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1911 Courtship: June 21 Dear Ethel

4/29/2013

 
Picture
His Majesty King George V, Real Photograph on a Tuck Postcard #1459, first used 1906, sold in Great Britain and Canada.
Picture
Her Majesty Queen Mary, Real Photograph on a Tuck Postcard #1460, first used 1906, sold in Great Britain and Canada.
Although Noah and Ethel haven't mentioned it, the newspapers are full of images and snippets of the June 22nd Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. The above images are the same ones published on the first page of the June 23, 1911 edition of The Newmarket Era except those images are so dark, you can barely make anything out. From what I did see however, I was able to find the matching images on a huge database website called TuckDB Postcards which states: TuckDB is a free on-line database listing antique postcards published by Raphael Tuck & Sons. Thank you to creators and maintainers of this wonderful look at history portrayed in postcards.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 21st, 1911
Addressed to: Dear Ethel (21 yrs old)
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, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across short length and down both pages. 


People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- *Louie:  Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Nelson, married to Fred Coventry
- Mother: *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Sadie Nelson: Ethel's 16 yr old sister

- a Scotch man:  *hired man to work on the farm
- your Englishman: *hired man to work on the farm

League Games: Base ball played between the following 3 close towns:
- Grand Coulee (Noah's town)
- Bell Plain (Belle Plain)
- Pense 

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

**More info under Genealogical Notes
Picture
Grand Coulee, Sask.
June. 21st/11.
Dear Ethel;-
     Received your letter Sat.
& was glad to hear from you
 Hope you are well as this 
leaves meat present.
     Well Ethel I am buisy as
a hen drawing rails drawing 
lumber & cement & ect for the 
house have the lumber
nearly all home & the carpenter
is coming up in the morning
to put up the form for
the cement cellar.
     I wish I could walk in
and see you to-night but
I guess I wont. eh.

Picture
Say I would certainly like to see
you for a while.
     Louie came up with mother today &
is going back tomorrow she just
told me to send you her best love.
     Well Ethel we have had another
game of base ball with Bell Plain
and beat them 9 to 7. so we have
won the first 3 league games wheather
we win any more or not. We have
to go up to play B.P. onthe first so
I will have a holiday. was to play
Pense tomorrow but it was postponed
& I dont know when we will play 
them.
     Suppos Sadie will soon be trying
her examinations & wish her all
kinds of success.
     Say wont you be glad to getout
of a place where they have such
thunder storms as you have there
     We have not had any thunder
to speak of for two years but cant
tell when it will start.
     Say I have a Scotch man
working for me now and he is a
dandy. and can be depended on 
to take care of things. hope you 
have got rid of your Englishmen. Haha

Picture
          Well it is just 10 minutes
after twelve by your time
& 22.10 by ours or 10 after 10.
     Oh say did I tell you I am
in the tent & it is fine &
cool at night. Ha.Ha.
          How are the men getting
along at the barn?
          Well Ethel I guess I will
have to close for this time
& dont you be as slow about
writing as I am but I am 
to lazy to write much at
this time so good Bye
with lots of Love & a great big
hug and half a million
kisses.  N. C. D. x x x x x x x
 

Genealogy Notes

Since this week in 1911 is the Royal Coronation, I'm posting an image and snippets to give you a sense of the grandeur of this period. 

Picture
The Coronation Ceremony of His Most Gracious Majesty King George V in Westminster Abbey. 22nd June 1911, by John Henry Frederick Bacon, Courtesy of Wikipedia
Picture
The Newmarket Era. June 9, 1911 - Pg 4
Picture
The Newmarket Era. June 9, 1911 - Pg 4

Picture
The Newmarket Era. June 23, 1911 - Pg 2
A brilliant function held last
Friday night, was the Coronation 
ball of the Royal Club at the Bota-
nic Gardens, in London, England.
The grounds were illuminated - the
trees being studded with 50,000 elec-
tric lights in various colours--form-
ing a veritable picture of fairyland.
The ball-room was large enough to
hold a thousand couples in comfort.
It was temporary erected for the 
occasion.

