by Chris Evans | February 12, 1930 8:23 pm
[From Alice Waters Cairns to her daughter Janet Cairns Dickey. Envelope addressed Miss Susan Dickey, Langbank, Sask. Postmarked Victoria British Columbia 1 pm Feb 12 1930. 2 cent King George V stamp.]
808 Blanchard St
Victoria B.C.
Dear Janet,
I did not mean to write you this week but as my letter to Susan is not posted or closed I thought I’d just put in a little note for you. I left her letter open for Papa to write too, to the boys. We had a very lovely drive yesterday with Mrs. Simon who took her little girl and Mrs. McKenzie too. We saw the dry dock cut out of the solid rock, with a large steamship standing in it – men cleaning the bottom. There is plenty of rock here to build all the docks the world needs. We were away three hours. When we got back our neighbour of the next room brought in a tray of hot tea and cake, said she thought we would be cold, so we were and we drank the tea and ate the cake – rich Christmas cake – and I have been sorry ever since, for I am quite dizzy today, and Papa was quite equal to have eaten the lot; and it would have done him no harm, & would have shown appreciation of Mrs. Ellis’s kindness without hurting me. I had our dinner-tea ready soon, having boiled or stewed the carrots, meat & turnips before I left – had only to put in the stew one potato, 2 onions, & cook some rice. Before we had finished, having eaten all the onions, turnip, nearly all the carrot, Mrs. McKenzie brought up Papa’s paper from the hall, so we asked her in to have dinner or tea. I told her to get her own plate, knife & fork, so back she came, there was quite a nice piece of meat, plenty of gravy or soup liquid, plenty rice, a few pieces of carrot, celery, bread, brown or white, crackers, some cookies, good strawberry jam, Papa’s particular sauce “P.G.”, but only cold weak tea, for I had only made enough for Papa, and I had let the gas out & did not heat any more water, so Mrs. McKenzie said she would give me a tea cosy. Mrs. M & I did up the dishes quickly, as we expected the Rev. Owen of the Reformed Ep. Church [Episcopal] to call. He came soon. Mrs. McKenzie is our neighbour room down near the end of the hall, there are 6 or 7 rooms on this hall, all fairly old women till Papa & I came. I could safely travel to the toilet, but yesterday another man has taken a small room nearly opposite ours, so I was confronted with the dire sight of a strange man as I carried out my pail of dish water slops! A man fully clothed is all right, but collarless & shirt-sleeves, carrying towel & soap, seems embarrassing. We both said Good morning.
Susan’s letter will explain a lot of this. There was a R.E. Church in Digby over 50 years ago of which I was a member before I became Presbyterian, that church was bought by the Baptists, and is the Baptist church now. R.E. Churches have only been in existence about 54 or 56 years and many of them have gone out since, even as in Digby.
[Next page has the top left corner torn off. I have filled in, in brackets [ ], what I think is missing.]
[Thank] you for telling me what to get for the girls [but you] missed the “old girl” out, what would [you] like? I looked at those little tumblers the last [time] I was downtown but remembered I nearly [always] got them so thought you would still have [some]. I do delight in getting things at Woolworth’s. Even Papa seems to be more animated about buying when he gets in Woolworth’s. I mean to get some pretty green salad bowls. We have bought another suitcase, just a cheap one.
I have not been downtown since I got your last letter. This house is at the upper end of one of the main streets, to look down the street in the evening is very pretty, we are about 2 blocks before the business part begins. We are invited out to tea this afternoon at 6 o’clock, to Mrs. Archibald’s, a brother of that Mr. Archibald who visited us some time ago, a brother of “Little Will”, Mr. Dickey will know. [This may be a reference to Will Archibald, who was married to John Dickey’s older sister, Susanna.] Mrs. McKenzie seems to think we won’t get much to eat, for she says we had better eat before we go. She was here when the telephone call came last evening. It is raining now, nothing new.
Your loving mother,
Alice Cairns
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