favor to his lady, can and will
obtain one or more, for which you must compensate him, besides
defraying all expenses, and giving flowers and presents. You must expect
but little less expenditure than at our own weddings in our own country,
and but little to repay you. On the evening of the 24th of December
(1895), Christmas trees were on exhibition at the hotel for the benefit
of the guests; the ladies only received presents. The room was most
brilliant with electric lights and three large trees most artistically
decorated with bright balls, cornucopias and trinkets. A card was given
each lady and the number thereon drew a prize. My first was a box of
candy and a small toilet article. Not eating candy, I presented both
articles and asked Mr. Bailey, our host, for another chance, which drew
me a white satin sofa cushion cover. For a time we almost forgot we were
so far from home. There were so many familiar faces gathered around
those trees, besides no limit to others who believed that the "Coming of
Christ" meant good gifts to men. The 30th of December my brother and his
family left me to return to America. I was over-persuaded to go up the
Nile, a trip I most reluctantly made. As I felt the depression of the
Egyptian atmosphere, added to my depressed condition from the medicine
taken (prescribed by a missionary doctor on board the steamer "Pekin")
throughout my Indian journey that I was unfit to travel any longer--and
I had no desire to die so far from home--the pressure against my own
judgment outweighed in the balance, and I left Cairo on the steamer
"Ramises III" at 9:15 o'clock a. m. December 31st, 1895. The room
assigned to me by Thomas Cook & Co. was No. 63, on the upper deck. I had
no room mate, much to my joy. This was my "mascot" from the time I
boarded the steamer at Vancouver--with but one exception, and that was
on the steamer "Pekin" from Columbo to Calcutta where I had a dear old
lady from Australia (Mrs. Champion) share my cabin. We had seventy
first-class passengers. Among them were Mrs. John A. Logan, Dr. B., of
Brooklyn, Miss Paul, Miss Koon and Miss Dousman, Mr. and Mrs. George
Hale and his sister, Mrs. Mathews, Conan Doyle, wife and sister, and
from England we had the knighted organist of Westminster Abbey and Lady
Campbell and daughter, while others I could mention to whom I became
attached were Mrs. Allis and daughter, of Milwaukee, and Mrs. Wilbur and
daughter, from Flatbush, Long Island. I must