853 Nassau St, Winnipeg
July 13 - 17

My dear Will,-

I am late getting at my letter this week. Have been having a bad time with Billy. He is still sick. Tho' I think he is getting a little better to-day - In fact he is at Gunn's just now - his first outing for a week. Dr. McRae was here yesterday morning to see him. He does not say what is wrong (something in the bowels) but yesterday said it might be a swollen gland like he had a while ago - He has no temperature - & it is not the appendix, so I don't think McRae really knows. We have been giving him pliysies, & enemas, & yesterday he sent a bottle to take after meals. He is on a liquid diet. The last two days he is just a little shadow - & so weak. Nellie took him a little stroll in his wee wagon this morn. He has more ambition to be about to-day - tho' he gets up every morning & goes to bed about 4 - on the hot water bottle & mumbles & cries. Last night he did pretty well - went to sleep at 11 - and slept till morning - without paregorie. Just now he has come in & says "Mamma, will you give me a drink of milk with a good dose of sugar, and it will completely make me well." I think he is better to-day - as it is 2.20 p.m. and he has scarcely complained at all. He wants me right beside him all the time and when he gets over a bad spell he feels sorry he made so much trouble. Last night he says " Mamma, do you know what you are" and I expected him to say a bad woman for not letting him have any bread & butter - but he says - "You are a good, kind, noble soul, and I could not live without you." Wherever he got the words, - I don't know. He drinks nearly a quart of milk a day- & likes a lot of sugar in it. He was telling me this morning that when he ate up the sugar in the bottom of the cup, it just made a new man out of him. It is when they are sick one gets to know all these funny little thoughts. I had to load my supper on a tray last night & eat in there. He his with his head up on me - like Maggie taught him - but he has been better at night the last 2 nights. Two nights I had to give him pargorie to get him to sleep - at 2 a.m. I was nearly done out & am feeling very tired yet. I see that he is far better to-day. I give him just milk & lime water. I phoned Mrs. Hargrave this a.m. to speak of the mail - & I was telling her about Billy - did not know that Mr. H. was a doctor. So she told me he was a Dr. for 30 years & she is going to send him over to see Billy - perhaps to-day, & if I just said the word Dr. Furgeson would come, he does not like to when another Dr. is on the case. McRae is very nice & attentive now, but some way I don't like him.

Well, I had no letter at all from you last week - but got 2 yesterday - (June 13 & 15). Before replying to them, I'll jot down a few items while I think of them. The $ 125.oo came at last (another call for a drink of milk with a good dose of sugar in it.) The money came to the Imperial Bank here & they have been trying to find me ever since they say.. It strikes me one way would have been to ask Information if I had a phone. Any way it is here now & I asked the head of the Union Bank to transfer it to the Corydan Branch, so I had a letter from them yesterday saying it was there. This will have to make it easy for me to make the following payments & get them off the list.-
Balance of Interest $ 22.00
Insurance 76.80
Phone to Oct. 1 7.15
Clergy [?] 2.50
Western Baptist to May '18 2.00
$ 110.45
I have in the bank $ 68.90 & $ 14. due to-morrow from Emerson - balance of June's money - and this $ 125.00 = $ 207.90 leaves $ 94.45, and all Julys $ 88.00 to come. I am expecting the extra $ 4.00 patriotic, = $ 185.00. That will be a good nest egg. Between now & Thurs, I have to pay
Clergymans 5.00
Phone 7.50
Insurance 33.90
Taxes 25.00
Fuel 40.00
Interest 52.00
Water & Light 7.50 $ 140.90

On hand July 30 - 185.00
Big expenses - 170.00
$ 15.00
Five months pay 440.00
$ 455.00
We have to live out of that and I have about flour enough to last till Xmas. What Frank owes will nearly pay John George. I am not going to do up much fruit - have 23 quarts from last year, yet - & did 6 quarts of strawberries and have nearly a sack of sugar on hand. So much for the Budget.

