Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-11-08
LETTER FROM MRS. COMPTON
Kyoto, Japan, Oct. :, 1917

Dear Mrs. Hopkins.
You've been on my mind for a
long while and now I'm going to
get you off by writing TO you.
Weren't you surprised when you
heard had landed in Japan? lis
a much more comfortable place
than Russia. I'm sure OF that and
won't feel drcadfully had about
not getting over there until after
the war is over. They won let
women into Russia at all now al
least they can't go very far into
Russia.
suppose you've heard of all
our wild escapades i'm Japan dur
ing the summer. didn't dream
| could have such a good time.
Now we're down here at llyotn
with some very nice people. Ev-
cryonc seems just like real Am
orleans and they wear very pretty
clothes. OF course silks are ineX-
pcnsiVe out here so even poor peo-
pie can afford silk dresses. We
have grand things to eat. The
! food is cheap and there is lois of
it. so the grocery bill doesn't
mount half as high as il docs at
home. Last year Mr.. and Mrs.
Lombard paid $3.50 for all the
;potatoes they ate all winter and
they had them every day. They
cost us about $3.50 every meal.
didn't they?
Last night we we're invited to
dinner by a young man who is
here under the Presbyterian
board. He has church clear
across the city from us and lives
up i'm the loft. His rooms are i'm
the same position as the upstairs
lrOoms in our church. His dining
room was very small-it wasn't
as large as your front hall-so
we had to squeeze pretty tight to
get in. The maid couldn't col
around our chairs so she sal ON
| the floor i'm the Kitchen and lifted
the dishes off The table. We al
most had to take turns eating. bc
cause there wasn't room enough
for us all to work our elbows at
once.
Today is CARTS birthday. so
last Friday decided to go down
town to buy him a present. This
is a city of 100000 and YOU can
see it's no easy task to find ones
way. ] was a little afraid To go
alone because if / did GET lost /
never could find anyone who
could make mo understand how To-
get home. But started ont any
how and decided To risk it. | found
The place wherc | wanted To 60
without any trouble, but the build
ing looked very queer. All the
buildings are made OF wood and
look about like our Woodsheds.
ffhc streets are covered With Gin
derS and have no sidewalks. The
streets arc very narrow about
like our alleys and there are
bitches on each side which YOU
have to step across when you en-
ter building. But this building
had strips OF black cloth hung
across the front and ] said TO my
self that | Thought ii looked like
a funeral, but | guessed I'd go i'm
/, When went i'm saw IL bright
yellow carprtsprnad out on the
floor and on ii were seated three
men smoking. They looked very
solemn and was scared to deaf h
Finally somebody came into the
room who could speak llneIsl
and he told me the Shop was
closed because his master was
dead. ! told him ] was very SORRY
and then scootcd. So couldn't
buy Carl's present. because |
didn't know whore else To go. If
you want to buy anything nice
you can never go along the street
and see something i'm tlle window
and go i'm and buy il. Everything
of any value is kept out of sight
You have to know where the
stores are and 90 i'm and ask for
what YOU want When you go ia
q silk store they have TO 90 to Ihp
attic 10 find what you want.
SO | took Carl down With me
yesterday and had him pick out
his own present. ! didn't want ia
go to any more funerals by my
self.
The other day we went To les
given by some young ladies from
the Episcopal church. The rooms
were rather crowded so the scrv-
ice was very poor. They gave Us
+, our tea, but forgot to pass us
some very nice looking sandwich
es and cakes. Carl kept saving
81 wish they ID pass us some O
that stuff" and he said il 50
many times | was sure they wouIt
hear him. Finally, when we wcr,
almost famishcd, someone die
bring us the sandwiches and said
please take ANOTHER sandwich