June 29th, 1900.
[DEAR MOTHER:]
We are now just off Crete, and our next sight of the blue
land will be Europe. It means so many things; being alone
with Cecil again, instead of on a raft touching
elbows with so many strangers, and it means a shop where
you can buy collars, and where they put starch in your linen.
Also many beautiful ladies one does not know and men in
evening dress one does not know and green tables covered with
gold and little green and red bits of ivory where one passes
among the tables and wonders what they would think if they
knew we two had found our greatest friends in the Boer
farmers, in Dutch Station Masters who gave us a corner under
the telegraph table in which to sleep, with Nelson who kept
the Transvaal Steam Laundry, Col. Lynch of the steerage who
comes to the dividing line to beg French books from Cecil, and
that we had cooked our food on sticks, drunk out of the same
cups with Kaffir servants and slept on the ground when there
was frost on it. It will be so strange to find that there are
millions of people who do not know Komali poort, who have
thought of anything else except burghers and roor-i-neks — It
seems almost disloyal to the Boers to be glad to see
newspapers only an hour old instead of six weeks old, and to
welcome all the tyranny of collar buttons, scarf pins, watch
chains, walking sticks and gloves even. I love them both and
I can hardly believe it is true that we are to go to a real
hotel with a lift and a chasseur, where you cannot smoke in
the dining-room. As for Aix, that I cannot believe will ever
happen — It was just a part of one's honeymoon and I refuse to
cheat myself into thinking that within a week I will be riding
through the lanes of the little villages, drinking red wine at
Burget, watching Chas spread cheese over great hunks of bread
and listening to three bands at one time. And then the joy to
follow of Home and America and all that is American. Even the
Custom
House holds nothing but joy for me — and then "mine own
people!" It has been six weeks since we have heard from you
or longer, nearly two months and how I miss you and want you.
It will be a happy day when Dad meets me at the wharf and I
can see his blue and white tie again and his dear face under
the white hat — where you and Nora will be I cannot tell, but I
will seek you out. We will be happy together — so happy — It
has been the longest separation we have known and such a lot
of things have happened. It will be such peace to see you and
hold you once again.
DICK.
