Joy Clifton to H A Hall, 18 May 1907
| Title: | Joy Clifton to H A Hall, 18 May 1907 |
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| Identifier: | archives.org.au/Joy_Clifton_to_H_A_Hall,_18_May_1907 |
| Parent item: | |
| Storage location: | |
| Date: | |
| Authors: | Joy Hannah Emma Margaret Clifton (née Hall) |
| Source: | |
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| License: | |
| Related people: | Joy Hannah Emma Margaret Clifton (née Hall) · Harold Aubrey Hall |
| Related places: | |
| Keywords: | Transcriptions by Ian Berryman · H.M. Wilson Archives |
| Description: |
File: Joy_1907_05_18.doc
Transcribed: IB 22 May 2010
Typed by IB 4 June 2010, and checked against MS
Transcription
51 Newcastle Street
Perth
18 May 1907
My dear Aubrey
I am very disappointed that you have not had time to write to me yet. Have you heard of Hubert’s disgrace? Harold Rowe told me it is common talk in town, he & a youth named Donovan have embezzled about £700 from Goode Durrants. Donovan was arrested at Northam but I have not heard anything yet of Hubert. Harold said he could see this [?coming] a long way ahead, he was living at the rate of about £20 per week, what a pity it is to [?own] so many shady relatives. Well old Boy I’m tired and will continue later. J.M.C.
May 24th You will see by the papers I’m [?posting] you the amount was fortunately a small [?one], so that it was possible for friends to get him out of his scrape. I was thankful Mr Roe dealt with the case, he was awfully lucky don’t you think, to get off so easily? Georgia & Amy Warburton were here yesterday. Georgia was very disturbed about him, she said they had noticed Hubert getting rather a bloated look, as if he had started drinking. After this misconduct he should be thankful to get away from Perth. I think there is plenty of good in the boy, if he could have good influence & a strict master. Will you try & get Cousin Ernest to take him & make a man of him? I did not like wiring to you re Hubert, but thought perhaps there would be no one to help him down here & that you or cousin Ernest would employ a solicitor & possibly save him from getting a long sentence.
Cousin Amy wants to know why Blanche Warburton is denying her engagement (to you) to everybody, she wrote to her Mother & said ‘if anyone asks you if I’m engaged to Aubrey Hall, tell them I’m not’. Is the engagement broken off? if not, why is she ashamed to own up she is, I heard before of her denying it to a stranger she had just met, a man & also saying you had not given her the diamond ring. Have you told her to keep quiet about it? I have been afraid to mention it to Mother, as she did not seem to know anything about it. I only told Ger & yet we discovered it while we were keeping quiet about it was pretty generally known in Perth & the country. Some of your men friends seem awfully disappointed about your engagement, in fact quite mad, they say much the same, that I told you was our experience, selfishness & laziness & total absence of any feeling for my [---] of course very often when a girl gets married, she thinks less of herself & more of others, but (don’t be cross) I’m afraid she has no real affection in her nature, too cold to love, take warning be sure before you tie yourself up for life, that Blanche really cares for you because lopsided love is horribly [?tame], you are a dear old Brother to me & I want you for that reason not to spoil your chance of happiness, there are naturally some severe trials & harder tests of character, also more worries than in single life, therefore I think people should start by feeling sure of each other’s affection. Another thing I want to warn you of some of those idiotic people at the Blackwood think you & Ernest are rolling in wealth. There is one other thing I forgot to tell you about when you asked me why Blanche & I did not care for each other. It hurt me very much at the time, perhaps because I was not strong enough to get about & assert myself, it was this, Ger told me that partly for a joke & partly to see if she was thoughtless enough to leave Mother everything to do, he asked BW to go out for the day with him fishing, he never dreamt she would take him at his word but she said she would go, even then he did not think she wanted to go, but the next day she asked him again about going out, so he said he wasn’t going back on his word, they trotted out that evening to get something for their luncheon, needless to say I felt rather mad, but only said when Mother told me what they were going to do, what an extraordinary idea, she evidently told Blanche she had better not go, because she changed her mind suddenly & said she was not going & Ger took the kids only. She said it was so funny that Mr Clifton should spend so much time with me & the Baby, every chance he had he was in the room. Well I did not mean to write such a tirade, my pen got loose, I’m satisfied not to say any more & if she makes you a good wife for your sake to try & like her.
Your little niece is trotting about every where, you taught her one naughty little trick, to play with matches.
Oh I nearly forgot Mr Pearse came to see me on Tuesday, he said he wanted the names of two friends here for your insurance paper, I gave him the Sholls Dr Hicks [?Messrs] Edmondson, Rolland & Downes.
I do feel wild with old Sam Rowe he insulted Ger before the other men in camp, about our Grandfather Hall, I could not find what the name was, he said Grandpa had some nick name & turned to Ger & said ‘that was your wife’s Grandfather Clifton’ it was so unkind, the other men even reprimanded him.
Do send your photos soon. Baby is beginning to look bonnie enough to have hers taken.
Poor old Fred Paterson has had a bad time with his hand, the Dr took one finger off & thought they would have to take more, blood poisoning set in, all his people came up to see him. Mr & Mrs Paterson were awfully disappointed you did not go to Creaton, Mr P said he hoped you would get a good wife, as you were one of the very whitest men he knew. Eleanor Clifton wanted to know why [?I] did not tell her about your engagement.
Laura said ‘tell Aubrey next time he comes to see us, not to bring any cousins’, I told her it was ‘a blue duck’. Another poor girl really lost her heart to you, but when she found out you were engaged, she put a brave face on it. I must really close down or ring off.
In spite of all disagreements still & ever your loving sister
Joy M Clifton
PS Ger says the Baby has a nautical swing in one leg, like her Uncle Aubrey. How is Ernest’s affaire d’amour?
