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Dear Brother,
This leaves us all in the best of health and spirits. We had a visit of
John Burns last week. Magdalene and James was in Stratford to make some
purchases. It was the second time Magdalene has been at the village since
we came to the bush, so James going in with the horse and cutter she
thought she would have a ride. A cutter is light sledge that a horse can
run as fast as you like on the snow so it makes a very pleasant ride and
Magdalene is very fond of it. She likes nothing better than to ride to the
church with her horse and cutter and a string of bells on the horse's
neck, but this is a degration. I promised to J. Burns that I would give
you a full and particular account of his visit. John was in the village
asking the way to our place when some person told him that James and his
mother was in the village. He knew James at first sight so he gave
Magdalene a glass of brandy tody and it was agreed that she would get in
to Burns' sledge and start for home and James was to follow when his
business was past. So off they started and when about three miles from the
village they past a wedding party that was to pass by our house and the
wedding party wanted to pass them again but John Burns would not let them
so the race commenced and continued as fast as the horses could gallop
till they came to our pace when John Burns came out of the sledge and gave
the wedding party a dram and got one in return but they were not well
pleased to be beaten by a Paisley weaver. John was in his best humour.
James McCome that lived in Coweston was with him and one Sclatter fromthe
Caeside and young John Burns so James got a few of his comrades and their
lasses and had a dance which lasted till three in the morning. I think
John Burns has not danced as much this thirty year. Both him and Magdalene
was just about 18 years old. John went through all his exploits from
childhood up to the present day, especially his fight with Lee of Stonly.
He got so excited in the description of the battle that he struck a
casting of Robert de Bruce that hung on the bracepiece and knocked his
head off and so we all had a good laugh for it put a stop to battle with
John Lee. We all considered that it was the happiest night we have had
since we left old Scotland. At the end young John and James hitched the
horses to the sledge and went home with all the girls. We wanted them to
stop till Monday but they left on Saturday but promised to be up soon and
see us. Thus far I had wrote when we received a letter from John from
Michegan stating that he would be home in April and not to write till he
came home for he would not settle what he would do till he would consult
with is on it so he came home and I and his mother advised both James and
him to pay the money on the land and both to go back and work till next
spring and I would make a sale of all the cattle but one yoke of oxen and
2 cows and a few sheep and we would make a push to get the deeds of both
the lots. We have two yoke of oxen and three yoke of steers, five milk
cows and four heifers and thirty sheep and eleven swine and two mares. We
got a fine horse colt dorwned this spring. Fall wheat ten acres, spring
wheat six acres, oats ten acres, peas two acres, potatoes three fourths of
an acre, hay six acres. They are all looking well but the hay is light.
The rest of the clearance is in pasture excepting ten acres that William
is summer fallowing for fall wheat. I had to take him out of school this
quarter to plough and harrow it for he is a good ploughman and I will have
plenty to do with hay and harvest and will have to hire a man. June 10
1853. John and James off for Michegan about three weeks ago and we got a
letter from them and they are well. They have sixteen dollars a month with
board. They are working at what they call lumbering. That is cutting pine
logs such as you see brought up the river. There are 26 men and they all
live in one shanty. They make a wooden railroad from the lake in to where
they are working and takes them down with horses and oxen to the lake,
that is Lake Huron. They can walk from there to the place where are in two
days and a half. The Canada Company is commencing to look pretty sharp
owing I suppose to the railroads, the Toronto and the Buffalo railroad is
both coming to Stratford. The land that was two and a quarter is now from
six to eight dollars per acre. Magdalene was very happy to get the few
lines from her sister although it is not very cheering. Yet it is a lesson
to us to think upon. Our families will follow our own example and leave us
as we did our own parents. It is the law of nature. Our days is few and
full of trouble. In a short time the place that knows now will know us no
more but let us put our trust in the Lord Jesus who is the rock of our
salvation and we hope that God will be to her an husband and comforter
while in this world and when her heart and flesh fail that God will take
her to that place where the farewell is unknown. Give her our loving
compliments and remember us to all our friends. Magfalene send her
compliments to mother and sister Agnes and Helen and Thomas, poor fellow.
You are all in our daily conversation. Our love to you all. No more at
present but remains Dear Brother, Your loving and affectionatye Brother.
James Good
Magdalene is going to the sacrament in St. Mary's today and will put this
letter in the Post Office herself. I have to keep the home for we cannot
leave the place with the cattle for fear of the grain. |
