to hinder the missionary movement.

We have too many so-called Christians who are willing to take advantage of the natives, not a very Christian way of dealing with them. I have been interesting in reading and trying to inform myself a little about this strange country in which you were living. The crying need seems to be doctors and medicine, health officers and teachers to help those poor ignorant people live a more decent life. What possible good could it do to try to save a man’s soul when his lady was miserable with disease and hunger.

I know too little to even discuss it, but I think I’ve read that much of the Koran’s teaching was very like our own Bible and that there were some quite admirable teachings among the Mohammedan beliefs. I think we do well to respect the good and honest beliefs of others even though we do not entirely agree.

I believe Mr. L and Sara had some small unpleasantness when he tried to point out what he considered was her duty to her mother. It probably all blew over. I imagine Sara was tired and nervous. I’m not sure that she made any answer but she was not very pleased to have him suggest that it was her duty to care for Nana. She knew it and just wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. Maybe the man has the wrong touch in handling people. I have never seen him so I really couldn’t give an opinion.

We have all been so worried about Daddy, he has been much worse since he has been having his teeth pulled out. I sincerely hope he will soon start to improve. He is so blue and you really can’t blame him so much because he cannot get any kind of help and there is so much to be done. I am trying every day to find a teacher, but it is so hopeless. I have one more prospect and if she doesn’t come I simply do not know where to turn. Daddy is sure we won’t find anyone and if we don’t he says he knows we won’t have a garden or any chickens either. I don’t know so much about it but he can tell me, and I will be a fairly good farmer by the time you get here.

Sat. Night

I seem to be writing this letter in snatches but you will get it eventually. This afternoon I took Sam to Waynesboro to see “Lassie Come Home.” Sam had not been anywhere since he got over the measles and I thought he deserved a treat of some kind. He was real good while he was sick. He is all right now and will be going back to school on Monday unless something happens and he will be very glad to go. He is tired of staying home.

I saw Mary Ellison in Waynesboro and she told me that Paul Yearaut (?) has been transferred to Fort Benning and Lib has gone home for a while. She has been ill in the hospital with some sort of kidney trouble. Her mother died with it and her father had it too. Naturally they are terribly worried about her.

Darling, we are so anxious to go with you wherever you are sent.

All my love,

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