Dear father and mother:
Seoul, March 16, 1930 .
I heard from you early in|the week,^but just now I have
laid the letter away so well that I cannot find it. A roll of
papers also came, and the box ofisugared nuts. Perhaps I have
mentioned this before, ^but iffinot, I want you to know I am
thoroughly enjoying them as a very special'delicacy after meals.
The others you sent had given out just when these came.  * £
Your letter got put away in the general housecleaning I
had this wetek.  I moved almost everything In the room, even to
taking out all my books and dusting! them. And today I have put
on a newly washed1suit of clothes; and so I feel quite clean.
I only wish things could stay this way. It is surprising where
so much dust and dirt comes from. Butjtif you go up on the mountain
about the time the evening fires are being made and see the whole
city swamped in a heavy cloud of smoke, you wonder things stay as
clean as they do.    |        1
The immediate incentive to my housecleaning efforts was
the addition to my furnishings of a beautiful side-board or chest,
I hardly know what to call it^ £When I put it in the room and began
to see how I could best show itioff and put it to use,.it called
for a general renovatiohlof everything. When you sent'the money
from the Trinity classes at Christmas, you mentioned using it^for
furniture orfcountry supplies. I have been waiting so as to be
sure to get what would be of permanent value. I think I mentioned
some weeks ago of baying a set of silver chopsticks and spoon for
¥6 and now this case for ¥37- Both of these I count Trinity's gifts.
^1  One day passing a furniture store onlthe wide thoroughfare
"Bell Street*1 I saw this chest, and it caught my fancy, and I
stopped to examine it. mhe proprietor wanted to send it to my
house right then and there, but foreigners are considered good   |
prizes for the merchants, and I knew I could not»get it at the .price
my teacher could bargain for; anddso I left and asked him. to go
there in a day or twopnd Inquire about it., ^he proprietor started
at eisrhtv yen, and mtl teacher' said he wouldjkive thirty or forty.
Then the proprietor pretended it was an outrage to offer so little
and told him' it was no use to talk.  "Why it cost at lea st afhundred
yen to make ±t\    Where is there any such custom? O-o away
f w
In the meantime I quietly had another look at it in passing,
was sure I wanted it, got forty yen, and had my teacher go back the
next day. After ahother' parley, they agreed on the f5?> The storekeeper bought it from a poor man who brought it in from the country
to get ready' cash. How little the original owner got for it I shall
never know/but he probably got pitifully little,. I would have paid
him a iarger4sum with good grace, but there is no use in, the middle
man raking off several "hundred per cent profit; |nd even 8V-Y37 you
may be sure he did not lose anyymoney.
else would
teacher said some rich Japanese would
Duringlthese days  of parleying I was awfully afraid  someone
uld also take i liking to the  same thing and buy it.    My
be very apt to pick it up
had^never seen
e a valueable
e last time
11   (court) .
and I heard the   jiggy man  setting It down in my  "madang