Margaret writes to Elizabeth that she knows nothing more discouraging than missionary work. The failures loom so much larger than the puny successes. She tells of one of the strongest Christian couples in their church that had split.
Margaret reads about the time she was left alone. Kenneth was on an evangelistic tour and Miss. McCague had suddenly left for Bangkok with a girl who was having problems with one of her eyes. Margaret was getting used to being left alone.
Margaret reads an excerpt of a letter from her to Kenneth's father about the King's palace and how she thought that some millionaires in the US probably had equally "elaborate palaces."
Margaret reads her letter to Kenneth. Letters between the two were often opened and read. She already sealed letters with wax. She refers to a tea party to which Mr. Bulkley had invited her, trying to make her look like a brute. She gives other…
Margaret recalls a letter to Evangeline from the Anglo-Chinese girls' school where she was staying. She describes her trip to India and the present she received from home. She made some sewing and kept the books for school and her household. The kids…
Margaret continues to read her last letter to home. She writes about the children's health, their growth and some specific ways in which they behave. She returns to the story of Dan and Doris Hume Bovee and what they meant for the Landons, in…
Margaret wrote about the Christmas presents from home that came the day after Christmas. She describes the presents and how the family reacted to receiving them. The Mortensons were so thrilled when they received the movies Kenneth made at Bill's…
Margaret reads about her work around the house and her having fun doing activities she never did before. That was the beginning of her gardening. Kenneth and Margaret talk about the food in Trang.
Margaret reads her first letter from Trang. She recalls their arrival and beginning in Trang, the girl that traveled with them, and talks about slavery in that part of the world.Â
On February 26 Margaret wrote of Billy, who weighed almost fourteen pounds: "Beautiful baby, so strong and well formed." He had discovered his feet and was looking at them in wonderment.
Margaret remembers two little girls who walked four miles to come to Peggy's birthday party. She recalls getting a cable for her own birthday. Kru Chin Da brought Margaret nice things for her birthday (she also taught Margaret incredible cooking…
Margaret was now in charge of the school. Mrs. Bulkley had left because of physical difficulties, and Miss Eakin never came back. There were some building projects in the wind for the coming year. She talks about preparation work at the school. He…
Margaret was often concerned about her kids getting diseases that were all around. They were instructed to never touch their eyes because Trachoma was everywhere. Margaret thought that keeping her kids away from the Thai children (which the other…
Margaret was trying to train Nai Dit to cook. She tells of the teaching process, Nai Dit's own cooking styles, and how he was learning. He was especially good at making chicken gravy.
There was something at the school that Margaret couldn't get any wind about. Dr. Bulkley came back from his trip and found his wife almost dead, but she recovered quickly. She was in charge of the school and Margaret had no authority.Â
Margaret entertained two discourteous guests. They came over to the Landons for the weekend and Margaret worked hard to ensure they had a nice stay. Something spilled on the lady's dress and she was unhappy. They never sent a thank you note and tried…
Margaret tells of the beautiful place where the McDaniels were planning to build a new house and a hospital. The ground, the trees, and the landscape were just beautiful. Dr. McDaniel is very progressive and energetic, and he was making great…
Margaret tells of the family animals. Izzy and Lizzy were two hornbills that Kenneth had brought home from his last tour. They liked fruits, especially the jack fruit. The Landons also had a small Japanese dog called Suzy, and a long, thin, Siamese…
Margaret remembers a story from the trip of the King of Siam going to the US for an eye operation. After the surgery had been done, no bill was presented, and so the King asked for it. The surgeon said something like, "The King can do no wrong. I…
Margaret talks again about the house in Trang. She further describes the house and her work to improve its look. She talks about the interior, her decoration and how she had set things. She began to learn from scratch about flowers.
Margaret tells the story of her first learning of Anna Leonowens. She tells us that she has often said that when she first read The English Governess in the Siamese Court during that 1930 visit in Nakhon, she really had no sense of a curtain’s going…
Margaret gives the background to her first story for the Literary Society, "A Grave for Frankie." Ku Pru told her the story. It was about her uncle who was a wizard. She told her that when the wizard's uncle died his son sat on his grave for three…
The Landons were trying to persuade the Thai Christians to tithe to support their new pastor, Charlie Hak, but the response was not good. Previous missionaries had created a lot of what the Landons called "rice Christians." They were not anxious to…
Margaret wrote to Evangeline, who was then living in Minneapolis with her husband Evan Welsh. Margaret speaks of her problems with her cooks. Ah Sim eventually took over. Kru Flora helped Margaret with the shopping.
Margaret tells about the girls in the school who were rehearsing a play. She was watching one night when suddenly a little girl ran up on stage and began to dance. "I never saw anything funnier." The Siamese dance was very beautiful, but very formal,…