Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay,  8 August [1920]

Oyama

Aug 8th

Dearest Mib

Mother has sent me a book from you — or two books, one from her & one from you, both are most acceptable. I really don’t know what I shd [should] have done without the books that have been sent to me while out here — with no library & nobody who has new books — except Mrs. Despard sometimes, but hers are unfortunately sometimes the same as mine — Young Visitors and Poor Relations. However I generally am very superior in having several that she hasn’t had.

I do hope you did not have a very dreadful time & that you are back safe and sound. I wonder where? Did you have to fill in passports? We have yards of questions to answer about our appearance — Bob managed in the answers to make himself sound quite handsome & me hideous — so at the last question “any special peculiarity” I wanted him to say Plain for himself & Rather pretty for me else they won’t recognize us from the description. However he wasn’t pleased & quite annoyed with me for wanting to change his “brown hair” into ginger. So I left it especially as I shall look quite as bad as the description by the time I am an hour on board.

I was very interested in your article in the Cornhill — but poor Gen. Dyer & how bad for India.

We have taken berths on the Munedosa sailing from Montreal Nov. 20th. We shall have to leave here about the 14th I suppose — depending upon the amount of snow in the Rockies at the time. I can hardly believe we shall now start after 8 years almost in the same spot — 6 1/2 years absolutely in the same spot never even seeing a train! I am afraid it will be below zero in the Prairie in November — & tho trains are heated almost to extreme — it will be miserable getting out at the long stops. At present it is hard to think of zero — at temperature between 90 & 100 every day. One day it went up to 102. We sleep out on the lawn under the trees with a mosquito netting over us. I feel now as if servants must be an awful nuisance & dreadfully in the way after being without them for years.

It is so stupid of England when she rules a country with a native pop. to pretend the Sword has nothing to do with the Rule. Sometimes we deserve to be called a nation of Hypocrites.

It will nearly be your birthday when you get this — very many happy returns. When the apples are ready to pick I will send you a small box thro’ the mail before we leave. Tho I wonder if they will carry all right.

Poor Em she will be glad to hear the children are well & happy.

Poor little Philippa — it is a hard life I’m afraid in front of her. Did you see her husband? If he is all right & a comfort to her then the rest will be more or less in her own hands — because out in the colonies once you have conquered the awful existence then your happiness depends almost altogether on yourself.

With much love & many thanks for the book

Yrs affec

Dorothea Allison

Can’t you come home next spring with Em? It seems so awful to miss each other. What do you mean by paying calls at Oyama? I have a darling little spare room, bigger than the cabin of a ship, and a dub and a bath and lavabo and a telephone and a car — so should be deeply hurt if you didn’t stop.