March 5th /14
My dear May
So very many thanks for the pretty tea cloth which only arrived a few days ago. You have worked it beautifully and so much work in it. I can’t think how you found time for it all when you have so many thing to do. It will be kept to be used first on Easter Sunday and here I shall think of you, specially as bringing good luck into the house as something new is supposed to do. It really was good of you to spare so much time from the bedspread you are making for Arthur, but hope it will be done in time for the great event in April. What a lovely time you had at Sydenham with Mary, helping to shop, and so interesting seeing the flat they have chosen for their abode, and all the beautiful new furniture. I hope they will have some nice presents. We hope they will get something useful with the small cheque from the Petone contingent. We thought it better to send our present in that way. Dolly wrote to him last mail.
We have a houseful of visitors just at present and find Dolly a most useful returned daughter. Maidie is very much better, but not able to exert herself to any extent. She spent a very quiet month at Picton with Jenny Hector a short time ago, who went there for change with her three children who were suffering from whooping cough and they just lazed all the time spending it in the open air. Jenny had the children’s nurse with them so she looked after the bairns and there was no worry.
Aunt Lizzie is at present staying at New Plymouth with Lewis and Frances. She comes back to me on Monday – we do miss her sadly and don’t like to think of her going away for good in March, but I expect Aunt Edith is counting the months to her return in July, and as I know what that feeling is, will not begrudge her going.
Will you thank Juliet for a nice letter she sent me at Xmas and much love to you all. Again thanking you for the sweet tea cloth and kind thoughts. Special love to your Father and Mother.
Your very affectionate Aunt
Bessie L Sladden
PS – Dolly calls out, “Much love to May and say thank you for her nice long letter”. Maidie and Ann send love to you all too. BS