1911 Courtship: June 12 Dear Ethel

4/7/2013

 
Picture
Saskatchewan c1911, Courtesy of the Prairie Postcard Collection, http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/postcards/PC002983.html
In this week's letter, Noah writes that he's now living in a grannary, (or grainery) next to the tent on his land. A grainery is a small building, traditionally wooden, but more recently metal, which is used for storing grain. In the above postcard, the grainery is the small building in the centre of the image, on this side of the fence.  The smaller building beside the grainery could very well be an outhouse or an equipment building of some sort. The above image is a typical layout for a Saskatchewan farm and the house could even be an Eaton's kit house as shown in 1911 Courthship May 21 Dear Noah.


Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 12th, 1911
Addressed to: Miss E.  Nelson, My Dear Ethel (21 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, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across short length. 


People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- Fred's - Noah's sister, *Louie, is married to Fred Coventry, and they live nearby
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper 
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister- *Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia and Joe Perrault
- *Fanny - niece of Joe Perrault, husband of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia
- your Aunt's - Ethel's Aunt *Sarah Elizabeth Glover, sister of Ethel's mom, Ida Amelia Glover 
- Dora *Mahoney - a neighbor and school friend of Sadie's

- "get a man" - a *hired man to work on the farm
- Bell Plain - a town (Belle Plain) to the west who play baseball with Grand Coulee

- a rod** = approx 165 feet

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

**More info under Genealogical Notes
Picture
Grand Coulee, June. 12./11
Miss. E. Nelson,
         Belhaven Ont;-
My Dear Ethel;-
       Received your letter Saturaday
Morning and was glad to hear
you were well as this leaves me
at present.
        Am going into Regina today
to order the lumber. also a circus
in town but dont know as I will
go. As I want to get a man and
get back home to work.
        Well Pense did not get down
to play ball last Wed. on 
account of the rain but will
be down this Wed. We were
up to Bell Plain on Sat.
and beat them 10 to 7. not
Bad for the coulee.

Picture
      Say I guess Dora would be mad all
right when the teachers told her
she could not pass her exams. I'll bet
she told the teachers a few things.
       No I dont think mother will go down
in the winter for it is not near as nice
as it would be in the summer time
for her as she does not like the cold.
       Say I hope you can go up for a few
weeks to your Aunt's it would do you
a lot of good I am shure.
       Guess I will not get down to the
raising but I would like to I guess
I would be a dandy at it as I have
only been at two that I helped
at.
       Oh. say Ethel! Veda seems to know 
me better than you do but still I guess
I would not have to die an old bachelor
if I had tried very hard. HaHa.
       She sure is a great kid I showed
her that part of the letter and she said
it was Fanny sent it. Fanny asked her
what but she wouldnt tell so Fanny
said some more of your lies eh.
       I was down to Fred's last night
after church for a couple of settings
of eggs. sothegirls went along and I
laughed untill I thot. I would
hurt my self. Veda kept bothering
Fanny untill she got about half mad.
so she said if we would stop the
Picture
horse she would get out & walk
back home. so of course we
stopped & she got out and started
back she went about 10 rod & we
sat in the buggy laughing at
her and she turned around & run
back. Oh gee but it was funny.
        Am living in a grannary beside
the tent and having a bigtime.
batching mother will be coming
down this week I guess. so it will
soon be over for this time.
        Well I guess this is all for this
time only be a good little girl
untill I get down & after that
I will make you. Ha Ha.
        Well good bye untill next time
I am yours as B. 4. N. C. Draper.
xxxxxxxxx and a thousand
and one more.

Genealogy Notes

Note #1: A Rod

In this week's letter, Noah writes, "...she went about 10 rod & we sat in the buggy laughing at her..."

