Edith posing with men. I have no idea who the men are. If this picture is taken in Richmond, then it is possibly men from St. Francis College. (Their body language suggests they are important.) Edith taught at the college in 1914, after leaving Ecole Methodiste Westmount. Now, if this is Westmont, and that school, this would be Villard. To me, the building in the back suggest Richmond and not Westmount. How can I tell. Just a hunch from the style, which look Richmond-like.
..The next day the three sisters visited A.J. Hudon’s general store to see if he had any serge, in dark blue. If not, tennis flannel would do. But they had the blue serge in plenty.
As his man measured out 2 1/4 yards from the giant spool, at 35 cents a yard, he asked about Mrs. Nicholson, one of his best and most knowledgeable customers, he claimed. It seems he had sold her the cream crepe de chine material for the dress she had sewed up for her trip.
She talked me down 5 cents a yard, he joked. She claimed it was a bit frayed at the borders. I had just received it from the factory.
It seems half of Richmond is visiting Quebec City this week. His sales have slowed to almost nothing.
Marion took off for home with the material pressed under her arm to get started on Flora’s bathing suit, the difficult bloomers (her wrinkled brow revealed she was already working out the problem in her head) and Edith and Flora strolled in lazy zigzags to the post office.
Edith confided in Flora, much to her surprise. “I’m not begrudging Mother her trip. I know she loves to travel. But I would have loved to go to Quebec City, for the pageantry. The show.The dignitaries’ wives in their best outfits. History was my best subject at school. They have local people dressed as King Henry IV and his queen and all the courtiers and ladies in waiting.
Flora winced at the talk of ‘best subject’ for she didn’t have any. Well, art perhaps.
I fear I won’t even get to Kingsbury this summer, I am so poor.
But Boston I could do without, Edith added tactfully. Except for dear Henry, that side of the family annoys me. The woman are such incorrigible flirts.
The postmaster passed them their letters, just one. From a cousin they hardly new, Esther Briggs.
To the Nicholsons. So they could open it.
Would they wait? Why bother. It was sunny -with a welcome breeze , and the bench in front of the Post Office empty for a change. Flora tore a corner of the envelope
and carefully pried it open. Dear Aunt Margaret, It has been along time since you heard from me. B and pulled out the letter. I am writing you with some good news. I am getting married. His name is R.L Whitman, he is from Shawville and he is a fine young man, clever, good position, I think good looking, a perfect gentleman, and so kind.”
I am so relieved. I always feared that I would be left on Father’s hands.
As these last words were spilling from her mouth, Flora wished she could snatch them up like so many peppermint candies and stuff them back in.
Sister Edith, to her relief, was unperturbed. Shawville, she snickered. So that’s where all the ideal husbands are located. Who could have guessed? It amazes me that some of my peers are so unresourceful, she continued. There are so many ways, today, for women to earn their own living. There’s no excuse for anyone to be a burden on their parents.
There’s more said Flora. He has yet to meet Mrs. Briggs. She writes “We are going to meet mother in Ottawa as the curious eyes of the Shawvilleites will not be on him to see how he likes his mother in law.
I wonder if they are truly engaged or they have an understanding, Edith says.
If Edith’s funk seemed to have elapsed – and she was now her old even-tempered self, Flora’s heart was beating a mile a minute.
What did Edith mean by so many ways to earn a living? Teaching was all Flora could see and you couldn’t get into teaching school if you failed Academy.
But Edith had more to say on the subject of their cousin’s engagement: “Another happy couple. Oh, Flora, did you hear? Ben Gross, who married the Stillwell girl have separated. Broken up housekeeping and sold everything off. He went back to his Mother’s and she to her Father’s. She blames his family for interfering.”
Yes, Edith was back to her old self all right.
“I’m sure she thought he was perfect at one time.”
