October 2, 1905 ~ Monday
We got up feeling fine and went up on deck to get up an appetite for breakfast.
It is raining but as we are in the Japanese current it is warm. On the lee side
of the ship it is dry and we had a fine promenade. We are about 500 miles from
land and the wind is helping up right along so we are making good time. Most of
the way we have gone at a snail's pace. Things are getting monotonous but I
have enjoyed the trip so much. In a way I am sorry we are almost to Japan. The
boy came to call us to breakfast and so we had to go down. After breakfast I
hemmed a napkin and played with the children until Tiffin time. They are so
reckless upon deck that I am nervous all the time for fear something will
happen to them. One day they played on the hatches but I stayed near them.
The 1st Officer brought Marjorie an apple and teased her for awhile. It was fun to hear her call him down. "Git at, I say" Mrs. Wilson never worries about Marcise but trusts everything to Yei. I can't do that and sometimes I want to shake Marcise for getting the other children into trouble... She does not mind a thing Yei tells her. In fact does not mind anyone. The upstairs children were down on our deck a while. Helen James wears white stockings and a blue buster brown suit, a big white bow sits on top of her head. Her stockings are more often black than white. She seems to be the leader upstairs among the children. Mr. Lee told me his little girl did not like to play with the children upstairs. I imagine they snub her because she has Chinese blood. They lost their baby by drowning the day before they started for Seattle. He was almost three years old.
After Tiffin we tried to take a nap but failed and played whist the rest of the afternoon. My partner was Herbert Lee the China boy. Will wrote to Nettie today and told her all about it. He is sore at the management, nor is he the only one. Things are getting bummer every day. We have spoiled fish for a change once in a while and spoiled fruit is common. Everyone is sore at the Chief Steward. I do not like the 3rd Steward as he gets altogether too familiar and is drunk a good deal of the time. He is always growling at the children. One day Mrs. Wilson took a nap and did not bolt her door, pretty soon she was awaken by some noise and there he was in her room. The noise of the door opening had waked her. He asked her if she was comfortable and she jumped up and said "I wonder where Yei and Marcise are?" and ran out of the room. He makes me think of a villain anyways with his black mustache and sneaky ways. This is his first trip across the Pacific as heretofore he has run to Alaska and does not know how to act on a decent steamer.
October 3, 1905 ~ Tuesday
Today is warm and pleasant, the first really nice day since we left Seattle. Everyone is on deck, the children in full force. There are about a dozen upstairs and just three down. Two Japanese Amahs and an English nurse girl take care of the 1st Cabin children. The stewardess is awfully cranky at them. The carpenter has an old cat and kittens in his shop and brought them out for our children to see. Pets seem scarce. Dorothy says "I 'ish Murphy was here."
I met Mrs. Edwards the bride missionary this morning. They were married and took the train for Seattle the same day and to avoid being caught bride and groom took separate berths in the sleeping car. They are Swedes from Minnesota and are very much in love. Mrs. Edwards said she would live anywhere with him, even in a pig pen. The children like her because she fed them an apple. She is only twenty, a green country girl and will have a lot to learn before she gets through this world.
After tiffin all the 2nd Cabin people had their picture made. There are only twelve of us. The children behaved abominably. Marcise and Dorothy quarreled about who was going to be in the picture. Dorothy said "My papa won't make your picture, he going to make my picture." They don't get along very well together lately. Dodo won't give up her rights to anybody and she will also fight for her relatives. They have both broken their dollies we got in Spokane. I put the metal head on one body and Dorothy calls it 'Alton' I tried to get her to name it Effie because it had red hair but she would not hear of it. I hardly know what to do with them sometimes they get so obstreperous.
Dr. Lopp asked us into his room and showed us a lot of pictures he had made. There are several Kodak friends on board so Will may have some developing to do. His wave negatives came out fine. He made a group of the 1st Cabin people this afternoon.
We are only two days from Yokohama and then we will be pretty near our journey's end. After dinner Will got a bottle of Rainier beer. It was the awfullest stuff I ever tasted.
