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Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914]

Oyama

BC

March 9th                         Canada

Dearest Mib,

It is dreadful the way I have gone on waiting to write to you. I fell head over heels at first — Then waited for a snap shot of the wedding group taken by Frank Rimmer. It is misleading as it leads one to suppose I was married in Church — which I wasn’t as I was marrying a non Catholic. But the priest let us out thro the church from the Vestry so Frank took us on the doorstep. hope [sic] you will observe the white ruffle which you gave me. It was quite an air to my get up. And does not the fur coat look quite saucy. I had a new collar put on to it & used the old collar in patching up gone parts. Bob absolutely refused to let me see your letter til I actually was Mrs. Allison! He really is the greatest treasure. He has put on 13 lbs. in six weeks since married!

I very much appreciated your letters from Aden and Port Sail. As it is a very alarming time just before marriage! & certainly a very lonely time in a great big country with — on the whole — very uncongenial people around me. Miss Wentworth was a dear & the Venables kind so I was lucky to have some one to stay with.

I had a horrid cold — the sort of thing I would go and get. So only got up from bed in time to dress & drive in from the Coldstream to Vernon. When we got down here after lunch Bob’s sister who had a baby a few days after! was here with her two little children to receive me. She helped me (when I unpacked the sheets) make the bed & then departed. Everything was awful for a few days as the new rooms were not furnished but now we are getting quite comfortable & my “living room” as the Canadians call a sitting room looks sweet — your rugs [sic] a great success & so light and nice to take up and shake — a thing much appreciated. Of course work is pretty constant — there is the butter to make & the bread besides the ordinary daily cooking etc. & washing. But Bob is very good in lending a hand & after all there is nothing interesting in this country except the great uncleared land so one might as well be busy in ones house & I have lots to learn as you can imagine.

Give Mrs. Butterworth my love when you see her — I hope she is better than last year.

How have you been since you have been out again? I hope you will write very soon to me in this land of exile and tell me all news.

Did you like Mrs.?! Nilas friend on board — with a baby?

How is Charlie — & where are you going for the hot weather. I often think of Pamba house. It is one of the loveliest places in the world.

Very much love

Bob sends love.

Your loving sister

Dorothea Allison

Typescripts, 1913-1922 — Dorothea Scott-Coward Allison Letters
Manuscript [1914]:

Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914]
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914], page 1
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914]
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914], page 2
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914]
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914], page 3
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914]
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914], page 4
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914], Envelope
Dorothea Allison to Milborough Mackay, 9 March [1914], Envelope