letter, p. 1

C/o D.W. Burpee
C.N.O.RS
45. Murray Str. West.
Hamilton.
Ontario

My dear Professor,

I have your op of 17.Dec.r lcsh? & was glad to hear
from you. Let me congratulate you on your son, whom I hope I
may meet some day. I thoroughly appreciate your reference to
Miss Mansford?, now Mrs Murray. That is now, as far as I am
concerned, a matter of history.

Well, I was delighted to hear the School is doing well
& with it the very best success. In answer to your question,
I like the open air life. It is magnificent. I have been out every
day. Winter. Summer. since last March 1911. Now? west at 101° &
also 52 degrees of frost. when I have had my lunch frozen too stiff to
eat. an icicle hanging from my eyelashes.

I wrote of the Canadian North Railway last June for
a better job than I had with the C.P.R. and got it.

With C.P.R I started as Rodman & was promoted to Draftsman
then Transitman? .... 2 months. The C.N.R.S. gave me an appt. as
"Resident? Engineer" on construction with an office and staff of 3. Two
chainmen? & Rodman. I was sent to Montréal where I had to
str pick up, and stake out a line that was surveyed 7 years previously.
I staked out 22 miles of the line. This was in Dec.r with 4'
snow on the ground. I only found 5 of the original hubs. I was then
given a "Residency"? of 8 miles for construction over which I had full
charge. The Event closed down & I was sent back to Toronto
to retrace the line from Toronto to Hamilton. This is now just
finished & I expect to have an 8 mile section for Construction