Gamble Letters #18 & #19

St. Vincent
January 7, 1885

My Dear Maggie
I think I will write you a few lines to let you know how we are getting along We had a nice Christmas tree in the School house they gave them very nice presents Jane got a nice big cup and saucer and Willie got a box full of pictures and alice got a box full of another kind they are pieces of pictures and when you place them together they make a picture of some animal and I got a nice big book Alice got a nice silver thimble from her teacher I mean her sunday school teacher she likes alice awful well she had a nice party and alice was there she had a splendid time. Alice has never been to school but she can read as well as I can she can write pretty well. I have not been to school for about a year we always have to herd in the sumer and in the winter we have to feed and water the cows because it is so cold we cannot let them out we have two nice goats a black one whose name is Topsy and the white one name is nellie we have a nice sunday school here I have just missed one sunday since last Christmas and that Sunday was too stormy our class sits up beside the organ and there is about 40 scholars in the school there is only the one sunday school in st vincent I think I have told you all the news so goodby excuse my scribblingw rite soon and let us know all the news alice is going to send you a card I will send you one when I get them so I must finish m[?]
goodby From Ellen

Febury 27, 1883
St Vincent

Dear father & mother we received your kind and welcome letter and we were glad to hear yous all were well as this leaves us at present this has been a very cold winter a good many people got froze the snow is very deep every one expects high water this spring the children goes to School every day there is three Sunday Schools all the time one at 11 and another 2 another at three oclock on Sunday and three churches the english and prespeteren and congreationalest thats the same as methadest there is a great deal of sickness in pembina a docter ross was attending a little boy with deptheria and he took it and died and his wife took it and she died and their little boy died also and a good many more is down with it but none on this side of the river I am sending a st vincent paper and alice is sending Maggie a card do yous get any letters from Joseph or know where he is or do you Know if my uncle Joseph is abrode yet we have had to buy ninty dollers worth of hay this winter we had a stack burned in the fall with prarie fires firewood is very high from seven to eight dollers a cord the track has been blocked up this last while but now they are bushy again there comes in four freights every day and one passenger train there was a big fire in emerson there was a good many houses burned down last week we [5 lines missing] I think I have told you all the news this time write soon the children all sends there kind love to their granma and you all

from you daughter