December 12, 1914

Dear Diary,

So much has happened since I last wrote, which was on my birthday. The biggest news is that there was a huge snowstorm last week. Our town got over thirty inches of snow! The day after the blizzard hit Jamie, Nick, Sara, Grace and I went ice skating on the pond behind Sara's house.

Jamie and Nick were there long before Sara, Grace and I made it to the pond. This is because the boys will just run through the snow and not care about how wet their pants get. We girls, however, stepped gingerly into previous tracks, being careful not to get the hems of our skirts wet. We didn't even bother not to get our tights wet because the minute we stepped into the winter wonderland, our feet were soaked.

By the time we had reached the pond, the boys had their skates on and were clearing off the pond with shovels. Sara, Grace, and I sat down on the bench and began to lace up our skates.

"If there's nothing I hate more about being a girl, it's cold legs in the wintertime." Grace complained, struggling with her laces.

"At least we don't have to shovel the pond off." Sara pointed out. "By the time we've got our skates on, the boys will already have done it."

Sara and Grace were still attempting to do up their skates but I was already done. I've gone skating a lot more than they have and I know how to do it properly. They've only gone maybe twice a winter.

"You want some help?" I finally asked them.

"Yes please." Grace said but Sara was resolved to getting her own skates done up. I knelt down in the snow and did up Grace's skates and then pulled her up with me. The three of us stepped onto the ice. Almost immediately, Sara and Grace began to slip. I was still standing but they were pulling at me from different sides so I was being pulled in half.

"Jamie! Nick! Someone help!" I yelled, before I ended up falling, causing Sara and Grace to go down all the way. The boys, who were now skating in circles on the pond, skated over. Nick stopped himself and sent a shower of ice over the three of us but Jamie stopped a ways away and slowly made his way towards us so that he wouldn't get us wet.

"Nick." Grace complained.

"Sorry." Nick put his hand out and helped Grace to her feet and then started to skate backwards, holding onto her hands and guiding her like Abby guides Beth when she's learning to walk. Jamie pulled me to my feet and then Sara.

"Thanks." I said.

"No problem. You want some help Sara?" he asked.

"No thanks. I think I can do it. It's just been so long since I was on skates."

"Okay. Call if you need help."

Jamie then offered his hand to me and I smiled and then took hold of it. We skated around the pond a couple of times and then split. I went to Grace because Nick had lost his patience with her and had left her to skate on her own. I reached her just as she went down onto her bottom.

"Need a hand?"

"Yes please. How are you so good at this Char?"

I shrugged and then pulled her up.

"Don't know."

I offered her my elbow and with arms linked, we managed to make it around the pond twice before she fell again. I pulled her up and then offered her my elbow again.

"No thanks Charlotte. I'm going to take a rest."

"Okay."

I left Grace sitting on the bench and went to Nick and Jamie, who were playing a game of hockey. I picked up a stick lying on the shore of the pond and skated towards them.

"Okay if I join?"

"Sure." Nick said and passed me the puck. I passed it to Jamie and so on and so on. We lost track of time and when we looked up again we saw Sara and Grace had gone inside.

We decided we had had enough of hockey so we put the sticks away and then went inside. We found Sara and Grace playing a game of cards.

"It's about time!" Grace said. "You've been out there for over two hours."

"You still got all your toes?" Sara asked.

"Oh sure. It was fun." I said, sitting down at the table.

"How long have you ladies been inside?" Jamie asked. He always calls us ladies and we love it.

"For about an hour. Anyone for hot chocolate and cookies?" Sara asked. Of course we were all starving so Sara made a pot of hot chocolate and brought a plate of cookies to the table. We ate the cookies quickly and then played a game of euchre, having Grace and Sara as a pair. Jamie and I beat Nick and the other girls by a landslide.

"Well, I'd better get going." Nick said after our game.

"Yeah, me too." I said getting up.

Nick and I walked through town and then we split up when we reached the cross roads.

"See you Nick!" I called.

"Bye Charlotte."

I walked the rest of the way singing some song I had heard earlier in the day. I decided to stop off at Abby's before going home. I knocked and then waited. She greeted me with a hug when she opened the door.

"Char! How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?" I asked, stepping into the warmth of her house.

"I'm okay. What have you been doing? You're soaking wet!"

"We were skating."

"Oh. Would you like something?"

"No thanks. I just had hot chocolate and cookies at Sara's. I need to be able to eat dinner otherwise Mom will be all over me."

Abby rolled her eyes and smiled. We went into the living room and sat down. Beth was playing on the floor and crawled up to me when I sat. I picked her up.

"I got a letter from Steven." Abby said.

"Oh yeah? What'd he say?"

"He said that Valcartier is one of the most organized places in the world and that they sure know how to do two things."

"What's that?"

"Scare a man and work a man."

"What?"

"He explained what they do to you there. You have continuous training and they work you hard. He said they've had midnight surprise attacks and they have so much time to be ready. So far, eight men have either passed out or been kicked out because they can't do anything."

"Wow."

"It's almost six o'clock Charlotte. You'd better be getting home."

"You're right. Bye-bye Beth."

In response, I got baby talk. I handed her to Abby and then got my coat and boots on.

"Bye Abby!"

"See you Char. Give everyone a hug."

"Do I have to hug Elizabeth?" I asked.

"Yes." Abby said, laughing. "See you."

"Bye."

I walked home and let myself in.

"Charlotte? Is that you?" Mom called from the kitchen.

"Yes, it's me." I went in and gave her the hug from Abby. I went to Dad's study and gave him the hug and then I found Elizabeth and gave her a hug too.

Charlotte