File

This file contains eight letters, three postcards and a greeting card documenting the epistolary relationship between Léontine Poutré and Hercule Martin during the month of December 1925.

Just over a year after their first meeting, Léontine increasingly expresses her affection for Hercule. She tries to cheer him up, as he often suffers from chronic fatigue. "Listen here, my good friend, my big boy, my big tease—I want you to get rid of the old man and tell me that reading my letter this evening might not have transformed you exactly, but at least helped a little." When Hercule answers her letter, he is both sensitive and honest. "I am doing everything I can to get rid of the old man, and have been for a while. I have been at it for so long that there are times when I am tired and feel as if I am about to be overcome by vertigo and nearly suffocate." Faced with Léontine's growing expressions of affection, Hercule explains that he sometimes feels inadequate. "Speaking of kindness and affection, do you believe that I don't notice or am insensitive to that which you direct towards me? There are times when I am really at a loss, because I know that I could never reciprocate even one percent. However, I would very much like to and would do so with all my heart."

The correspondents share their day-to-day activities: visits with friends, bowling, church, maple fudge and reading by the fire. In his letter of December 16, Hercule informs Léontine that his sister-in-law Eliza has died very suddenly and that his family is in mourning. On several occasions, Hercule and Léontine discuss their shared dream of owning a little house in the mountains, a symbol of their desire to live together. In her letter of December 28, Léontine is more open concerning her desire for marriage. "I am so happy about this dream for the future [...], you know all the many ways I care about you... this small heart is like a mousetrap, once the trap is closed, one cannot get out."

Three missives from this set of letters were written on the back of postcards of St. Johns (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu): a black and white photograph of the St. Johns Hotel, and two coloured photos, one of the yacht club and the other of the barracks. The final missive, addressed to Léontine, is a New Year's card with a quote from Victor Hugo. The file also contains envelopes and rough drafts of Léontine's letters. One of the rough drafts was written on the back of a letter confirming a subscription to La Presse, addressed to Napoléon Poutré.