Dawson Aug. 23rd, 1925 [?]

My Dear Anna

I feel guilty – very guilty: but the fact that I have not replied to your last letter to me personally – which I received before I went to Ft. Yukon – does not mean at all that I had forgotten you – because really I haven’t. Now yesterday we (Mary and I) received your last one addressed to both of us. Thanks again.

I could easily tell by it’s brevity that you were in exactly the same ‘fix’ as we are and could ill spare the time for long letters. However we understand and don’t love you one whit the less for your shortness.

Well, well! We’re home Anna! Home!! It’s a wonderful little world isn’t it? It’s many years since I’ve experienced the joys of home, and to me, having spent so much time during the past fifteen years in cabins, tents, and other such places – why, I can tell you that our home here looks like heaven to me.

Not that I have the faintest idea of what heaven looks like, never having been there myself or met anyone that has – anyway, you know what I mean to imply don’t you?

I do not think it is at all necessary for me to enter any detailed description of our wedding, as I know my Mary has already done that, But when I say to you that I couldn’t have had things go off smoother or happier even if I could – why then you’ll understand that it was a very very happy occasion. We were treated with the most wonderful display of courtesy and hospitality by the Burkes and – by everyone with whom we were brought into contact. So to skip the two weeks I was away and to return here – We have now been back just over a week and Mary is perfectly happy – and is just as dear to me as is possible for any woman to be to her husband. In fact, I think she is too sweet altogether – and I’m afraid really that she’ll absolutely spoil me.

But – it’s all very wonderful to me. Our home is very comfortable indeed altho we have only been here so short a time and know that after we get more settled we shall love it even more. You know Anna – I have the darndest time finding things. You see, I’ve been so used to having all my belonging stuck in one room – that now I run around here sometimes like a chicken with it’s head chopped off looking where I put my pipe – or my shoes – or my hat – or – something. However as soon as I get accustomed to the new concern [?] of having a real honest-to-Goodness home I shall have a regular place for all these things. But I certainly do love my home. It’s just perfect in my eyes.

My sweetheart is just doing wonderfully with her housekeeping too. She’s so afraid that she won’t be able to cook suit me. To suit me forsooth. Why I’m having the nicest grub right now I’ve had for many many years. And what’s more I’m enjoying it tremendously – it’s such a delightfully pleasant change from the sameness of Barracks grub. And I’m thoroughly enjoying everything. And what pleases me even more than all this is the fact that Mary loves doing it – she’s happy in her new surroundings – both in our home and out of it. Today we both went out this morning and took quite along hike over the hills.

I packed the lunch and we took along my four pups and we made a fire and boiled the kettle away back in the hills overlooking the Yukon valley – a most exquisite view of the snow covered mountains in the dim hazy distances on one side with the broad valley of the mighty old Yukon on the other side.

The country is almost at it’s best now. It’s pleasant working – no flies to bother one, and the temperature just right. We have promised ourselves a few trips this Fall during our weekends before the snow comes.

Mary loves the outdoors – and walking: and so do I. Nothing pleases me more than to get out with her – and our tea-kettle and camera and so on. And – there is lots of room to walk up here and no one to say us ‘Nay” and no ‘Verboten’ signs.

I am hoping – no, that’s wrong – we are hoping – that it will be possible for us to fix up a little dark-room so that we can do a little photography together in the near future. And then we promise you some snaps of Yukon life and our own activities together.

Now, I’m going to shut up. I’m afraid this is but a poor sample of a news-letter but I’ll try and do better some time soon, but you must forgive me now.

I still have an enormous lot to do around home – but – it doesn’t bother me at all – on the contrary I just love doing it.

I hope you and David will be getting more settled by the time this reaches you.

Many thanks for your kind wishes and thoughts.

Love from us both
Yours
Claude