River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-06-28
LONDON, June 4, 1883.

LONDON, June 4, 1888.
Ny Dear Chiidren:-
Do you know have a good mind to
call you naughty children because
have looked and looked for a great big
letter from you all and / have not re-
ceived it. You see / am so very far
| from home that / am real hungry for
letters, and especially from my dear
boys and girls.
However, | will not call you
naughty" no, no, / will not scold
when am so far away, but | hope it
wont be long before you all write.
must not forget TO say that just before
| left New York | received the letters
which BERTHE Chinook, Minnie Bang
and Katie Snyder wrote. Thank you,
children, they were just as nice as
hey could be. | read them when
was about half across the Ocean and
enjoyed them very much.
You may have heard before now
about our journey across the Atlantic.
We were on board the ship nearly nine
days. We had very little stormy
weather but it was quite foggy. One
day we did not move at ali because of
the fog. | was sea-sick six days. So
sick did not eat anything scarcely.
and so | did not have very happy
time. When we came in sight of
land, at last, was so glad that for
got about how sick l had been and
was all well again.
We have been in London, the larg-
est city in the world, over a week and
have seen so many, many grand and
wonderful things that it would fill
whole book should | try to tell you
about them.
Last Monday | went to what is call
ed The Tower. 1t was built many
hundred years ago and is place
where prisoners were kept. Some
times the king would order them kill
ed. | stood on the very spot where
seven prisoners-sOme of them fine
ladies-had their heads cut off. Then
l saw the block of wood that these
poor people had to lay their heads on
when this awful work was done and
the very AK that was used. OF course
they don't do such dreadful things in
England now. Queen Victoria is a
good Queen-every body loves her
and then all the people are better, too.
/ was also in a tower where two little
princes were shut up by their own
uncle and after awhile killed. The
tower is called Bloody Tower. The
uncle wanted to be the next king but
he couldn't be while these two little
boys lived for they had the best right
TO be king. So in some way this very
wicked uncle got them shut up in this
tower and Killed and then he was
made king for little while. You
see it is not always nice to be princes
they sometimes have very hard
times.
Tuesday we went to the Crystal Pal
ace. This is building three times as
large as the Normal building and all
made of glass. 1t is filled with beau
tiful plants and flowers and statues
and curious things from all over the
world. | wished when | was there
that all my good children might have
been with me. You will laugh when
tell you the Chinese sometimes say
their prayers with a machine, when
they are in hurry. | saw one OF
these praying machines. 1t looks
like some of these new fashioned
churns. The prayer-''GOd be with
me"-is printed in Chinese letters
around the machine. The China man
whirls it and goes away leaving it
turning and he thinks that as many
times as it turns around so many
times the prayer goes up to Heaven.
Are they not strange people to be-
lieve such nonsense. Last Friday we
went out to Windsor Castle. This you
know is where the Queen lives some
of the time. OF course l did not see
her but l was in some of the rooms
she is often in and saw her throne
chair. Windsor is lovely place.
would like to live there too. But
must close my letter. Please write
sOoR-aN of you. BERTHE Chinook
may have this letter when you have
all read it.
Your loving teacher,
NJ. ii. SMITH.