Dear Horrie
I received your letter this morning alright. I am glad you received the JBs alright. I sent them instead of a letter as I have been busy since the beginning of December getting ready for moving and since we have been in here I have been busy fixing up the house but we have got it comfortable now.
We have one patient in the house. She has been in for two weeks and is going out on Sat. She comes from Pense, the first baby. She is doing well now but has been a hard case. Cissy Southward from Cupar is here too. She is taking her normal class. She will be here about another month. We have another lady from Cupar for a week or so. There is another one coming in any day now.
I think it will pay alright when the warmer weather comes as the coal bill is high now the winter being such a cold one and the house a larger one too. 12 rooms and bathroom. We had to spend quite a bit of money for new floor cloth, bed, etc. but you see Daisy has been helping me pay off the farm debts so I could not very well refuse.
Besides she thinks she can make more money here than going out and nothing venture, nothing have.
The 68th are recruited up to full strength now I guess and may be going any time now. There is another regiment being formed now, or will be in a week or so. The 195th I think it is. They wiill begin to recruit as soon as they can find quarters for the men. The Lieut Col. is here now.
We have lots of snow this winter here. It is drifting quite a bit and makes a lot of work for the street cleaning dept. and the street railway to keep the tracks clear.
I had my notice from the city and sent in my application but don't know the result yet and I would not care if it was the end of March as it would be easier getting another job but they are not so plentiful now. I think several have left the city hall. They are sick of it as this is the 3rd time at any rate that the civic staff have been considered for cutting down and in fact even since the war started the council has been trying to cut wages and do away with all the help they can but it should not be necessary to do it every new council that comes into power as it only shows that the heads of departments and the commisions don't know their business in my estimation.
The Rev. Earp is at Winnipeg taking an officer's course. He is trying to go with the 68th to the front as Army Chaplain.
I think he has made up his mind anyhow to go to the front one way or another. I have not seen any Lipton fellows here although there may be some. Grace Church congregration is made up chiefly of women. There are about 70 men gone in the Army. J. Took is teaming coal for Whitmore now. Joe and T. Borden are down on the farm at Mclean. They are finding out they have a pretty tough proposition I believe and Joe is not happy at all. He would sooner be in the Army he told me. Frank Borden's wife was not cut out for a farmer's wife and they have found it out to their cost. They have not said it in so many words but that is the conclusion I draw by putting 2 and 2 together.
I hope you will get along alright with the broncho busting. I guess you won't do much til the snow goes by the look of things.
As usual A is in a hurry and asks me to finish this off. We are doing alright, not making big profits yet out
of our new venture but just paying our expenses. As you know expenses at this time of year are great.
My love to Mary. I thought she owed me a letter but it seems its the other way. Jenny Dobson, Mrs.
Brinkworth's sister is dead and buried last week. We have a Mrs. Holland of Cupar here, a notorious woman
from Cupar. Her husbands in jail for bigamy, a lady from Pense, and Cis Southward who is studying
for Normal. She is a nice girl.
A says let the others look at this letter. He he's no time for writing to all. We hope to see you down here one
of these days. The folk are about the same. They came in to our place after Church on Sunday evening.
Mr. Earp is going as chaplain of the 68th. We will miss him.
Much love to you all, especially Mary and Dick. Hope all are well.
Daisy
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I don't know but I like to think that these photos were taken at the house mentioned in the above letter. Other photos of the same house hardly look like it could contain 12 rooms as mentioned in the letter. Maybe they were very small. The address I believe is 2081 Ottawa street. I wonder if the house still stands today?
Rooms did tend to be small back then, which probably also made the houses harder to heat.
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