(Now it is Tuesday morning.) Well, to go back to Sunday afternoon. The two gentlemen called & after maybe half hour’s conversation, I accompanied them to the [7:37] house of Mr. McKee & we had tea, Mr. Jackson joining us, tho’ his wife was ill. She had taken so on Saturday night & it was he who invited me to tea with them. Mr. & Mrs. McKee were to be there also, however, it was reversed (they were cousins). Mr. Jackson did not go to church, so Mr. McKee & I went, & I enjoyed the service. St. Paul’s Presby. Church, Simcoe, Revd. Mr. Dey.[1] The form was as our own, prayer, the song 1st Ps., “That man hath perfect blessedness” &c., 1st lesson, Romans 12th 9 to 13, prayer, hy. 506, “From ocean unto ocean,” 2nd lesson, 2nd Chronicles 25th 1-13, text v. 9, “what shall we do for the hundred talents”, prayer, collection, hy. 246, part 2nd “Jesus Master whom I serve”, benediction.
Prohibition is a great question in Canada[2] at the moment & the voting for or against takes place on Thursday first, so the churches are deeply interested & Sunday night was the appointed service which their minister was to speak on the question. Mr. McKee told me, as we were going to church, that the subject was to be on Prohibition. Well, I was very much pleased with the service & from beginning to end connection was upheld & the address preceded by explanation analogous to the subject, very moderate, logical, convincing & appealing did he deal with it, expressing the hope that all church [7:38] members would vote on the side of righteousness. 7 to 8:30, rather a prolonged service, still the congregation, & there were many hearers, seemed deeply interested. They’ve a fine modern church, roomy, airy, well lighted & seats the most accommodating I’ve yet seen, a fine organ & a good choir. I did enjoy hy. 246 as I was familiar with it. They have a Canadian Presby. Ch. hymn book. Sarah & her cousins was [sic] waiting for me. They stopped on their way from their church & we bade Mr. McKee good night, then called on one of their friends & spent half hour, after which we went home & spent a pleasant night retiring the earliest up to that night, 10:30.
Yesterday, Monday, morning was a lovely morning (Sunday was perfect) & it had been arranged that we were to go out & spend the day with Mr. Matthew‘s niece, Father Forster‘s eldest sister, Mrs. Martin Smith, who has a fine farm of 125 acres 2 ½ miles out of Simcoe, West, so Father Forster called for me with his buggy soon after 10 & drove me out, & Sarah and Mr. Matthew & his delicate daughter, Julia, came out after a while. Lottie, the 2nd daughter, had walked out & was there when we arrived. We had a most happy day, a real outing, so much of interest & the company all that could be desired, depend upon it, they did show me kindness. Mr. & Mrs. Smith have a fine family of 4, 2 rare boys & 2 girls, & as well trained. [7:39] I did admire them, I assure you. I made them all laugh when at dinner. Mrs. S. had a most delicious turkey roasted with every auxiliary, followed by Farm House accessories, & I told them I could not now look forward to our Christmas dinner as I was then & there partaking of it. I very highly appreciated their kindness & they certainly did make me feel quite at home, & you know what that is. What lovely fruit they have, fine apple orchards & the beautiful apples on the trees yet laden, Baldwin, Spys, Kings, Russels & pound apples. These grow to an enormous size. They’ve had them 20 ozs. each, monsters I saw yesterday, & we all feasted at will. Also they have 23 such grand big turkeys hatched early May, & 14 others July. They all came home to roost & the 23 all went into a big tree near the house & went to rest, the 14 with the mother on to a fence & there they settled. While out in the fields, we met the boys coming home from school, such fine lads, happy & beaming, & full, full of life, down on the grass with their books & accompanied us. Mr. Smith had his gun but no success. Then we returned to the house for a rest & the elder boy went to fetch the cows home & 6 beauties they were, & they stood till we all had tea, after which Mr. & Mrs. Smith milked them & off they were turned again to graze till morning. Also they have [7:40] 2 grand sows, one with 8, & the other 6 fine pigs. The 8 are well grown & in 6 or 8 weeks ready to market. The others are my favourite size for pork – you know – all seemed bright, happy & prosperous, & adjoining the farm is a brother with other 125 acres, & the father with his farm not far off across the road, & yet another brother on farm but a little further off, & all their own property. We got home about 7:30, a lovely bright moonlight night, & spent up till 10:30 very happily, then off to bed.