Do you know what a rod is? In its simplest term, a rod = 16.5 ft, so if Fanny walked 10 rods ahead, she was about 165 feet away. I tried writing a good explanation, but after struggling, I decided to give you the wikipedia version:
The rod is a unit of length equal to 5½ yards or 16½ feet. Under an agreement in 1959 between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, the yard (known as the "international yard" in the United States) was legally defined to be exactly 0.9144 metres. Prior to that date, the legal definition of the yard when expressed in terms of metric units varied slightly from country to country.

In surveying, fields were measured in acres, which were one chain (four rods) by one furlong (in the United Kingdom, ten chains). Bars of metal one rod long were used as standards of length when surveying land. The rod was still in use as a common unit of measurement in the mid-19th century, when Henry David Thoreau used it frequently when describing distances in his work Walden.




Note #2 - An update on Melvina Cole

In the Genealogy Notes of 1911 Courtship letter of May 7, Ethel mentions that her cousin, Melvina Cole, will have a  June 1911 Wedding. Although Ethel doesn't mention it further in her June letters, I found the following snippet in this week's 1911 Newmarket Era:
Picture

1911 Courtship: June 5, Dear Ethel

4/2/2013

 
Picture
www.ourroots.ca Pense Community, 1882 to 1982 pg 185
In this week's letter Noah mentions the  Blink Bonnie school as being 2 miles west of his land, so I've included an image from the local Pense Community, 1882 to 1982 history book. Noah also says the railroad is putting down track which will go through his land, so I'm adding a map and some family information in this week's Genealogical Notes.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 5th, 1911
Addressed to: Miss E.  Nelson, Dearest Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed from:  Grand  Coulee (Saskatchewan)
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks blue-grey in places until he refills his pen
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/Places mentioned in this letter:
- *Percy - Noah's older brother who lives nearby with his family
- *Ethel - Ethel Maud Rigler, Noah's sister
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper 
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- G.C. - Grand Coulee, Sask.

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

Picture
Grand Coulee, Sask.
June. 5th./.11.
Miss. E. Nelson,
         Belhaven, Ont.
Dearest Ethel;-
       Received your letter
Saturaday night and was
glad you were pleased with
your watch. So you think
I have received nothing eh.
       What about the love of the
Best Little Girl in the world.
       I think it is me that needs
to be thankful and I am.
also I try to be patient.
untill the time comes to go
down after said little girl.
       Well Ethel we have had

Picture
quite a wet spring here. had a big
rain yesteraday so I was not working
on the land to-day xxxx so have been
fixing up a place to live in. am still
at Ethel's but wont be much longer.
I hope for it makes her so much
extra work.
       Better come up to the base-ball
match Wed night. expect a big time
but dont think we will git beaten.
hope not any way.
       Louie & Fred were up yesteraday
also Percy so we had quite a day ofit.
       Suppose you are in bed now it
would be just 10 past 11 by your
time & I just came in from the barn.
       Have you started to build yet and
who is doing it. I have not got started
yet but have let the contract & they
will start some time this month.
       Well I guess when you come up
we wont have to come very far from
the station as they are gradeing
next farm to mine now & will be
on mine by the end of the week & the
station is to be on my place. isnt
that handy.

Picture
Percy has the well diggers at
his place now has to pay them
a dollar a foot. I hope he gets
water for a person gets tired
drawing it so far.
      Dont know wheather mother
will go down East this summer
or not for she doesnt like to
go alone. guess she is nervous.
       Tell Sadie to cheer up the
worst is yet to come. & if she
does not pass this summer I
wont let her teach in the 
Blink Bonnie school. which 
is just 2 miles west of here but
I will give my consent to her teaching
in G.C. Well Ethel I guess this is all
for this time so Bye Bye. Yours as B.4.
xxxxx xxx                                           N.C.D.

 

Genealogical Notes

Picture
Grand Coulee and area showing Noah Draper and family. (Click to enlarge)
As you can tell, I owe the above map (click to enlarge) to the nice people at GoogleEarth who have opened the world to our eyes like no other cartographer has done before.

When you look at the map, if all you see is a bunch of squares, then you're looking at it correctly. To simplify, the land is broken in townships (36 square miles each) and then sections. Each section is 1 square mile, so by counting the squares, we can figure out how far it is between points by the road, or the way the crow flies, which is a lot shorter.

