Dearest Calvin,

It really was a most Providential arrangement that you should find a home with Mrs. Jaffary, it is a great comfort to me and I think some day I shall write a special letter to her; tho' I think it was enough to look after her husband without having another foolish man to be responsible for.

I cannot tell you how rich your cheque made me feel, it seemed such a large sum for you to give out, but it enables me to pay off $100 on a $350 note due on the 3rd of this month; the year R. came from Calgary I had to borrow from the bank at different times $500 and I have never been able to catch up. Indeed if it had not been for you and Tom I could not have paid my taxes this year. As it was I did not have to borrow any more; and now I am paying a hundred off, and if nothing unforeseen occurs I shall manage very nicely. Tom says "You had better bank your money after this to get married on." But we feel wonderfully rich. Ruby was talking about it too, how wonderful it seemed and how thankful we should be, that the two sons were both earning their own incomes and such fine ones too. God has been wonderfully good to us; and hard as it sometimes seems to look forward to giving Ruby up, still I just feel, it is part of God's plan for us, she is His child and He will carry us all through to the end of life, and then there will be one long glorious eternity.

People all say, how well I look. I gave all the girls their share you sent them and as I had been (as usual) obliged to borrow their five dollars last time when you sent it in order to pay the rent at Gravenhurst, and they all said they would not want it till Xmas, they all feel tremendously rich with ten dollars each in their pockets. R. is planning her share in the Xmas presents and it is such a comfort to have her here. By-the-way they consider this money your Xmas present to them and I do also, so do not think of sending any thing more.

The girls are busy preparing for the Mission Band sale on Tuesday, they got a lot of things made in their spare time at Gravenhurst. Edna busy stoning dates preparatory to candy making to-morrow. I am to go up early to the Cottage while Hilda comes down. I have hired a Belgian girl to come on Monday and do hope she will prove a help, have to give her fifteen dollars a month to start on, asked eighteen. We dread the trouble of inducting them, but a good girl would be a great comfort.

Edna is really getting much stronger and enjoying life more, tho' at times a little 'difficult.' By-the-way remember me to Mrs. Crawford, I remember her very well and give my love to Lorna.

Do you see the Globe now? Last Saturday the 26th in Law News was Tom's appointment. A. McLean of Guelph, now of Toronto tried hard for it. But between "Straff" Watson's father and Nesbit from here Tom got it by 10 to 6. Tom has had a 'retainer' a Scotty clearing up the back garden, taking away all the old wires and posts and burning up piles of old branches &c. and old limbs cut down; so we look all very tidy but precious little is left in the garden now, the pear trees are nearly all gone. Emily Colquhoun is now very intimate with Bert Patterson, just fancy how hard up the girls are becoming.

To-day I took the afternoon to visit the afflicted, so I went up to see the Dingwall sisters, old Mr. D. died. I went also to see Mrs. Stuart and Alice, they are just distracted with Willie, he has got so ill cannot sleep and has attacks when he cannot use his limbs, fell on the street and was brought home in the ambulance, and they do not know what to do with him. Just now Mrs. Ptolemy has taken him to stay with her and he is far better away from home. Then I went to the McFarlane's, she has been dying since last Spring; so it goes on. I finished at Mrs. Leitcth's, her sister Mrs. Rogers from Montreal has been visiting her. Mrs. Ketchen goes to Winnipeg on Tuesday. I think I must send you to-night's Times with Bard Murray's St. Andrew's Day poem.

I wonder, if you will come across Mrs. Thomson; neice Libbie Hains. She went to Edmonton to be with her married sister, who died, but I cannot remember her husband's name. Then I heard Libbie's brother Mr. Fred Hains had gone out taking his motherless little boy to be with his sister. Libbie is very straight and dark, but very nice when one knows her. And to think of you going curling with the Scotties! But you would have to do something to keep warm in that dreadful country. Must close, will write a description of the cottage some time, it is "so cute."

I quite agree with you about the aggravations of these churches in small places, so much of the work seems to have nothing to do with saving souls. I hope your prayer-meeting will be more encouraging than here. Dr. Lyle announced from the pulpit that there had been 13 at the previous meeting, of these only three were men and they were Mr. Henderson, care taker, Mr. Sedgewick, and himself, all paid servants of the church and supposed if they were to have more men, they must pay them. Well, good bye and many thanks from united family, M. & H. will write later. With fondest love.

Your mother

M. B. McQuesten

[Written on back of envelope] Do you see Presbyterian? Love to Mrs. J.