Mary-san

Notes from LtCol Thompson

Here are some notes about Mary-san transcribed from LtCol Thompson’s letters to his wife while at Camp Nara:

Rufus B. Thompson, Jr. - Manila 1945

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Sept. 3, 1953: “Well, anyhow our rooms just have a bunk, bureau, night stand and steel chairs so she brought a dresser scarf for each of us to put on our bureaus. She said that she embroidered them herself. They are all the same and show a snowcapped mountain, evidentially, Mt. Fujiyama and a bird that looks like an egret. Believe the cloth is raw silk. It does dress the room up a little.”

Feb. 5, 1954: “We pay Mary-san 2,500 yen each so she gets 10,000 yen total (monthly) which amounts to $27.77 and she does all of our laundry by hand except dry cleaning and keeps our quarters immaculately clean. She waxes the floors weekly and they really look fine. Believe I told you before that she brings a floral piece every Monday morning for the hall entrance. The arrangement is the typical Japanese style – very simple but very effective.”

March 23, 1954 (a letter from Korea): “I thought I told you a lot about Mary-san. It is too bad we couldn’t have a full-time maid like her. She was the best I think I have ever seen. I told you before that she brought flowers each week and kept them in a vase in the hall. She waxed all the floors in the house and would do our laundry and have it ironed and put away the same day. All of the laundry was done by hand and it included all of our shirts, too. Before I left I gave her a gift of 2,500 yen, $6.94. That is what each of us paid her a month so it meant that I gave her a month’s salary. Her oldest son was going to Kyoto University so she was more appreciative of the money than she would have been of a gift. She said that she hoped her son could someday get to go to the university in the USA so I gave her our address. He was the one who translated a few of the Japanese characters (writing) for me. Actually, I think the little sake bottle she gave me was probably a family treasure. I told her I would rather not accept it but she said she wanted me to have it because she knew we would appreciate it. She picked out every little detail in the big picture you sent me at Christmas and especially the Japanese doll being in the picture, and she said she knew we liked nice things and would place her gift on the mantel where we could see it and appreciate it.”