TOKYO, March 22nd, 1904.
[DEAR MOTHER:]
The "situation" here continues to remain in such doubt
that I cannot tell of it, as it changes hourly. There are
three "columns," so far existing only in imagination. That
is, so far as they concern the correspondents. The first lot
have chosen themselves, and so have the second lot. But the
first lot are no nearer starting than they were two weeks ago.
I may be kept waiting here for weeks and weeks. I do not like
to turn out Palmer, although I very much want to go with the
first bunch. On the other hand I am paid pretty well to get
to the front, and I am uncertain as to what I ought to do. If
the second column were to start immediately after the first,
we then would have two men in the field, but if it does not,
then Collier will be paying $1000. a week for stories of tea
houses and "festivals." Palmer threatens to resign if I take
his place in the first column and that would be a loss to the
paper that I do not feel I could make up. If it gets any more
complicated I'll wire Collier to decide.
Meanwhile, we are going out to dinners and festivals and
we ride. I have a good pony the paper paid for Cecil has
hired another and we find it delightful to scamper out into
the country. We have three rooms
in a row. One we use for a sitting room. They look very well
and as it is still cold we keep them cheerful with open fires.
We have a table in the dining-room to ourselves and to which
we can ask our friends. The food is extremely good. Griscom
and the Secretaries have all called and sent pots of flowers,
and we are dining out every other night. In the day we shop
and ride. But all day and all night we the correspondents
plot and slave and intrigue over the places on the columns. I
got mine on the second column all right but no one knows if it
ever will move. So, naturally, I want to be on the first.
The rows are so engrossing that I have not enjoyed the country
as I expected. Still, I am everlastingly glad we came. It is
an entirely new life and aspect. It completes so much that we
have read and seen. In spite of the bother over the war
passes I learn things daily and we see beautiful and curious
things, and are educated as to the East, as no books could
have done it for us. John Bass who was my comrade in arms in
Greece and his wife are here. They are the very best. Also
we see Lloyd daily, and the hotel is full of amusing men, who
are trying to get to the front. Of course, we know less of
the war than you do. None of the news from Cheefoo, none of
the "unauthorized" news reaches us. Were it not for our own
squabbles we would not know not only that the country was at
war but not even that war existed
anywhere in the world.
We
are here entirely en tourist and it cannot be helped. The men
who tried to go with the Russians are equally unfortunate.
Think of us as wandering around each with a copy of Murray
seeing sights. That is all we really do, All my love.
DICK.
