[Envelope addressed: Mr. John B. Dickey, Poplar Grove, Saskatchewan. Postmarked Middle Musquodoboit N.S. Jun 18 12 Receiving postmark Wapella Sask. Jun 24 12 Two one-cent stamps. Lou (Louise) Guild was the daughter of John Bates Dickey’s older sister Ida Jane (Dickey) Guild. She was 19 years old when she wrote this. Jean, Ellen and Libbie were Lou’s sisters. Rene and Trude were probably Lou’s cousins, Irene and Gertrude Archibald, daughters of Susan (Dickey) Archibald. Aunt Millie was John Bates Dickey’s sister Millie (Dickey) Wickham.]
Higginsville, June 17th 1912.
My Dear Uncle,
No doubt you will be surprised to get a letter from me, but don’t be alarmed; I only want to ask a favor of you. I suppose you have heard that Jean and I are going West this summer to teach school. We have the promise of a certificate to teach for one year in Saskatchewan without going to Normal School. So the next thing to do is to see about getting a school. Jean has applied for the school where Rene is. She has not heard from it yet, but thinks perhaps she will get it, as they are very anxious for another Nova Scotia teacher. I did not dare to tackle Trude’s school, as it is quite large. I sent an application to Brookside school, but Grandpa’s folk had a letter from Aunt Millie last week, and she said that they had a teacher engaged until Christmas, so I’ll have to try another. I was wondering about the school in your section, if you had a teacher engaged, and thought perhaps you would be good enough to write and let me know if it would be any use for me to apply for it. If you have a teacher there, perhaps you would know of some other schools where they have none. I suppose it will be hard for you to imagine me a full-fledged school-ma’am, as I was only a junk of a girl the last time you saw me. Nine days more of teaching will finish my first term, and I’ll not be sorry when it is done, I have to have my Examination yet. Wish it was over. I am planning to have it the afternoon of the last Thursday. That will be a week from the coming Thursday.
The railroad is progressing at a pretty good rate. I hardly think that we can go away from Musquodoboit on the railway this summer, but perhaps the trains will be running by the time we get ready to come home. You will have to bring your wife and family East and make us a visit when our railroad gets in operation
We are going to have an Exhibition this fall, but I will have to leave long before it. Our holidays will be short this summer, but we will make the most of them. Ellen is coming home the first of July, and Libbie will be home a while before we leave. I don’t expect Rene and Trude will get home very long before we will have to leave.
I suppose you are putting in a big crop this summer. The farmers are not getting along very fast here this spring. The weather is very backward. Today has been very cold and disagreeable, and it has rained nearly every day for a week. It will make the crops very late. Mr. John Guild met with quite a loss last week. He lost a nice black three-year-old colt with Strangles. He had a veterinary there to see her, and he said that they killed her by pouring linseed oil into her. The throat was so swollen that the oil went onto her lungs. He was offered $200 for her, but said he would not take less than $225.
There is a Scotch family has moved onto the farm just below Harry’s for the summer.
There is no one living on Cas Day’sfarm now, Cas went to Buffalo last fall, and Bess went to him this spring. Don’t know whether there is anyone going to live on it this summer or not. If anyone does come there, I hope they’ll be good-natured, for there will be lots of blueberries in his pasture this summer and we want to pick some of them. Grandpa’s folk have prospects of a large crop of strawberries this summer. So I expect there will be lots of chance for a job there this summer. Don’t you wish you were here to help pick and eat them? I suppose you knew that Robert has finished his apprentice-ship. He is still working with Math though. Gets $1.25 per day now. Sid Gould works in his shop. Don’t know whether he gets much trade or not. Mr. Watt, a Scotchman, is living in Sid’s house. He has been in Musq’t. for a little more than a year now. He wants to buy a farm here, and I hope he succeeds, as he is a good citizen. He talked some of buying Mr. Robert Higgins’s farm, but guess he does not want it now. He is trying for Cooper’s or Cas Day’s now.
I guess Foster McCurdy is going to bounce the Englishman that has been on his place if he can. His rent is due now, and Foster is going to come down on him if he does not pay it right away. He is no earthly good for anything anyway. The sooner he is boosted out, the better for the country. Arn Gladwin has moved back onto his farm, and Jim Sedgewick has bought the house he was in and is living there now. Jack Reynolds and Doctor Jim Reynolds have moved in to Middle Musq. too, so you see there are great changes taking place.
Our minister is away on his vacation now. The General Assembly meets in Edmonton this year, so he is taking his vacation now and attending it. I think he intended going to the Coast before he comes back. So he will have quite a trip. I think it was a Mr. Miller that preached for us yesterday. Don’t know where he was from. I liked him very well. Rev. D. Stiles Frazer is to give an address on Temperance in the Elmsvale Hall tomorrow evening, but I don’t expect I will get over to hear it. I am not particularly anxious to go though, as he is rather a monotonous speaker. I would sooner go over to Division. We expected the Division from Dean Settlement down to visit us last week, but it stormed and they did not come. Perhaps they will come this week if it is fine.
I don’t know as there is much news in Higginsville that would be of interest to you. I don’t think I have seen Mrs. Sid Frazer since I came over here. I have seen Sid a few times but have never been talking to him. See Bryson occasionally. He goes to Division. Bates is quite miserable again this summer. His heart is troubling him again. I think the Doctor told him he would have to keep quiet and not do much of anything for a time at least. Grace Archibald has heart trouble, too. The Doctor calls hers a leaking valve in the heart. She does not seem to be so well now as she was for a while. Tim Stewart (Tom’s son) has to go to Montreal for an operation. The tubes in his head that carry the waste matter from the brain to the nose are filled up, and the waste matter has been coming down into his throat. They say that he will be alright after the operation, but they would not undertake it in Halifax. I suppose you heard that Sprott Stewart is dead. He died a month ago or more I think.
Well, I don’t think I have any more news to write, and I think you will be tired before you get all this scribbling read, and I am sure it is time that little girls like me were in bed; so I will say Good-night and go to bed.
Lots of love to all, from Niece and Cousin Lou.