My dearest Cal,

Your Welcome letter Came to-day, it Certainly is most cheering to hear of the way the Country is growing and that at last the railway is reaching the settlers; we are so glad to be able to send the barrel so much nearer to you. Your card came at same time & just in time to save us from sending the barrel to Zealandia which I had determined to do, it was only 33 cts. more per 100lbs. from Saskatoon to Zealandia and Tessier only 23 cts. It was too late to get it off to-day but it goes to-morrow. We tried to get everything in, we put some baking powder in a cocoa tin for the b.p. tin was too large to get in. But have just discovered that the pickles were forgotten, had intended sending some of our own mustard ones, am so sorry. We are sending a barrel & box. We have to put in so much packing that we can send so little in comparison to size of barrel. Look out when you are unpacking for the soup tablets they are so small, I posted two of them to you yesterday, the kinds we think nice, there are others, but we did not like them. I hope you like mushroom flavour, I do.

It is not sufficient, to have the Gen. Assembly here, but our W.F.M.S. ladies wrote me that the Board wants a Conference here at that time in order to take advantage of cheap rates. Some new plans are to be introduced. So as our school-room is not so convenient to street cars and noisy besides, I telephoned Mr. Knox for St. Paul's, he had just written offering their benches to Mrs. Hendrie who is giving a Garden party for Assembly, on the very same day; however he said if I could arrange it with Mrs. Hendrie, it would be alright; and Mr. Chisholm said Mrs. H. could have McNab St. benches, So I went up to Mrs. H. and of course she was quite agreeable. Then Mr. Drummond came in to-night to inquire for their ladies were going to have a meeting and reception for the missionaries the same afternoon, but as our meeting is in morning it is alright. Hope we shall have fine weather, it keeps very cool here too, to-night we have a fire in the grate, and so much rain on all sides.

You hear that the farmers here have no seed in, according to papers you are ahead in west. To-day I saw Miss Stewart the teacher and she was inquiring most kindly after you and Tom and very pleased you were getting on so well. She was always such a kind soul. Our japonica and the flowering prune are very pretty now and some tulips. Those in the Gore are a sight. It is a good thing the Globe is making a set upon the betters. It is terrible the extent of gambling. This week we have had the Convention of the Anti-Tuberculosis Society and Mrs Mullin made me go to hear Dr. Chas. Wright from Pittsburg [sic]. The one who married May Cameron long John's sister. We were speaking to him and he spoke of you and Mary. You know he is a recovered case and several of his family. He is now head of a sanitorium at Pittsburg. He spoke exceedingly well on the duty of municipalities to assume the responsibility of fighting the disease in the school &c. Then I went too to hear Dr. Adams of Montreal, who is a fine speaker like so many Frenchmen.

Nellie Mullin is going back next week to her nursing and Willie is much pleased because he has got a job with Kilvington. It will be quite a relief to his mother to have him occupied.

Mary had a long letter from Little Mary Taylor, still in England. I have also been busy with paper on Foreign Missions for the Sabbath morning Bible Study class, which last January I promised to do. I have it nearly written. They took up Acts all winter, so I am just taking the period immediately following the apostles fortunately they had taken it up some years ago in our Women's Course. Well , I must close. Glad to think you all are well. With much love from all.

Your loving mother

M.B. McQuestern

[P.S.] We expect Tom, end of next week. The Church opposite is not to be a factory, just a storage house.