This Tuesday morning, a most delightful morning. We don’t see such clear, bright atmosphere at home no time during the year, & these past 3 days have been warmer than our summer days, but the nights now come in delightfully cool. I am striving to get up to date & I’m going to manage it. Mr. Matthew is going to drive me to some more friends at 11 o’clock & will also visit the old homestead again, but Mrs. Hair’s is the chief visit as she is a Berwick lady & Sarah says she will be most enthusiastic, remembering with a “crystal” mind all about her early days & nativity.
I got yours & Willie’s letters (18th Aug.) waiting for me at Sarah’s, & then 1 from you & Mary, Sept. 8th, New York, one from David Whitehead, Australia, one from Mr. Wooley, N. York, replying to mine about Albion‘s ship, [7:41] one from Matthew & he is in joyful anticipation & counting the days, & this morning your nice letter & Willie’s welcome post card bearing date 15th inst. I wrote Cook’s at N. York to forward all on here, the papers I received yesterday! Yes! Bundles of papers. I’ve not got through them yet, not even all they which I received at Vancouver. You’ve no idea what little time I have had lately after leaving Vancouver. My whole time, every minute, was employed profitably observing, feared to miss one single view or incident, too weary at night to do much writing (see what I said in Winnipeg contribution about that) & after arrival at Simcoe the position was nearly hopeless, so much to talk about, however, I struggled – that’s the word – & conquered, tho’ I could have written double what I have. I dare not trifle as I feared getting too far behind – talk of diary writing, I take no credit, not an ounce – but I am not surprised at the majority dropping diary writing. Just now I feel a relief, the like of which none but they who has experienced it can have the remotest idea of, not even the conception to think of it.
Well, how saddened I do feel on hearing of (& reading too in the “Mails”), so many dear, dear friends & old acquaintances passing away. Margaret Young, poor body, our dear mother’s much loved friend (and this, 27th September, is mother’s birthday). Dear mother, what happy [7:42] & loving & delightful remembrances I have of her, think of mother and father, lovely lives, & how happy it makes me. Well, poor old George, how lonely. Oh, had the Good Father just closed their lives together, wouldn’t it have been comforting, & for mother, how very anxious she was that you should look to Margaret. Wasn’t that a kindly heart, a real David & Jonathan, & now this morning you tell me of Sir Wm. Grey[3], a great loss to our community, & a bereavement that his dear wife & family will sorrowfully mourn.
Only this morning I got up soon to scan the latest papers (some Vancouver not yet opened out) & I read that the NE Ry.[4] directors had visited H’pool, & Sir William had chaperoned them & then on receipt of your letter, the news of his death. Now Mr. Matthew is all but ready to start for Mrs. Hair’s. Father Forster has generously & kindly placed his “rig” at our disposal, but I want to post this off before I start. Now I fear my stay will have to further [sic] extended, & I don’t see how I am to get even the “Majestic”, besides I would like to see my loving son Albion if possible & while in America. For the present good morning & kisses for my sweet & lovely Comely.
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[1] Inserted on facing page: “Rev. Mr. Dey”.
[2] Inserted on facing page: “Canada”.
[3] Sir William Gray died on 12th September 1898. On the day of the funeral, banks and many businesses in town closed as a mark of respect. He was buried in West Hartlepool cemetery, and it took an hour for the thousands of workmen from the shipyards, engine works and rolling mills to file past his grave.
[4] North Eastern Railway Company