Had a letter from Ruby - she tells me the little fair haired Miss Robb (Dena) is dead, no particulars. I am sorry to hear it. They were nice. Have 3 more photos to send, & I guess this is the last for a while. I think I'll have to get a $ 2 or $ 3. camera about this size. It is nice to have the photos.

Well, Miss Sadie Reed was married to Mr. Lawrence Parkison on June 30. Sat. We rec'd the announcement & cake a day or two ago, will send a bit of cake in the next box. They are living at 55 Tukster Ave - near the North Car barns, & just 3 houses from my cousin Mrs. O'Neills - Mrs. Jeffrey's sister. Am glad she is living in W'n'p, - will have to call soon.

9 p.m. Just there Lily Reed (cousin) came in, and after she was in a while, we had such a rain. They say that down street it was a cloudburst - a foot of water on Portage Ave - & the severs backing up - Hail too - not much out here. Lily could not get home so stayed to tea, & it was about 8 when she left - since then I've done up all the work - given Billy an enema, & while I was fixing things up he went off asleep. Shirley has been sick this p.m. vomited of watermelon Mrs. Foreman gave her. I have her tucked in and asleep too. Billy seems a lot better to-night - did not cry at all - just "grumped" a little. He did not like my last performance (the enema) which I managed alone this time, but when it was all over he says - "I could not get along without you mamma, you are a blessing to me." He is overwhelming me with flattery of late.

Had a note from Hal today Mattie is able to be up again.

Now, I'll look over your letters, Yes, you have all my letters up to the second no. 28. I guess & they start at 1 again you had just got the letters re my house cleaning - & that seems like minutes ago. Had letter (yours) is just a month old to-day - 13th. We too talk of ‘when papa comes home," & these days Billy is so busy telling all he is going to do. He & you are getting 14 bunches of fire crackers - & he is going to put his own share off himself, is the latest. I hope it is over soon, soon. It will be a great day when daddy is coming home - but don't take us by surprise. Just think of all the talk - plans we'd miss if we did not know.

In this letter you spoke of farms. Well in the one or two I wrote just before this, I told you of Riley Smalley's situation, and that, along with our own experiences, do not tend to draw towards that work again. He is simply stranded here - saved nothing, moved so often - no presentations - except $24, from Broadway. He feels rather bitter I fancy. As to the homestead - I do not know how we'd stand the hardships & work. The least bit over the line here lays me up - & farming is pretty hard. I'd hate too, to think of Shirley & Billy being in a poor school, etc. but I have not had the time to think it out yet, but will speak of it later. I am afraid the freedom from the sort of "misery" we have endured both at Neepawa & Emerson has spoiled me wanting to face it again. That ‘Community Church" would be a rather nice idea, I'll leave this question till I have more time for I have to hurry along, & get this mailed before 10 in the morn. Oh - I have 3 sweet peas out - We pulled them for Billy. Are only about 6 inches tall & lots of buds. I do wish you could see my garden - It's a beauty - away ahead of all but Jones' & I think his is all potatoes & a few peas, I'd know better tho' next year what to put in. Wish you were here to eat the lettuce. I am giving Faulkers some. My mind has been so "strained" with Billy, I hardly know what I have written. It is such a treat to see him, & Shirley too, sound asleep - often the last week - when it was 2 a.m. - so often & then such tossing. I hope the poor little chap is on the mend. You'd feel sorry to look at him, such a thin little fellow. Oh - I nearly forgot - I think I'll take them up to Ruby's for 2 weeks, she wrote yesterday telling me to, & for Billy's sake I think I shall, tho' I don't really want to go, I think it would be best for him. I'll hate coming back to the lonely cottage if I have to leave it.

Good-night my dear Will, Ill write day after to-morrow (D.V.). Give my kindest wishes to all the boys I know, [??], see Dick & E. King, - & where is Miles. I hope its over soon - summer is passing (very cold here mostly.) & I hope & pray it will end before winter.

Love & kisses from us all & God bless

Betty XXXXXX