Febr'y 15th 1916

My Dear Mother

I am mailing today a little parcel containing some lace for you. Rather some linen with lace on it. It is intended for your Xmas present, but was late so you will be interested to know a little about it. It is all hand made, by a little girl 13 years of age, living at our convent. There are well over 100 such girls varying in age from 6 years to 16 or 18 and all are orphans, their parents having been killed at [the] Battle of Ypres. They were taken into this convent and are being educated by the sisters and each one is taught to make some kind of lace or do something with needle. It took this little girl just three months to make this one and she took a great interest in it and used to show it to me quite often while it was in [the] making, and wanted to know who it was for. When I told her it was for my Mother, she was greatly pleased.

So now, Mother, I hope you will like the pieces, and they come with much love from loving son.

Wilbert