Waterloo, Ont.,
June 8, 1919.
Dear Mother:
Your very welcome and interesting letter of the 5th inst. was received to-day and was read with great pleasure. We hope you will soon get over your busy spell and find opportunity to get the necessary clothes made and be ready to pay us a visit by the last of June or first of July at the latest. Don’t let anything interfere with your trip as otherwise we will be very much disappointed and besides it is your only chance of seeing the family, as it is getting so large that it will forever be out of the question to bring it south in whole or in part. And I might add it’s a mighty interesting family you will find too. I don’t think you would find anything like it among any of the other of your numerous progeny. To-day is Whitsunday and we had no less than three distinct showers, which according to the old adage prefigures a wet season. But it could hardly help but rain to-day as it has rained every day since the hot spell was broken. Up to Thursday we had about a week of weather ranging from 85 ° to 92 in the shade. But since the showers have come it has been very pleasant and it is wonderful how the gardens are growing. I spent nearly all
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day Friday and Saturday hoeing in mine. Everything looks good except the potato bugs and they are certainly vigorous enough. I tried to Paris green them, but the rain came and washed it off and they started at their old game again. I suppose the only remedy will be to gather them in buckets kerosene oil them and make a bonfire of them. I preached in Frist English to-day while Pastor Maurer went to Guelph. I had a fair audience and gave them a good Whitsunday sermon. This afternoon Mr. Berdox, our next door neighbour, took me and five of the children out to his sheep farm in his “Tin Lizzie”. It was a fine trip of 7 or 8 miles each way and through a picturesque part of the county and we enjoyed it very much. We had a great time trying to dodge the showers, but succeeded admirably.
Our Commencement came off on schedule (pronounced shedule in Canada) time in St. Matthew’s Church, Kitchener and was a great success. I don’t think we ever had a better commencement. If I don’t forget it and it doesn’t make my letter too bulky I will enclose a programme. I had charge as Chairman of the proceedings and just to please the Germans made one of the announcements in German. I see you seem to be highly taken with the Chautauquas. Well, we are have one in Kitchener the week of the 23rd; but as this conflicts with our Summer School I don’t think we will be able to go. I am sorry too; for I have never been at one and have for a long time desired the opportunity of attending one.
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I was interested in what you had to say of Guy. Herminie’s man must be quite ambitious and must be quite a financier too to navigate a university course with a family aboard ship. If I got a salary of $1800 I think I should be pretty well satisfied, though considering house and other perquisites I suppose mine pretty nearly amounts to that. Tell Herminie and Guy to come up before their family becomes like ours – immovable. I have never seen Guy or Herminie since she became a woman. Bonnie had a letter from Louise (Max’s wife, Kentville, N.S.) conveying the astonishing information that Muriel Don’s wife was on a visit there, having left her two months old baby with Don and her mother. Louise says that Muriel is almost a nervous wreck and worries about everything. One baby seems about to have finished her. The Masons are noted anyway for nursing their nerves. As to visiting Rochester, N.Y., I don’t know, but I don’t think it would be much if any out of your way in either coming or going from here, though it might take you off the main line of travel which is through Buffalo, but if you went that way you could take the steamer at Charlotte, the port of Rochester and have a fine trip across the lake to Toronto, which, I think, you would enjoy. To come direct here from Washington, ought not to take over 18 to 20 hours. Carolus has taken to writing poetry. I am en-
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closing one of his poems. Of course he doesn’t know anything about rhythm or metre as yet, but he has the idea all right and knows how to work in the rhyme on occasion. I have had so much to do that I haven’t had time to enjoy my vacation as yet and have hardly realized that it is on. Synod and Summer School are next on the docket and after that perhaps some canvassing. Bonnie says You will think the baby about the sweetest little trick in the world and I second the motion. We send love to Herminie and our little niece or nephew or whatever they are, also to all the rest. With love and best wishes, I am
Most Sincerely yours,
[signed] Carroll H. Little.
