1913-3-12-helwin-sister.xml

(Herbert W writes above salutation) The fleas and other things are
abating in frequency. She says you hate long letters and probably won't
read this one and I have been told to stop work or I will talk in my
sleep so all of us Winlocks will go to bed - but I love you as ardently
as ever. Helen says her hair is dropping out and she's going to be bald.
So am I and then we can have fine times washing our shiny heads
together. 

(Vertically Along left margin) Your letter about the $1000 job
just came. Pretty swell I think.I don't seem to be doing anything. 

March 12th 1913 

My dear Sister 

Not that I have a great deal to state but there
is a leisure moment and the mail has just gone but what's the odds.
Herbert is cursing over a plan he has been making and is now painting
gaily with red and blue pain out of my box. The same old round box that
has had so many masterpieces done from it that it is almost an
inspiration in itself. But to go on from where my last letter ended. At
that point after lunch suddenly a gray horrid old gentleman with his pie
faced daughter blew in and sailed up to Herbert and wanted to know if he
was the manager of this institution. He said no he was just a member of
the expedition. 

<pb n="1"/> We then gathered that he thought this was a
sanitarium and had come out looking for rooms, understood it was very
good for the throat and as he had been troubled with bronchitis he would
like to get over it. He turned out to be a one time ambassador from
Sweden to the U.S. His daughter spoke English perfectly though with an
accent. He left his card (Lagen-crantz pleuzpoten Hare) etc a long
rigmarole of stuff. Then he whirled round on Kipling and asked him if he
was the great man. Though it was a warming kind of day there was a
sudden drop in temperature and Kip gave him the stiff arm, but the old
man was able and said he had met him in Stockholm at a dinner party so
the sun was allowed to shine again and warm things up. Ambrose took them
off 

<pb n="2"/> 

to the dump and stood them on the lea side, the wind was
blowing a bit so it was likely they got a bit of dust in their gear box.
I don't believe any thing will ever convince him that this isn't a
sanitarium because the room where all the spare beds are kept was being
whitewashed and there were about six beds on the front stoop just
looking for (...veues). Oh yes and he wanted to [know] if a great many
people weren't staying here. As a matter of fact the room was full of
people. Yesterday was a day of gloom. I let two canaries out on the
window sill and pulled the curtain down so I thought they couldn't get
out and left them there. When I came back Darius was with me and one of
the birds was on the floor. He was scared and I almost caught him but
Darius made a dash at him which ended his sweet young life 

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in one agonised moment of terror. So Herbert and I buried him and I
nearly cried because it was my fault and it was rather sad all round
even Darius was sorry to find what he had done, just a little I think. I
haven't paid any attention to any of them since so they probably will
all die. However they are going to have a new cage day after tomorrow so
that will give them something to think about. There is a great romance
going on in the house at the present moment. Miss Richardson and A.
Lansing. She knows a good many clever dodges in the game and is giving
him a run for his money all right all right. Last Tuesday, yesterday
that is, she got him up and dressed at 7.30 A.M. (work days he turns out
at 9.30 AM) and blast if they didn't climb to the top of the mountain
before breakfast. Sala one of the kind men who waits on the table was
all of a twitt. This morning she and I went over to the river 

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to visit the Theodore Davis dahabeyah. A strange crew is on
board. Mrs Andrews who is no relation but has lived with him some twenty
or thirty odd years and her nieces - mother and daughter. Mrs Davis
doesn't figure in Egypt but in Newport the old man apparently keeps a
hareem without the slightest difficulty both ladies living in the same
house though I understand Mrs Davis doesn't like it as well as Mrs.
Andrews does. Any way they are all a bit mad though no one seems to mind
- the old man especially. As for the nieces they are all right - he
always has nieces on his boat a different set each year, who have to
play solitaire with him most all day to keep him amused. 

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There is a man staying round here who is rather fat has a red face and
curly hair and talks exactly like Eric Batso. His name is Alan Gardiner
and he takes a delight in tombs. He has worn off quite a bit of
avoirdupois since he has been here crawling round on his tummy
underground by the light of a little electric flash light. Herbert calls
him an old sheep. He is just doty about tombs expects to end his days in
one. His wife is at home in London fixing and refurbishing a house
against the hour of his return she's a fi.... Everybody is going now one
by one he goes next week sometime. The Carnarvon crowd go tomorrow. The
Davis's today. Morgan etc last Monday. The hotel is getting emptier and
emptier and pretty soon we will be able to go over and spend a night
there as the price will be reduced. All the boats 

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are getting stuck in the worst way. Did I tell you the Hamburg American line
is the one this year, not a complaint. They are trying to undersell Cook
and seem to be progressing nobly. As for Cook everybody is jumping him.
Dr ...hessy? said that last year they wanted a complete camping outfit
with a tent for each person, cooking stuff and everything. Cook gave
them his last price, they threw up their hands in disgust and bought
everything brand new and paid two thirds of what Cook wanted for one
month of his stuff. They stood in a row in front of Cook's office and
thumbed their noses at him. Now they are all going down in the Delta
some where just for the pleasure of living in the tents again ostensibly
they are looking for buried cities. They certainly had hard luck here
this winter got an enormous tomb full up with rubbish so that they
nearly hated getting it out and then found it was too late some thirty
or forty centuries sooner somebody else had been in ahead 

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of them. We haven't decided when we can leave. Have you and Daland given up
entertaining orbit on account of Lent that you have done with frivolity
and all such. I find a dog a great comfort, for instance yesterday we
all went riding, the whole Winlock family. Herbert and Helen, Darius,
Pelota and the Red one. We went up a valley even more remote than any
tomb of the kings ever was and there we found a fox and Darius chased
him. Otherwise the fox might have bitten us thus it is seen that dogs
have their uses. Considering that I didn't think I had much to say I've
done darn well I consider. I dare say you will say why for cat's sake
didn't she stop at the first sheet, it's almost too much. Never mind.
Mother will like it if you don't. As for Cousin Lizzie's spoons I just
though if you haven't done anything how would some decent fruit knives
be. Not all silver and yet not all steel, something like those French
ones if they could be got. So I will cease with love and kisses from
Helen