how but it is against his principles (or else Essie won't let him) to play cards. However, it didn't seem to trouble his conscience any to play as long as I held the cards and threw them on the table, and finally I managed to get him to take them entirely and I left. We couldn't prevail on him though to partake of a little of the "Seagrams" coloured with sacramental wine which our hostess doled out to each of us, so Clare Deal and I drank his portion between us. We hadn't been playing long when there was a terriffic racket, guns & shouting with out and Jack's dog barking within. Jack went to the door and presently the kitchen was filled with about forty fishermen. They just stayed long enough to consume all the sandwichs that Jack had prepared for us. After I got tired of hearts & spades, I went out to see what was going on in the kitchen. I found Cecil (who has joined the band as a snare drummer) and Harry Moon replenishing the sandwich supply, Carl Coleman shaking hands with the dog's tail and George Hallam running around with a cup of hot water wanting to know where the cold water tap was, they were side by side but he had got the wrong one. Carl escorted me into the pantry where he assured me a "lady wanted to see me" and there I found the cause of all the merriment, the wine and whisky supply. As Carl introduced more of the boys to the "lady that wanted to see them", things became livelier and we certainly had a good time. No body got too hilarious Carl being the gayest of the bunch. He told me I could stay all night with him, if I couldn't get any farther and kept informing us of what a good-natured wife he had. We had refreshments and after playing a few more "noises" broke up the party some time after midnight. When I left, Hal. Steele and Carl were playing cornet & drum duets Hal. playing his favorite solos, My Task and My Rosary I don't know which one he was working at and I guess he didn't either. Mrs. Anderson was the only woman in the house, but she didn't seem to mind that. I went in to Aunty's to get my sweater and found Aunty Alice up. She was not going to bed on Lila's account. Poor Lila is very much worse. I got home with out any accidents and was rather surprised to find Marj. up. She had had a sleep and then spent the rest of the time sewing. Tuesday February 10th I spent most of my spare time to-day painting and got all the woodwork in the dining room