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they prove themselves worth it.
Katherine sent me a whole lot of socks lately – I also got a beautiful little pencil out of one very mutilated parcel, which some one had torn open, & all the address nearly gone.
I'd never have known you'd sent it to me but for one little tag still stuck on the corner: it was jolly good of you to have worried, but really the pencil has been of greatest service & just fits in my pocket book: and as for the little knife in the end, it has already amputated the ends of thousands of cigars: besides by producing a gold pencil like that, I've often so impressed other fellows that they lend me 5/-, or pay the Bill.
I do hope the old season goes on well, and that 1917 is very prosperous: goodness knows we want a little prosperity to make up for all the hard times lately: I should hate to find myself an absolute pauper on my return to Australia, so let's hope Wragge's prophecy of good years till 1920 comes true.
I'm afraid this letter is an extremely dull one, but I'll set to and write another very shortly when I'm in good letter writing form. Goodbye, best love to big John & little John and to you: little John must be getting an immense fellow now: when I get back he will almost be old enough to come on the spree with me.
Remember me to Stella Wheeler if you see her & thank her very much for the Xmas card she sent me.
Yours sincerely
Jock C. Ellis