Picture
Close up of Grand Coulee area showing distances and routes of travel.
In this closer view, I've tried to show the path Noah takes to get from his land to Ethel's house, where he's staying until his house is built. I didn't want to gum it up with too many squares and colours, so I've done the bare minimum...

- top left is the Blink Bonnie school (yellow pin) which is 2 big squares from Noah (orange pin). Each square equals one mile, hence the school is 2 miles away. (As he confirms in the letter.)

- if you look closely at those 2 white squares, you'll see from the different shades of green that they are divided in half. It probably looks that way because different crops are growing, or they could belong to different owners. Some sections are divided into 4 quarters, into eighths, etc. Regardless the divisions, each square mile section is 640 acres, a half section is 320 acres, and a quarter section is 160 acres. 

Noah has 2 routes to get to Ethel's house:
- red line - 3 miles cross country (hope he asks permission!)
- blue line - 4 1/2 miles if he walks/rides by road

From the census records, I believe Louie & Fred, and Percy & Parthina live in neighboring townships. With each township being 6 sections/miles across, they shouldn't be too away. I'll keep checking and let you know as soon as I find out.  

Clear as mud? Let me know if you need clarification. :)

1911 Courtship: May 28 Dear Ethel

3/18/2013

 
Picture
ca1910? Gideon School Picnic and Ball Game, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of the Online Learning Center in partnership with Western Development Museum.
Noah tells Ethel about the ball games the Grand Coulee team played on the 24th against Pense, and although I dug deep into the Saskatchewan Archives, the above image is the closest I could come to showing what Noah experienced that day. The scene is from a Picnic at the Gideon School in the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan area around that 1910 era.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated:  May 28/11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Bellhaven, Ont., Dearest Ethel 
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, which he runs out of, so continues the next day with fresh ink
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, and written in a 4-page booklet form, except Noah has turned the paper inside and written down the full length. 


People/places mentioned in this letter:
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper, Noah's widowed mother 
- *Ethel - Ethel Maud Rigler - Noah's older sister
- G.C. *Grand Coulee

- the 24th**


* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this 
  person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below 

Picture
Grand Coulee, May.28/11.
Miss. E. Nelson,
        Belhaven, Ont.
Dearest Ethel; -
   Well here I am again & I can
tell you it would supprise you
if you were here and could
look out of the window. We
have just had our annual
snow storm. it snowed
all day before yesteraday &
yesteraday. but it is over
now and the snow nearly all
gone to day.
        Well I suppose you have
your watch & pin by this
time and I hope you like them
       Well how did you spend
the 24th. The G. C. ball team
went up to Pense to play
ball. we won the game 6 to 5

Picture
and then played Bell Plaine and
beat them 2. to 1 so we had a big day.
    there was nothing only base ball
but a dance at night & only 2 of the
team stayed. about a dozen girls & 
ten menwent up to the game from
the Coulee. We are forming a league
Bell Plain Pense and G.C. we will
have to gotwice to each place &
have 4 games at home 8 games in all
guess we will get the cup eh.
       Well Ethel I guess you will think
I dont intend to batch much & I
dont. unless mother goes east. I am
still at Ethels. I seam to have a great
fancy for Ethels.
       Well Ethel I guess I will start at
the shack week after next so am going
to send you the plan of the ground
floor & will fin the upstairs as I go
along. you know the ground floor
is the most important. so if you see
any way to change it to advantage
why just say so. The stair way goes
up out of the hall & the hall leads back
into the kitchen. but you will be able
to see all this by the plan. there is
big sliding doors between Dinning
room and parlor. & a bay window
in front. but you will be able to see 

Picture
the rest by the plan.
       Well I wish I could drop in
for tea to-night but I guess it is
impossible but will make up for
lost time when I do get the chance
Ha. Ha.
       Mother is here but she is going 
down with me if I ever move I
guess she thinks I dont intend
to. eh. but we have had
such cold weather it has not been very nice in a tent.
       Well Ethel I guess this is
about all I can put on paper
this time but it is a lot easier
to talk than write. have
not got your letter yet as Iwas
not down to the Coulee since
Friday but expect to go in the
morning. Well Bye Bye. Yours as B4.
                                            x x x x x     N.D.

