Search just our sites by using our customised site search engine



Click here to get a Printer Friendly PageSmiley

Click here to learn more about MyHeritage and get free genealogy resources

Canadian Life as I Found It
Chapter XXII December, 1905


WE had no opportunity of posting letters so that they should reach you before Christmas, but we hope that these will for the New Year. We trust that it will be a happy one for you all, and bring you no further anxiety over your Canadian exiles.

One more year has gone by, and, thank God, we have managed to keep straight amidst much crookedness.

I left home yesterday morning, but did not get into Saskatoon till this morning. I had the young horse on, and as he had never done any road work I had to take it easy.

I did not want to come in, but was obliged to get some Christmas stores. Jack is much excited, and wanted his mother to write to Santa Claus and tell him he wanted a ball and a watch, and as I am in town I do not expect that Santa Claus will disappoint him.

We are having a few of the English fellows round about us to dinner on Christmas Day. We have not much amusement to offer them, but still it will be nice for all of us to meet together on that day. All our thoughts will be in our several homes across the sea, as I know yours will be with us.

My colt is getting on well, and he ought to be able to take his share of the work next year. He is very gentle, and I can do what I like with him. I might trade my team for a better one, but I do not care to. I know them and I can trust them to do their best whatever difficulty we may be in, and that is a great thing out here where you have these long trips to make.

There has been great excitement over the elections. I was called upon to act as Poll Clerk at the doctor's, 6 miles west of us, on election day. I did not agree with the Liberal side and so voted for the Conservative candidate. The Liberals, however, have got the majority--a big one of 142 votes.

The proceedings were very tame; the only stirring incident was a dog fight. I wanted to register it, but they seemed to think that it would not do. It takes the people here a long time to see a joke. The box of woollen goods has arrived safely, and the contents will be very useful, only you made a mistake with the mittens; what we use here are closed with only a thumb, like the fishermen wear; but never mind, Mabel is knitting them into shape.

These mittens are very important things. You cannot touch anything in winter without having them on, for everything is frozen, and if you take hold without having your hands covered, it sticks to you and takes the skin just as if you had burnt yourself with fire. There is again a great talk about having a school for our district, so I suppose the Government is going to give us one.


This comment system requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator has approved your comment.