The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-03-31

Is, and the native Christmas, about
the middle of January. We had only
one days vacation on our Christ
mas, and two weeks in January.
Miss Bushnell and I saved all each
others mail for two posts before hand,
and on Christmas eve hung up our
stockings leach one pillow case
before we went to bed. It was aston
ishing, how many presents we each
one received!
About 3 'clock in the morning, the
girls woke US up, singing Christmas
hymns outside the door. We are
eight hours ahead of you in time, so
that had an idea that you folks in
Elk River we're just having the exer-
cises at the tree and when the girls
sang "Joy to the World,"I was sure
that you people we're just singing it,
too. Then, because it was a holiday,
Makroohi came in and built my fire,
and let the room get nice and warm
before got up to see my presents.
There we're lot from the post, from
America, and Miss Bushnell gave me
a picture of the Temple of Victory,
on the Acropolis at Athens. She had
had it framed, and it is a beauty, and
since I had just been there, of course
l liked it that much better.
Then we had breakfast, and the
girls got their work done, and then
we let them all into our sitting room,
where we had fsh-pond fixed up,
for them to get their presents. There
had never been such a Christmas here
before. Every girl had chance to
fish seven or eight times. Of course,
some of the presents were really moth
ing, but the girls we're just as pleased.
Each got a picture postcard, another
picture, Sunday school card, can
dy bag, a hair ribbon, handker-
chief, and some one nice present,
from America-sent by the Normal
girls. Of course they didn't know
anything about how many presents we
had inside the pond, and it was fun
to hear them say, about the third time
they fshed ''this will be my last
time,''
It took until l O'Clock to get the
pond all fshed out, and then we mis-
sionaries all went to Stapleton's for
dinner, and had good time with the
children after it. In the evening We
played games with the girls in our
sitting room.
NEW YEARS DAY.
That is our annual reception day,
when every body whom we know, or
who knows US, comes to call. They
began coming before we had finished
breakfast and until dark there never
was time that there weren't at least
five or six in the sitting room, and
sometimes Is or 20. None stayed
more than Is or 20 minutes, and each
one had to DO served with cup of
Turkish coffee, and little wafer. Of
course our girls did the serving for
US. Turkish coffee is abominable
stuff, I think, though Mr.. Stapleton
and Miss Bushnell like it. 1t is as
sweet as syrup, and the more grounds
there are in it, the nicer it is sup
posed to be. The coffee is ground as
fine as -four. III give a reception
when I come home, and make you
some. The only nice thing about it,
I think, is that it is always served in
tiny cups. Almost 400 people called
during the day. Such motley crowd!
The poor lace women, holding their
rags together with one hand, and
shaking hands and saying "thank
you,' over and over. They all talked
Armenian. Some Turks, friends of
Mr.. Stapleton's, and doctor's-and
doctor talked Turkish with them. The
Russian consul and his family, who
talked French with Mrs. Stapleton:
some of the teachers in the Sanosar-
ian school, and they knew English;
some Persians, who knew little Ger
man, and so on and on and on.
Then when our two weeks vacation
came, we spent most of the first week,
their Christmas week, returning calls.
OF course we didn't 60 to near all the
houses, but we tried to call on most
OF the church members, and at the
homes of our girls. Wherever one
calls, she is given either coffee or
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. both, and can
dy, and you have to take something
or insult the household. So Miss
Bushnell and I formed an alliance.
she took coffee and I took fruit-iuice.
and SO we got away with our honor.
But imagine calling at seven or eight
places in the morning, and that many
more in the afternoon, and taking
refreshments at every place. We had
lot OF fun specializing which one
l. -