Salisbury
January 18, 1951
Dear folks,
Several times today I’ve thought of this being the big day for Don and DeLores. I must write to them soon.
We arrived in Beira on the 14th and Martin, the new missionary of ours, met us there and he was able to take a goodly number of our suitcases and small trunks with him in his pick-up to Salisbury. He had come down to get his car which had landed there. We didn’t ride to Salisbury with him as we were a little afraid of the roads, but he didn’t have any trouble. We came on the train and got in Salisbury Monday 15th around six o’clock. Dunkelds were there to meet us. We had to leave our big things to come on a freight train, as it will be hard telling when we’ll see them. I don’t suppose until sometime after the rain. I didn’t have to pay one penny of duty; I never saw customs so easy before.
I’ve been running around here in Salisbury ever since getting supplies, etc., for the next months. We aren’t leaving here until Monday 22nd, the day before school opens. I’ll certainly be busy so don’t count on too many letters. I’ve gotten two from you here. Thanks heaps. I was so sorry to hear about the accident but also very thankful that they weren’t hurt any worse. I trust that you’ll manage to get a car soon.
I’m in such a hurry that I won’t tarry long on any one thing. Glad to hear about the desk. I’m anxious to see the picture. My black and white pictures turned out very good and I’ll send some to you one of these days.
Lillian is supposed to get married in April providing everything gets along OK. The Dunkelds are fine. Lois has changed so much. The climate is almost cool here.
I got an innerspring mattress today for my bed. They have them here and they aren’t too expensive. Am I ever glad that I didn’t get one at home. I also bought a stove and now I have to get a sewing machine and a bicycle. I had quite a little money here in the bank so that is why I’m able to get these things now. There is about anything one wants here in Salisbury except coffee – no coffee beans and no Nescafe. What a life for me.
Muriel has been with me all day here in town. She is a good kid now, no trouble at all. So different than a few years back. I’ve about walked the legs off of her. I hope we get down to the valley without trouble in the way of mud. They have had good rains all over this year. The new fellow is going to be with Everswicks. Mary D. is also here and will be going back to Mavuradonha Monday.
Was nice of Gladys and C. to come at Christmas. I’m sorry I didn’t get to see them. Well I must go and do some more shopping. Bye.
Love,
Eunice
2 thoughts on “January 18, 1951”
Auntie Eunice writes here:
“Muriel has been with me all day here in town. She is a good kid now, no trouble at all. So different than a few years back. I’ve about walked the legs off of her.”
What a shock to discover my 9 year old self here in this letter! It is so interesting that she thought that I had changed and was “a good kid now, no trouble at all.” Obviously more missionaries besides my mother figured that I had been “different. . . a few years back.”
In my defense, at 7 years of age I was sent off to the city (100 miles away) to live in a boarding house and attend a local white school. I cried myself to sleep every night for several weeks and wrote tearful letters home begging my Mom to “take me out of this jail.” I learned to swear like a sailor and fight for everything among the girls that were my fellow boarders. We always lived under the fear of being whipped. I only received one bad beating by the house mother, but it terrified me. My mother, who had no car, once talked an elephant hunter from the Zambezi valley (a stranger) who stopped in for a cup of tea, into taking me from Mavuradonha to the train station in Bindura. I rode with him to Bindura in his truck, filled with elephant meat, hide and tusks. I lived in that boarding house for two long years until the Mission decided that they had to take better care of us children and the Dunkeld family agreed to live and minister in Salisbury and provide a home for us. On my first vacation back to Mavuradonha my mother, shocked by my language and lying led me to the Lord and I prayed the sinners’ prayer. Not much changed for me immediately however, I still had a year and a half to go in Braemar Hostel. From there, God in His grace gave me the Dunkeld family as house parents. Aunt Helen and Uncle Orv cared deeply for me and their love rescued me from the wild thing I had become.
So glad that Auntie Eunice noticed the difference!
PS the “Mary P” that she refers to in this letter was most probably my mother, Mary D.
Thank you, Muriel, for all your insightful comments! I love hearing more about your memories! And thank you for the correction… Mary D. it is, I’m sure; Eunice’s handwriting is sometimes difficult to read.