From Sister Marie‑Dosithée Guérin to Mr. and Mrs. Guérin. 2-7 Feb. 1869.
My dear brother and my dear sister,
I come to confirm to you the improvement in my health, the cold did me no harm, I did not leave a warm room, they even brought me food there and I was not allowed to go down to the choir to mass only last Sunday; previously I used to go to the gallery a few steps from the room where I lived and our good Mother says that she won't let me circulate in the cloisters anytime soon.
I have good news for you. Marie and Pauline are received as children of Jesus, these poor little girls were touching; Mary said to me: I pray to baby Jesus so much that I believe he will answer me, her confidence was so great that I [1v°] thought she would be answered, but there was still a lot to do; it's not perfection, but she has such a good will that she will manage to do something good; for Pauline, she is a real little elf who is having a field day, she also very much wanted to be a child of Jesus, yesterday she met the first Mistress and said to her: “My sister, tomorrow is the Purification. ? Yes Pauline, she replies and what is it? My sister said to the little girl, I would like to be a "child of Jesus"... - Pauline, you deserved it, didn't you? The child lowered her head and didn't say a word, but she wasn't so easily disconcerted; the next day she finds the same Mistress and tells her My sister, today is the Purification, I asked little Jesus that he would remind you of it; finally our good Mother, knowing all these circumstances, wanted to favor their faith and their confidence and decided that we would receive them.
That all the news that you give me of my dear little niece gives me so much pleasure that I shall be happy to see you with her; how I already love this dear little one; she's not as [2r°] advanced as her father, he used to walk ten months before, but that's perhaps because she's stronger because he was very small.
Sunday 8 (Actually Sunday 7) - Another great news, the little ones are on vacation (since Thursday 4), because of a seriously ill child (Henriette de Mailly); some parents having expressed some fears, although the doctors assured that there was no danger, the patient did not live in the same building as the boarding school, finally, to reassure them, the Easter holidays were brought forward (In 1869 , Easter falls on March 28), and if the child had been of a more obscure birth no one would have paid attention to it, but a marquise makes a great noise and everyone takes care of it in the city; last year we had a little girl sick with the same disease, no one said a word. Whatever happens, be it recovery or death, there's always a fifteenth day which gives great pleasure to the two little girls, especially during carnival and fair time, and I also think it's more convenient for Zélie to have them now only at Easter (Due to the birth expected at the end of April).
Thank you, dear sister, I am quite convinced that you and my brother have great [2v°] pleasure in sending me anything that you think could be of use to me, so I am very grateful and it seems to me that everything that comes from you does me more good than all the other remedies but now I really don't need it, and then I experienced that all the drinks and other little things could not cure.
My sister the Assistant sends 10 frs to have remedies for her missionaries, including 5 frs for sulphate of Quinine, a few small bottles (of benzoin) for toothaches and other non-liquid medicines, which are suitable for the regions of the North Pole , for the other 5 frs, you will know what is needed.
Dear (sic) brother and dear sister, I embrace you with all my heart as well as my dear little niece; now here it is for almost 2 months without writing to you (because of Lent, which begins on February 10) unless something extraordinary.
Your loving sister
Sr. M. Dosithee Guérin
From the Von Ste Marie
DSB