Genealogy Notes

On page 2, Noah says, "there was nothing only base ball but a dance at night". The reason he says that is because back in Ontario, May 24th was a huge event. Yes, it was (and still is) a community sports day, but there were fireworks, as well as a dance.  Here are some clippings from The Newmarket Era of things that Noah was missing out on:

Picture
The Newmarket Era. May 12, 1911
Picture
The Newmarket Era. May 26, 1911
The Orchard Beach clipping is from 1922, but it shows what the Victoria Day weekend means to Canadians. (Did back then, still does today.)
Picture
The Newmarket Era. May 26, 1922
Since Victoria Day is a celebration of the reigning monarch's birthday, Fire Works were available and very much looked forward to at the annual event. 

In the column on the left, the first clipping is an ad from a local Newmarket store. The second is a report following the 24th and mentions a two-hour firework show! It goes to say that on top of the fireworks, Pickering College had a huge bonfire that almost got out of hand. There was more to the article, but due to readability degradation (and boring subject matter) I cut it off where it descended into the logistics of the event. 

Immediately below this is a clipping from the report of the huge Sports Day part of the celebrations. I've cut this one as well due to horrid legibility, but May 24th, 1911 wasn't just a Sports Day - it was the Ontario Championship Races and Coronation Trials. The winners of the day's events had 2 weeks before heading off to the Olympics in London, England. These events included:
 - 10 mile marathon
 - 5 mile Run
 - 1 mile Run
 - 1/2 mile Run
 - 440 yd Run
 -  220 yd Run
 - 100 yd Dash
  - 120 yd Hurdle
  - 2 mile Walk
 - Running High Jump
 - Running Broad Jump
 - Pole Vault
 - Putting (16 lb?) Shot

The article concludes by saying the day's events wound up with an exciting motor race. 

(I've linked this clipping to the source in case you wish to read it in its entirety.)

Picture
Clipped from: The Newmarket Era. May 26, 1911, Page 3

1911 Courtship: Apr 9, Dear Noah

11/26/2012

 
After a couple months of weekly letters, Ethel finally addresses her Courtship letter, Dear Noah, and drops the location she's sending it to. Their formality is shedding as they slowly admit their feelings to each other on paper. Not all at once, but between hints, salutations and signatures.
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21
Dated:  Apr 9, 1911
Addressed to: Noah 
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, Ontario
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter 
Writing  instrument: Fine  point  pen, Black ink
Written on: Slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half. Ethel has written on the pages in order from 1 to 4, so it reads like a book.
People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- Emmanuel Nelson - brother of Ethel's father
- Veda Perrault - Noah's 16 yr old niece in Regina.
- Alice Draper - school teacher. For a social visit? Or for Sadie's studies? **
- Della Mahoney* - friend/neighbour
- Mr. Shepherd - the man who wanted to buy the Nelson farm
- Holland Landing - a nearby town

*Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on this
  person.

