Margaret Thomson, Letter to Dr. James MacCallum, Aug. 2, 1917

Owen Sound

Dear Sir,

I am sending you dear Tom’s letter. It was very kind indeed of you to send it to us and we thank you for your thoughtfulness. Tom wrote very few letters. It is one of my regrets now, that I hadn’t written to him more often. I had intended writing to him quite often this summer, and I was going to send him magarine and boxes of homemade cooking, but it seems I have been denied this pleasure. I am sure many a time he must have been lonely when out in the wilds.

Our hearts are still almost broken and I don’t know whether our sorrow will ever wear away or not. His death was the first break in our large grown up family. Tom seemed to have a place in each of our hearts, that could not be filled by any one else. He was so good and so kind and he seemed almost perfect in every way. He was so much alone that we seemed to think more about him than any of the others of the family. Poor boy, he worked so hard, denied himself so much and now to think he is gone.

We all think the Memorial Exhibition of pictures you mentioned having a very good idea. You will know better than we what to do. We wouldn’t like to see any of his work sold at a sacrifice and we trust everything will turn out rightly.

In speaking of the Memorial Cairn, we think what you suggested a very fine idea. Any tribute paid to Tom’s memory by Tom’s friends, we appreciate more than words can express.

My sister and I were very sorry to leave the shack in such condition but we would like to have it cleaned thoroughly and have the bill sent to us.

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thomson.