Seven Little Americans

Baroda Aug 12th 1920 Just a scrap of a letter tonight as I've written a long one to Gee and must not keep the "boy" up too late for the mail.  Poor little Gina with her "seven little Americans" all down with whooping cough at once.  I've sent her a little present to help her along.  You must be back in Cambridge by now.  I am glad you had such a nice change by the sea.  I wish I could have come for some of the walks by the sea with you.  I'm busy as ever. I think I must ask for some more assistants.  But when I get them I have to train them and that is a slow business.  The weather is getting cooler.  The rains are satisfactory from an agricultural point of view but not from the tank-filling point.  What we want now is some tremendous showers that run into the channels before they have time to sink into the ground.  Well darling I must close.  Much love Ethel, Willie and all,  Ever your loving daughter May
 

Baroda Aug - 19th, 1920 Your letter and the Times arrived safely and were as usual very welcome.  So you are back in Cambridge again and comparing it's air with that of the Burnhams.  Well I am doing the same here only mine is that of the Himalayas with Baroda's.  But I still have the lovely clear mountain air in my lungs and my blood.  There is a great talk here of opening a college for women.  Hitherto our women students have attended the Men's College here.  Now a wealthy Gujerati, Sir Vishaldas Thakersey, has given a large sum of money to be spent on Women's Education in the Bombay Residency and Baroda hopes to come in for a share of it.  Hence meetings and discussions are the order of the day.  I think there will be happenings when their Highness's come back.  I'm thinking of sending you all some "puttu" for your birthdays.  I wonder if you would like it.  I'm sending some to the "seven little Americans".  By the way Mr. Heath hasn't written to me yet and as for Ethel I think she has forgotten my existence.  What has been the matter with Mrs. Congrere?  My Gujarati Munshi is just coming so I must close now dear  Very much love to all from your ever loving daughter May P.S. you have not yet told me the name of the man who came from Baroda.


Baroda Aug 26th 1920  I'm up to my ears in work tonight.  Tomorrow we have a holiday and I should have plenty of time.  But I've promised Mr. Widgery some notes on Girls' Education for his Sociological Review and he is going away tonight, so I must give him what I can get into shape - and you, poor darling, have to suffer with a short letter.  Better luck next time let us hope.  I'm just having a cup of coffee and a cigarette to get my mind into working order after dinner and shall then set to work.  Very much love to all from your ever loving daughter May

This letter is the first where the term Seven Little Americans appears, Phoebe, Jack, Charles, Robert, Dot, Bea, and Harry Chapman, Gina's children.  In a later letter, her father apparently took exception to the term.  From then on,  May referred to them as the Seven Little Californians!  On December 20, 2009 my uncle Charles will celebrate his 94th birthday with a birthday party in Sacramento, California.  I would love to be there.


Puttu is, apparently,  a common breakfast in Kerala. It is made out of rice flour and is cylindrical in shape. Puttu is made with the help of a Puttu maker. Puttu maker is a steamer which is cylindrical in shape. These are available in the Indian grocery stores. Many people use idly moulds also to make puttu recipe. Nowadays Instant puttu mix is available in Indian grocery stores. The dish has to be made with lot of coconut.
per     http://dailygirlblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/puttu.html

For some reason I'm not surprised the old gal smoked. :-) 

Dad. et. al.