October 4, 1905 - Wednesday
Will has been developing and printing most of the morning. The 2nd Cabin negative is bum, but the 1st Cabin is fine.
Marjorie learned to spell 'do' today. She knows most of her letters.
Tonight is the last night before we get to Yokohama - they are celebrating upstairs with a general farewell party since a great many people go ashore at Yokohama. The upper deck has been enclosed with canvas and they are dancing up there. Will and I went up to the smoking and drawing rooms to show proofs to the group. Everyone is well pleased with it and we got a good order. The girls were dressed in white and evening dresses and the men wore full evening suits. They seem to be having a splendid time. The chief steward almost smiled. We met Mrs. Ferguson of Shanghai. She knows Lee Munyon but does not say much about him. We have found several who know him but none speak very highly of him. Mrs. Wilson said he left Hong Kong under peculiar circumstances.
When I went into the dining room this evening, the First Officer Mr. Barnison had both babies up on his lap talking to them. He seems to like Marjorie particularly. The other day Miss Giffy, one of the young ladies, came down and took Dorothy upstairs and kept her awhile. The children were playing with Yei and I did not know she was gone until she came back with a box of candy. Dorothy took one piece and Marcise took possession of the rest of it. She is the awfullest brat I ever saw. I am glad my babies have respect for other peoples’ rights.
It is beautiful out on deck this evening and I would like to stay up there all the time. After the babies went to sleep, Will and I did go up for awhile. We watched the light on the water and sat on the anchor and waited to hear "Eight bells and all is well" but did not hear it. I thought they called this every night but they did not tonight.
This evening Will and I went to the fo'castle to watch the chinks getting their dinner. Of all the messes and smells these take the cake. The crew has its own mess and cook regular Chinese grub. The smell is all I care for. They have all kinds of meat and fish hung up to dry. The stench is awful.
Marjorie and Marcise have been quarreling most of the day. Dorothy is so good everyone seems to like her. Mrs. Nelis says she would like to steal her while the cabin boy thinks she is all right when she calls him Al Tow. He is going to leave the ship at Hong Kong as he does not like the Steward. Several of the men say this is their last trip on the Dakota if things are not changed radically.
Will says he wants one of the big anchors for a watch charm. They are monsters. I've gotten used to the ship's bells now. Two bells is One, three bells is 1:30 etc. Eight bells at 4:00, 8:00 and 12:00 o'clock.
The 1st Officer brought Marjorie an apple and teased her for awhile. It was fun to hear her call him down. "Git at, I say" Mrs. Wilson never worries about Marcise but trusts everything to Yei. I can't do that and sometimes I want to shake Marcise for getting the other children into trouble... She does not mind a thing Yei tells her. In fact does not mind anyone. The upstairs children were down on our deck a while. Helen James wears white stockings and a blue buster brown suit, a big white bow sits on top of her head. Her stockings are more often black than white. She seems to be the leader upstairs among the children. Mr. Lee told me his little girl did not like to play with the children upstairs. I imagine they snub her because she has Chinese blood. They lost their baby by drowning the day before they started for Seattle. He was almost three years old.
After Tiffin we tried to take a nap but failed and played whist the rest of the afternoon. My partner was Herbert Lee the China boy. Will wrote to Nettie today and told her all about it. He is sore at the management, nor is he the only one. Things are getting bummer every day. We have spoiled fish for a change once in a while and spoiled fruit is common. Everyone is sore at the Chief Steward. I do not like the 3rd Steward as he gets altogether too familiar and is drunk a good deal of the time. He is always growling at the children. One day Mrs. Wilson took a nap and did not bolt her door, pretty soon she was awaken by some noise and there he was in her room. The noise of the door opening had waked her. He asked her if she was comfortable and she jumped up and said "I wonder where Yei and Marcise are?" and ran out of the room. He makes me think of a villain anyways with his black mustache and sneaky ways. This is his first trip across the Pacific as heretofore he has run to Alaska and does not know how to act on a decent steamer.
