Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay,  Undated [Fall, 1920]

Oyama

Canada

Dearest Mib,

I have just finished “The Eyes”¹ & have been quite useless & hysterical from crying so much. I do think you are mean to make Danny die just for the selfish joy of drawing tears from us. Is Danny Baby Butterworth, the one I remember before Milburga? And is Mr. Dane a sort of Mr. Hammet (or Hammond), the judge I stayed with in Madura. Of course Mrs. Dane is not Mrs. H. I was dreadfully afraid Mary was going to marry the door-mat man. Mrs. Trotter is just like Mrs. Rayburn here, the good lady who was Lady Pentland’s maid & is now comfortably wealthy (her own words) & likes to gather Oyama round her in “lawn socials” & other abominations & be very bright and flippant — with a little malice under it for those who do not care to be so patronised!!

Yes, the Prince² drove through one side of Oyama — not our side of the Lake. But I went to see the dear child. He got out of his car — we all gaped having no program ready. He turned red & turned up his collar & then down & stood most shy in the road while the children squeaked out a patriotic song (O Canada) out of tune. Then the Methodist minister (methodists always to the front in America) & shook hands with him, then turned his enormous tummy & beckoned his wife from the roadside & introduced her & she said something very like Pleased to meet yer. The poor Prince was very relieved to get into his car and drive away. I felt hot all down my back & found I was saying aloud Poor boy, poor boy!

Bob says its time for bed just when I am waking up — dear thing he fills my hot water bottle every night. We have had absolute winter for [unreadable number] weeks frost & snow. It is miserable picking apples with your feet in the snow & your hands numb — many days we could not pick because the apples were frozen solid on the trees. We have lost quite a lot, I fear but are lucky compared to some people who have lost half their crop.

Poor little Philippa! I do so hope for her happiness. I expect a baby brings a great deal of happiness & she may like the life very much.

I did enjoy The Young Visitors but I’m sure your Robina wd [would] have been quite as good, if edited by Barrie.

I do so hope to come home but this frozen fruit is quite a setback — & Bob being of the very cautious North of Ireland type (Scotch if ever was) will not make any plans till he knows just what price he has got for every apple on the Ranch & then I think he wd [would] rather stay here & prune the trees. This is home to him. He loves Canada, & never talks of going home because this is home and England is the “Old Country.” But then he is Irish. Aren’t you glad you’re English?

Much love,

Your very affec.

D. Allison

Footnotes:

¹“The Eyes”: The Eyes of Understanding, a book written by Milborough Mackay under the pseudonym C. R. Milton.

²the Prince of Wales, later King Edward III.