** see Genealogy Notes below
Picture
Belhaven. Apr 9 11.
Dear Noah, --
                    Rec'd your long looked
for letter last night. You may depend
I thot you had forgotten all about
me. I don't know wether this
letter will be much better than
none or not. I am feeling rather
lazy to day. Guess I have the
La Grippe. what ever it is I hope
I will soon be rid of it.
                       Well you think you
will be glad when you have
your threshing done and started
for the East again.  And I guess
you are not the only one,
Picture
2.
for I will certainly be pleased
when the day comes for you
to start for here. And the house
that Noah built looks. (kind of
uppish) eh.
                  The reason we did not
sell our place, was because
Uncle Emmanuel didn't want
us to. also People said we were
not getting enough for it.
Mr Sheppard had the money
alright. May I ask who
told you about Pa having the
price shoved under his nose? and
refusing it.
                 I think I am beginning
to realize how far away you are
Picture
3.
when I think, my it would be
nice if Noah would run in this
evening. (But wishing that is all in
vain. at least for a time.)
               I see by the paper you
have had quite a fire in Regina.
Have you no College's or High Schools
at Regina. I certainly wish
Veda success in her studies.
Sadie is studying very hard
lately. but perhaps it will pay
in the end.
                 Alice Draper is here
this afternoon.
                  Hav'nt saw Della yet
but I think, she is home now,
Came on Friday.
Picture
4.
         Well Noah you tell me
to write you, what you most
want to hear. i guess you will
have to tell me what it is.
           Our sleighing is all gone long
ago. You can't see any snow
now. I like the summer best,
anyway.
             Sadie and I have an
in vitation to spend our Easter
holidays at the Holland Landing
We don't yet whether we will
accept it or not.
              Say you will have to excuse
paper for this time, And now I am
going to say. Good-Bye for this
this time with lots of xxx
                from Your Sweet heart.

Genealogy Notes

Entrance Exams certificates have been mentioned several times in these Courtship letters starting with images of the ones awarded to Noah and Ethel. Sadie is studying for her entrance exam. I used to think it was like a graduation diploma from Grade 12, but it's not. Yet, I couldn't find information explaining why the certificates said the person named on it was ready to be admitted to high school when both Noah and Ethel ended school at that point.

During an internet search, I found the Government of Ontario archives with a current exhibit on Education. I emailed the curator and asked. Here is part of the archivist's response:

This quotation is taken from the Archives of Ontario’s online exhibit, Lessons Learned: The Evaluation of Education in Ontario. 
“In 1871 An Act to Improve the Common and Grammar Schools of the Province of  Ontario established high school entrance examinations. Students had to pass these examinations in order to be admitted to a collegiate institute or high school. High school entrance examinations were originally administered by a board consisting of the school inspector; the chairman of the high school board; and the high school principal. Revised regulations issued in 1873 centralized the conduct of the High School Entrance Examinations under the Central Committee of Examiners.

High school entrance examinations were abolished in 1949, and the last of the departmental examinations (for graduation from Grade 13) was eliminated in 1967.”
Thank you to Nana Robinette, Archivist, Ontario of Archives, for answering my email.
To recap, the entrance exam confirmed that the student was at a level of proficiency to enter high school or the equivalent. Noah left school when he received his Entrance Exam Certificate in 1903 at the age of 15yrs. Two years later, 15 yr old Ethel received her Certificate and left school.
Picture
1903 Entrance Exam Certificate made out to Noah Draper
Picture
1905 Entrance Examination Certificate made out to Ethel Nelson

When I first read that Alice Draper was visiting the Nelson house, I didn't think anything unusual since Belhaven is a small village and both Nelsons and Draper's abound. But then I noticed how Ethel made the statement as a distinct paragragh all by itself - and it immediately followed the mention of Sadie studying for her exam. I believe this is significant.

Mrs Alice Draper is a school teacher. I don't know which school she teaches at, but I don't believe she's there for a social call. Especially after Ethel's crack that 'perhaps it (the studying) will pay off in the end'.

We shall see in the weeks ahead.


As for the romance between Noah and Ethel... did you catch Ethel's coy answer on page 4?
Well Noah you tell me to write you, what you most want to hear. i guess you will have to tell me what it is.
Her answer was in response to Noah's last letter where he ended it with, "Write & tell me
what I most want to hear".

Noah might be her fiance, but in each letter he's dancing around the topic of love without admitting much himself. Sure he misses her, but how much? Why can't be tell the woman he loves that he loves her? Does he love her, or is he just lonely out there on the windy prairies where men outnumber women 10 or more to one?

I like Ethel's spunk. On the other hand, we have no idea how Noah proposed, and now I'm wondering if he's ever professed his love.

Do you think Ethel is shy, a tease, or insecure at this point of their courtship?
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