October 3, 1905 ~ Tuesday
Today is warm and pleasant, the first really nice day since we left Seattle. Everyone is on deck, the children in full force. There are about a dozen upstairs and just three down. Two Japanese Amahs and an English nurse girl take care of the 1st Cabin children. The stewardess is awfully cranky at them. The carpenter has an old cat and kittens in his shop and brought them out for our children to see. Pets seem scarce. Dorothy says "I 'ish Murphy was here."
I met Mrs. Edwards the bride missionary this morning. They were married and took the train for Seattle the same day and to avoid being caught bride and groom took separate berths in the sleeping car. They are Swedes from Minnesota and are very much in love. Mrs. Edwards said she would live anywhere with him, even in a pig pen. The children like her because she fed them an apple. She is only twenty, a green country girl and will have a lot to learn before she gets through this world.
After tiffin all the 2nd Cabin people had their picture made. There are only twelve of us. The children behaved abominably. Marcise and Dorothy quarreled about who was going to be in the picture. Dorothy said "My papa won't make your picture, he going to make my picture." They don't get along very well together lately. Dodo won't give up her rights to anybody and she will also fight for her relatives. They have both broken their dollies we got in Spokane. I put the metal head on one body and Dorothy calls it 'Alton' I tried to get her to name it Effie because it had red hair but she would not hear of it. I hardly know what to do with them sometimes they get so obstreperous.
Dr. Lopp asked us into his room and showed us a lot of pictures he had made. There are several Kodak friends on board so Will may have some developing to do. His wave negatives came out fine. He made a group of the 1st Cabin people this afternoon.
We are only two days from Yokohama and then we will be pretty near our journey's end. After dinner Will got a bottle of Rainier beer. It was the awfullest stuff I ever tasted.
October 4, 1905 - Wednesday
Will has been developing and printing most of the morning. The 2nd Cabin negative is bum, but the 1st Cabin is fine.
Marjorie learned to spell 'do' today. She knows most of her letters.
Tonight is the last night before we get to Yokohama - they are celebrating upstairs with a general farewell party since a great many people go ashore at Yokohama. The upper deck has been enclosed with canvas and they are dancing up there. Will and I went up to the smoking and drawing rooms to show proofs to the group. Everyone is well pleased with it and we got a good order. The girls were dressed in white and evening dresses and the men wore full evening suits. They seem to be having a splendid time. The chief steward almost smiled. We met Mrs. Ferguson of Shanghai. She knows Lee Munyon but does not say much about him. We have found several who know him but none speak very highly of him. Mrs. Wilson said he left Hong Kong under peculiar circumstances.
When I went into the dining room this evening, the First Officer Mr. Barnison had both babies up on his lap talking to them. He seems to like Marjorie particularly. The other day Miss Giffy, one of the young ladies, came down and took Dorothy upstairs and kept her awhile. The children were playing with Yei and I did not know she was gone until she came back with a box of candy. Dorothy took one piece and Marcise took possession of the rest of it. She is the awfullest brat I ever saw. I am glad my babies have respect for other peoples’ rights.
It is beautiful out on deck this evening and I would like to stay up there all the time. After the babies went to sleep, Will and I did go up for awhile. We watched the light on the water and sat on the anchor and waited to hear "Eight bells and all is well" but did not hear it. I thought they called this every night but they did not tonight.
This evening Will and I went to the fo'castle to watch the chinks getting their dinner. Of all the messes and smells these take the cake. The crew has its own mess and cook regular Chinese grub. The smell is all I care for. They have all kinds of meat and fish hung up to dry. The stench is awful.
Marjorie and Marcise have been quarreling most of the day. Dorothy is so good everyone seems to like her. Mrs. Nelis says she would like to steal her while the cabin boy thinks she is all right when she calls him Al Tow. He is going to leave the ship at Hong Kong as he does not like the Steward. Several of the men say this is their last trip on the Dakota if things are not changed radically.
Will says he wants one of the big anchors for a watch charm. They are monsters. I've gotten used to the ship's bells now. Two bells is One, three bells is 1:30 etc. Eight bells at 4:00, 8:00 and 12:00 o'clock.
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