1911 Courtship: Mar 14, Dear Ethel

1907 4-seater cutter in Regina, SK. Courtesty of the Glenbow Museum online Archives.

I hope you're enjoying this continuing series of Noah and Ethel's 1911 courtship year. The last letter was Mar  12, Dear Noah and if you missed any, you can find them below this post or click the links on the Genealogy Post Index page.  

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper
Dated: Mar 16 (1911)
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Bellhaven, Ont.
Mailed from:  Grand  Coulee, Sask
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 and written in the following order: no number, III, II, no number. I placed them in the correct order for this post and also for the .pdf copy.

An Asterisk* denotes more info will be provided under Genealogy Notes at the end of the post.

People mentioned in this letter:
- Veda* - 16 yr old daughter of Joe & Eva
- Fanny - Joe's niece
- Joe - husband of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia
- Ethel's father - James Henry Nelson (1865-1953)
- Mrs. Nelson - Ethel's mother, Ida Amelia Glover (1874-1953)
- Fern - see the Genealogy notes on 1911 Courtship: Mar  5, Dear Noah
- Louie & Fred - see the Genealogy notes on 1911 Courtship: Mar 6, Dear Ethel 

- Dr. Ball*

Famous Quote:  "they say absence makes the heart grow fonder"
 (from page 4)

Grand Coulee. Mar. 14.

Miss. E. Nelson;
      Belhaven, Ont.
Dear Ethel; -
      Received your letter last
night & was glad to hear from
you. you can bet. that you
had eloped. Ha. Ha. Guess I did
look for a letter last week I
watched the P.Ol. like a cat
watches a mouse but I had a
good idea why you did not
send one.
      Was in Regina last Thursday
night withg Veda & Fanny to
a show had a big time going
in. Veda said she wished we
would upset. & Fanny said
she would'nt get out if we did.
   We went to turn out for a rig
& over we went, Fanny changed

her mind about getting out. Ha. Ha.
No damage done tho. so we got
(gathered up) & went on. got the
rest of the way all right tho.
I had to jump out & hold up the
cutter once or Fanny might have
got out again. Ha Ha.
      Joe & I were in town yesterday
Joe bought a nother guarter
section right beside his own
& is well pleased.
      Suppose you know wheather
you will sell your place or not by
this time, Do you think you would
like town life?
      Do you think your father
will come west if he does sell
out down there? I think he would
do well out here & he would
like the place so would.
      Mrs. Nelson.
Say Ethel you did not say how
you liked that P.C. or havent

you got it?
      Fern is a stenographer in a lawyers
office but I have not seen her
since I left school so do not know
what she is like. saw her father
in Regina yesteraday. but he
did not act as friendly as he used
to. he has not returned that dollar
yet. HaHa. makes quite a difference.
      Well you may be in Queens
vill by the time this reaches
you & that is a little step on the
way to the west. Wish it were
G.C. instead of Q.V.
      We have been having nice
weather but it is windy and
cold to-day.
      Say Ethel you speak about Veda
going East with mother but if
she had to take her I would
not want her to go at all. for
Veda is a clip I can tell y0u
    she will have to go to a Ladies
college just as soon as her hands

get better & Dr. Ball. says he can
cure them with the Ex. Rays if
no other way so they are doctering
with him.
      Louie & Fred were up Sunday
& we had a big time. I have not
been down there yet but guess
I will go down Sunday.
      Well Ethel it will be 4 weeks
Thurs day since I saw you & it.
seems like as many months, I
can tell you. Just remember
how stingy you were when
I was there see. x Ha Ha wish I
could deliver them & receive them
personally instead of by letter
but they say absence makes
the heart grown fonder. Ha. Ha.
(dont beleive it.) Well I guess
I will ring off for this time so
good by. Write soon & often to
your Loving Lover. Liver Friend.
                               N. C. Draper

Items mentioned in this letter

- cutter - either a 2- or 4- seater sleigh as in the top photo. 

One thing I discovered in my research is the impact bobs - separate runners - had on the safety of sleigh travel. Originally, sleighs had a pair of runners connected to a solid frame as in the sleigh pictured at the top of the post. However, a design improvement consisted of independently turning runners connected to a reach. This made turning quicker and safer. Probably more expensive, too. I can only assume that as farmers, Noah's family owned a simple sleigh instead of a bob sleigh as pictured below.
 

Dr. Bell's horses & sleigh , Montreal, QC, 1895. McCord Museum Online Archives.

Close up of bobs on Dr. Bell's horses & sleigh, Montreal, QC, 1895. McCord Museum Online Archives.

The next photo is Prince Arthur's sleigh at "Rosemount", Montreal, QC, 1870 and it's also from the McCord Museum online Archives. Note that this is a sleigh and not a bob sleigh with independent runners as shown in the accompanying close up. Please excuse the quality of the closeup as this is my doing for educational purposes only and in no way reflects the quality of the photogragher and his work.

Prince Arthur's sleigh at "Rosemount", Montreal, QC, 1870 from the McCord Museum online Archives

Close up of sleigh runners of Prince Arthur's sleigh at "Rosemount", Montreal, QC, 1870. From the McCord Museum online archives.

- rig - a horse and conveyance regardless of the amont of horses or what type of conveyance is being used (buggy, wagon, sleigh, sledge, etc)

- quarter section - 160 acres (The land is surveyed in one mile increments with one square mile equal to one section of land which is 640 acres.)

- Queensville - Belhaven is approx 5 miles from Queensville which is why Noah laughs after  saying Ethel has taken a small step toward the west.

*Veda's hands - This is the first instance I've heard that Veda needs medical attention for her hands. Since Noah mentioned Dr. Ball and xrays, it seems to imply it's not a skin problem like eczema, athough Noah's son had this skin condition. I don't understand how an 'Ex Ray' machine can cure anything, but I guess we'll have to wait for more information to be revealed. I'd also wondered if her hands were broken when they 'upset' but Noah said no damage had been done at that time. Veda's hands will go on the list as another mystery waiting to be solved.
 
Regina had several dozen doctors by this time and Dr. Francis Ball may have been well known in his field except I only found him referred to as 'a local physician'. However, the Queen Anne Revival home he built in 1912 was unique as then, as it is today, with its bell-capped multi-sided corner tower. 

Queen Anne Revival home of Dr. Frances Bell, built in 1912, Regina, SK. Photo courtesy of www.worldisround.com

Back to Noah, Veda and Fanny's upset, here's a verse from Riding In A Sleigh, Copyright, 1871, by William Shakespeare Hays :

Whips were cutting, drivers shouting, horses flying fast;
Sleighs upsetting, voices yelling as they quickly passed;
Till at last the race was ended, morn was turning gray.
Homeward came the jolly parties, riding in a sleigh.- 

Chorus.
Hip, hurrah! hold your horses or they'll get away!
Ain't it pleasant, with your sweetheart, riding in a sleigh.

Now isn't that exciting!
Doesn't it make you want to come visit and take a sleigh ride with us?