Kelowna B.C. RR. 2 Apr 21, 47
Dear Sister Margaret & Wess,
Thanks for your nice card and your lovely letter. I don’t know which one I appreciate the most. I am like you. I like a letter with my card then I hear all the news.
The latest news here is I am planning on going to Iowa this summer all by myself. I don’t feel like going as far as Texas or Calif. I hope Bessie & John will come over to[too].
My boys would take me down, but they wrote the best way for me to go down on train & when I got my visit about and they would come after me. As a few days visit would suit them better than a lousy visit. I have a lot to do at home.
I would like to have a good visit with all of you, so I think the best way is for me to go to Billys first, and I want him to Dr. me a little for my back.
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Then as he has always wrote, he would like to take me to Redding & our old farm and evry place I would like to go. In his last letter he said we would have you & Wess go around with us & then the way I was thinking about for Billy to go home & I would have a few days visit with you & Wess. Then I would go to St. Joe & if Bessie would to come up there & visit with Jen & whoever is there & then we all come back to Redding & my boys are talking of both coming. Have them meet us then & Billy come back over & we would all be together a short time. As there would be such a crowd & we would go home past our old farm in Nebr. I wrote to Bessie like this but haven’t heard yet. John has been owing us a letter for a while & when he writes
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I will ask him if he can come & when it will suit him and all about it. What do you think about this way of doing. This might be my last visit & I would like to visit all of you. But we couldn’t visit much in a crowd like Mother used to have.
Winnie works at a little store about every morning. She likes is awful well and Shirley quit school & is clerking in the biggest store here. They have 10 girls & a few men clerks. We couldn’t make her go to school. She was in the 11th grade & they have the 13th grade too. Would have been a good chance for her. She has a nice boy friend. I dout if that had anything to do with it as well. Some of our garden is up & our peaches & pears are in bloom but it is a late cold spring.
Just got a letter from Billy saying John wrote like he would come but wanted
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to come early before hot weather. I don’t want to go to early as I may go up to my farm from Iowa for harvest & wouldn’t get home for so long. I might go the middle of June. Just so you are at home is all that matters. You don’t need to go to any work for us. We are just coming to visit. I wrote to Billy. Just for fun. They needn’t bother cooking. All I wanted was your fried chicken, strawberries & cream and Jessy milk & maybe a little ice cream and lemon pie. Occasionally.
Apr 24. I just got a letter from John and he wants me to wait until fall then come down there & said maybe he would go over to Iowa with me, but I would catch cold in the fall & it would be to long a trip & after I get home from my farm in the fall I would rather stay with my nice family than go anywhere & I will be closer to Iowa this summer
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and I wanted to travel with my boys in a car. I like traveling & camping out so well & I wanted to come past our old home in Nebr. & that is the only way I could see it as it was so far from RA[or RQ]. So I will have to write to John that I want to go in the middle of summer, as I was planning on. We had an awful good visit with John last fall. He is really wonderful to visit with & where he seen I had such a nice family he was awful interested. Deane thought he was the nicest man yet & cryed when he told them good bye but I don’t think anyone can beat Billy. Well we can let you know later & you don’t need to fix for us, only be at home & we will have a visit and write again soon. Love to you both.
Your Bro. Henry