My dear dear Cal,

I was glad to receive your letter on Saturday, which Mary sent on to us. You speak of your board being about met by Collections. Well, there, do you have a salary from Knox College Society in addition? You have never just said in any letter, what you mean to do when you return, but you speak decidedly of coming home. Do you mean to go to Varsity and if so how do you mean to pay your way? I do hope you will go to Banff, I should be sorry not to have you see all you can; if you have not quite enough, borrow from someone & I will send it. Sometime this month the Medical Association meets in Vancouver & there are excursion rates from here for half fare to any one! Could you get on it from Macleod? It is not to be a special train, I think. Ruby and I are having a lovely rest here, though poor Mrs. Mackay is very weak and can say little, but we enjoy the quiet and the good table and the driving. We came down by the New Steamer Turbinia in less than two hours. On Friday Afternoon, Mr. M. drove us out in the Victoria to the Gartshore's where our Edna and Nellie James & Winnie gave us afternoon Tea. Mrs. G. was so nice & begged to keep E. for another week. It is a great blessing for E. to have found these friends for it is a fine place to rest in, and just in the country. We drove back through the country fields, sweet with the new mown hay and round past Upper Canada College and down Avenue Road to the Park. It is so delightful just to be living in the Park. In the evening R. & I stroll round it.

Yesterday we heard Dr. Parsons at Knox & in the evening went to the Congregational church on College near by; both of the sermons were on the not hoarding of riches, which was not particularly suitable to us as R. thought, since we know not what it means ever to have a cent in the bank. To-day is Civic Holiday, so Mary Trigge arranged to have a pic-nic out to Bond Lake, Helen Locke is down & they asked R. So they started off by way of Yonge to the Metropolitan Cars at 9:40, and will have a long day, but it will be a pleasant change. I have just been reading the first chapter of Ralph Connor's new story in August Westminster. It is tremendously thrilling. I was wishing Tom had been in it, but he could not take time, he said to belong to a team that went out of the city. Gordon is not home, it seems a few weeks ago, a Life Ins. policy which Mr. M. took out for Gordon $10,000. came due and in spite of all Mr. M. could say, G. went off with it and with his wife, is spending it as fast as he can. Mr. M. went over and the wife but could do nothing; just before he had just recovered from a terrible bout.

Willie came home from the Sanatorium he had been away over a year & his father was determined he would not pay $35. a week for him any longer though W. was very unwilling to come. He has been entertaining us this morning with the gramophone which he bought. Some of the tunes and songs are wonderfully good, so we are going to let Mrs. M. hear it. He comes to his meals & is trying his best, I think, to get over his nervousness. It is a great pity of him poor fellow!

Ruby goes over to Constance Henderson, to stay a day or two, they would like her longer, but R. enjoys being here, where she gets drives. Tom writes his friend Grey got tired of the Steamer and has come back to camp. Tom had been out over Sunday to Courtney H's father-in-law's where they are most hospitable and were to drive to church.

Wasn't it remarkable to think of one of your people coming from near Quym?¹ Wasn't it wonderful the way Dundonald was sent off? Between the Scotch and the This. [Thistle?]. But, of course he had a fine record & he deserved an ovation, if we could only think it free from political feeling. Am going to send you a Century with a most interesting account of the "Mother of Parliaments." I want you to send it back to me or keep it for me. I want Tom to read it. Hilda went up to Walkerton the morning we came here, so poor Mary is all by her self at home, but it makes less work for us to be away.

[M.B. McQuesten]

¹ Quym, Quebec is where Tom is working with a logging camp on the Ottawa river. This is his second summer there.