[Envelope addressed: Mif Jannet Cairns c/o Mrs. Waters Digby N.S. Postmarked: Scotsburn N.S Jy 17 95 Receiving postmark: Digby N.S. PM Jy 18 95. Stamp torn off. The letter starts in John Andrew Cairns’ handwriting. Written while Janet was visiting her grandmother, Amaret Dakin Waters.]
Scotsburn. Tuesday.
My Dear Daughter –
We recd. your letter a day or two ago and were glad to learn that you reached Digby all right and that Grandma & Aunt May & the cousins were as well as usual. We are all well, and we are getting along finely. Maria will be home again to-morrow. Mary Thompson is here yet and baby Tom is thriving finely under her care. The children were expecting to have gone to the salt water this afternoon with me, but we have had a heavy rain with Thunder, for more than two hours and now at 2 h it is almost too late to start to day.
[Continued in Alice’s writing:] But still they went over to Durham or Saw-Mill Bridge and had a bath and Amy had two teeth out, she has had a swollen face with an ulcerated tooth. Tom has taken to saying Mam-mar, Mam-mar all the time so plain & when it makes bubbles in his mouth so much the better. I got your letter & Maria’s the same night; Libbie Henry is coming with her. Papa brought home six nice large frozen fresh shad to-night. My turkeys are all living but Tom is just wild to catch them. Mrs. Turk still lays & John eats the eggs. I got the Couriers from Aunt Amy. I am saving your Youth’s Com. for you. We are getting on very well indeed. I sent your letter to Annabelle. How was your lunch? All mixed up with your purse nightgown & rubbers? Papa called at Mrs. John Thomas Matheson’s to see Mr. Stewart. We swept my room to-day. John & Amy kept the baby over an hour Saturday in the oat puncheon. Miss Thompson just runs around and watches the baby like you did. Maria writes she has a sore leg, I hope it wont amount to much. I asked Tom where Janet was and he said “All gone.”
[John’s writing again:] As Mamma has gone to bed I will have to finish this letter after all. Love to Grandma & Aunt May & the children.
Your aff. Father
J. A. Cairns. (over)
Mary Thompson is going home to-day. We have all our hay in the barn, only 4 loads.
The children keep the bugs down pretty well. Amy’s two teeth were ulcerated underneath and she was very frightened getting them out but to-day she says she is very glad they wont hurt her any more.