Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Lt 169, 1897

White, W. C.

Sunnyside, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

January 18, 1897

Portions of this letter are published in 4Bio 323-324.

Dear Son Willie:

Your family is at last moved. All the things are away except the posts. The ground is so hard that it is considered it will hardly pay to remove them. The family are again in this house where your twin boys were born. The work was long. The heavy goods to be moved are now over and the family nicely settled. They look real cozy and have room enough for the present. 12LtMs, Lt 169, 1897, par. 1

May would not consent to move the stove into the house. It was outside and rather discouraging work. But a thought came into my mind, put there by the Spirit of the Lord: Cut a door through where the stove stood before, put the stove in that little room. After a little thought I called Sara and began to plan for this. Here Connell did excellent service. Everyone was pleased. The window in that little compartment was in the exact place for the pipe to go through. Zinc was put up the sides and back so that there was no danger or risk to run of fires. May says the stove takes about half the wood that was used in the convent, and the oven bakes perfectly. The draft is excellent. Now she says she will not be in a hurry about the new buildings. 12LtMs, Lt 169, 1897, par. 2

We had all the plans made and figured upon to build two rooms fifteen by fifteen and an eight-foot wide piazza. We thought to have it on the side you mentioned, but May preferred it to be on the end where the tank is. Have it unconnected with the house, a chimney arranged to the old house and to accommodate the old and the new so that when the new shall be removed the chimney will be of use in the house that now is. The house will face the road just as our cottage. We found it would cost for piazza and additional room fourteen pounds and then we should not have much. Our present plan-two rooms, chimney, piazza, will cost us about one hundred and twenty-five dollars, all lathed and plastered, and then the family will have all the room they need, and be comfortable. They have no care of milking. They take a pan of milk night and morning all scalded. May says close by us she does not feel half as lonely as she supposed she would feel. 12LtMs, Lt 169, 1897, par. 3

The babies are doing well. Herbert was sick for a day or two—could not take his food—but is all right now. They both know me and laugh and crow as soon as I come in sight. I take one, [and] the other will work his arms and make every maneuver to have me take him too. But one, you know, is an armful. It is a treat to me to see and tend the little ones whenever I can. 12LtMs, Lt 169, 1897, par. 4

The building of the house will be started in two weeks, and then you will be comfortable for one year at least. They could do very well without a house, but I do not have any inclination that way. The girls, Ella and Mabel, are doing nicely. The mother was down at the convent with both babies, trying to clear up. Sister Anderson was employed two days to work in cleaning. The children here were setting the house in order. It looked neat as a pin. I came in on them about noon one day and found them both on their knees praying. I said, Good! It just brought tears to my eyes, so that at first I could not speak to them. 12LtMs, Lt 169, 1897, par. 5