1911 Courtship: Apr 2, Dear Ethel

You have found the real-life Courtship letters of Ethel Nelson and Noah Draper. The letters are 100 years old and my attempt to post them here is twofold:
1. To allow the Draper and Nelson descendants to see the past through Ethel and Noah's experiences; and
2. For the historical research of living in 1911  

For a  record of all the courtship letters, see the Genealogy Posts Index.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: Apr 2 (1911)
Addressed to: Miss E.  Nelson,  Bellhaven, Ont. (22 yrs old)
Mailed from:  Grand  Coulee (Saskatchewan)
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks blue-grey in places
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, with a front and back page, but inside, the letter is written straight across the full 9 inch width. Although this might have looked good to Noah, it makes for hard reading in pdf form as well as here as a jpeg image.

People mentioned in this letter:
- Percy - Noah's older brother who lives nearby with his family
- Will - William Rigler, married to Noah's sister, Ethel Maud
- Mother - Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper 
- Joe Perrault - husband of Eva Amelia - another of Noah's sisters
- Veda Perrault - Joe and Eva Amelia's 16 yr old daughter 
- Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- my man - the hired man - Common at the time for farms to employ and lodge a hired man.
- Coulee boys - men from the area around Grand Coulee, Sask.

Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.
 

Cliches/Phrases, etc used in this Letter:
- "talk about time flying"
- "the house that Jack built" (see Genealogy notes below for more info)

Grand Coulee, Ap. 2.

Miss E. Nelson,
      Belhaven, Ont.
Dear Ethel.
     Received your letter Friday
night and was glad to hear
from you. Hope you are well
as this leaves me at present.
     Well Ethel I am still buisy
and guess I always will be.
but I broke away last night
and went into Regina to see
a Hypotnist in the theather
wish you had been along.
had a big time one of the
Coulee boys was in. stayed
all night and got back
in the Coulee in time for
church this morning.
   then went over to Joes for

tea. Percy drove me down last night to catch the train
so I did not have the horse down but sent up word with
Will for my man to drive down after me. He got there
about 6 P.M. So we had tea but did not wait for church
as Mother wanted to get home, as it looked like a storm.
     We still have sleighing here suppose your snow is all
gone by. now.
     Well kid I wish you were here instead of being so far
away. but I guess if nothing happens I will not have
to make such a wish next year at this time.
      It seems like a year since I left the East but it is only about
five weeks. talk about time flying. 
     Well i am sorry in a way you did not sell that place
for then your folks might have came out this way and
even if it had only been as far as Winnipeg that would have
better. Eh. You did not say why you did not sell. didn't
the man have the money. I heard your father had his price
shoved under his nose and then changed his mind.
     Suppose Sadie is still going to school. Dont suppose
there is any danger of her failing in her exams.

Veda is going to a Ladies
college in Brandon after Easter
hope she studies & gets some
benefit like I did. Ha. Ha.
     Well Ethel I will be glad
when seeding, harvest,
and threshing is past once
more & the house that Jack
built is looking (kind of uppish
& then for the East & you
know the rest so I wont put
it down.
     Well I guess I have got
enough scribling for this
time So I will write a line
of x x x -------------------
and call it off for this time
suppose you are in bed now.
so Bye Bye. Write & tell me
what I most want to hear Iremain
Your loving friend. N.C. Draper.

Genealogy Notes

Back in the 1911 Courtship: Mar  14, Dear Ethel post, I spoke of 2 things mentioned here:
- sleighing with lots of photos and info
- Veda Perrault and her hands

In upcoming letters, Noah will talk more about the Brandon ladies college Veda might attend, as well as her hand condition. I have to admit I found the information fascinating.

Noah's reference of "the house that Jack built" had me running to see what he meant. I'd heard the expression before and knew it had something to do with a childrens' book, but couldn't remember exactly what. So I went to Wikipedia and found this:

This Is the House That Jack Built illustrated by Randolph Caldecott ca 1878. Wikipedia photo.

This is the House that Jack Built is what Wikipedia says, "It is a cumulative tale that does not tell the story of Jack's house, or even of Jack who built the house, but instead shows how
the house is indirectly linked to other things and people..."

I call it one of those repetitive songs that annoy you unless you're really in the mood to sing along. It's the song that's being built and not the house, with each line adding something else. Actually, it's similar to The Twelve Days of Christmas so I guess that grand old Christmas song is a cumulative tale as well. 

Wikipedia says there are many versions of the British nursery rhyme but these lyrics are the most modern:
 

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cat that killed the rat
That ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built...

The lyrics go on and on... Click here if you want to see them all.

So tell me... do you like singing cumulative songs?