Mrs. Letty came to me one day.
She had a problem...
Mornings were oh so cold and damp in camp and she wanted something that would keep her warm while she prepared morning meals for the soldiers. Mrs Letty had very little, as she became a washer woman when her soldier husband died in a skirmish, and a few months before she had been cheated out of wages by another washer woman who had invaded camp and was undercutting her prices and offering more than just washing services!
I was astonished, yet a little saddened to hear her plight. Mrs Letty had been saving her small pittance for years to gain enough money to afford construction of a new Brunswick and this new interloper threatened her way of life....
I know I shouldn't feel sorry for the lowly workers, but I did, and in trade I decided to construct her a new jacket. She agreed to wash my linens in exchange. She brought me the fabric that had been passed down to her. It was a serviceable brown wool and light weight slubby silk in red. What a great color to support the crown with.
Miss Letty was quite please with how well it turned out an I don't have to wash my linens for the next year. I think it was a great act of charity....
Your Truly,
Mrs. Elizabeth Harding (aka Kate)
