Letter from Mrs. Martin to Mrs. Guérin CF 21
13 January 1867.
My dear sister,
Your kind letter gave me the greatest pleasure. What you entrust to me, wouldn't it already be a hope of becoming a mother? These are the little worries that will come, but in the middle of all this, there are also many joys. I learned from my father that you had been ill; I was like you with my first little girl, I thought that all was lost, and I wept, I who wanted a child so much! But that did not prevent the little one from coming to term, and she was very strong.
Thank you very much for the lovely gifts you sent to my granddaughters. Telling you the pleasure they caused is not easy. When the trunk was opened, there were such cries of joy that my poor father was stunned. After the cries of joy came the tears, all four of them were crying which one was stronger. The little ones wanted what the big ones had. We had a hard time making peace. Bon Papa had to get angry and threaten to take back all those beautiful toys, but they told him that he wasn't the one giving them, that it was their aunt and that he couldn't take them away.
I had fun playing patience games like a child, I paid for my childishness: I had to ship lace in a hurry, I had to make up for lost time and stay up until one o'clock in the morning.
The white sunbonnet suits little Joseph perfectly, but I'm really sorry, my dear sister, that you're making such an expense for my children. If I only had one or two, I wouldn't say anything, but five is too many, and if I had to send gifts to everyone, there would be no end to it. The older ones now have enough toys for their entire youth. They keep their stuff well, because I don't give it to them to waste. So we'll have to stop there, please.
I had the pleasure of seeing my little Joseph on the first of the year. For his New Year's Eve, I dressed him like a prince; if you only knew how handsome he was, how heartily he laughed! My husband told me that “I walked him around like a wooden saint. 'I did see it, indeed, as a curiosity. But... O vanity of the joys of this world! The next day, at three o'clock in the morning, a very loud knocking is heard at the door; we get up, we go to open the door and we are told: "Come quickly, your little boy is in very bad shape, we are afraid he will die." »
You think I haven't been getting dressed for long and here I am on my way to the countryside, on the coldest night, despite the snow and the ice. I didn't ask my husband to come with me, I wasn't afraid, I would have crossed a forest alone, but he didn't want to let me go without him.
The poor little boy had severe erysipelas, and his face was in a pitiful state. The doctor told me that he was in very great danger, well, I could see him already dead!... But the good Lord hadn't made me wait so long for a boy to take him away from me so soon, he wants him. leave, he is now in full health. But would you believe that I was accused of what had happened because I had brought him to Alençon in too cold weather. As you can see, I paid dearly for my New Year's Day pleasure, but I will not be caught again (This little Joseph died shortly after, on February 14.)
