[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]Templeton, May 29, 1904.
Dear Lucy,
I am so "hesitated" up that I cannot write much of a letter, I am afraid, and besides it is nearly nine o'clock. What do you think. I have been over to the Orthodox vestry to a meeting to hear Horace Sanderson speak. Do you remember him at all? He is a minister now, lives in Colorado, is a home missionary, and has charge of a number of churches. I was much interested and spoke with him after the meeting. Before I went over I was sitting in the parlor reaching, when I saw two ladies coming up to the gate, but could not think who they were, they came to the door and I found it was Lucia Sanderson, (Mrs. McGregor) and Miss Louisa Baldwin who lived at Horace's for two or three years while they lived in Phillipston. They made quite a long call, and I enjoyed it very much. Mrs. McG's daughter Ruth has applied for admission to Mt. Holyoke and expects to go in two years, though Lucia will try to have her wait three. She has only one more year in the high school, she is about Mary's age, so she is a year in advance of her. I was very much pleased to see them all and to hear Horace speak.
Lizzie came yesterday afternoon. I did not expect her till Tuesday but C- got a card Friday night saying she would come next day. The house looks like destruction. I have not cleaned a bit and Hattie [is] to come this week, and the dining room not finished. I am as Miss Laverly told some of you, like - always be kind. Well, I mean to have a good time out of it, if my head don't feel so badly that I can't. But you see how impossible it is to visit you this week.
Emma came up with Lizzie and is at Moses's. Fred Leland came up from G- with them and they, Emma & Fred, called here. Fred looks much better than last winter and appears younger. One day last week I had a call from Mr. Albert Wallace - it seems that the lady who keeps house for him and young Mrs. Stinson are friends and he had brought her to visit Mrs. S. The Young Man was with him. I had a very pleasant call - he inquired about you, told me his daughter, Ellen, is teaching. She is only 17, and has taught for about a year.
Last Tuesday I went down and made a long call on your Aunt Ada - found her busy housecleaning but she was just finishing. Friday she called and brought up the satin dress I was to have - it is very handsome - too grand for me. She also gave me some other things which I shall make use of - one of them is a black cloth suit which I shall have altered at once, if I can, for it will be better to use it when it is in good style, and I need just such a suit. What do you think Carrie and I have done? We have allowed Mrs. Parker to take our names into the Wellington Club, and they were "unanimously" accepted, so we are members now only we have not paid our .50. The Inn was opened Friday night and I have heard there were 50 guests there today. I think they are there only for a day or two, but that is a pretty big opening. We have not done much about decoration - we shall have lilies of the valley and plenty of the bush honeysuckle and Mary got a lot of evergreen but we have not had time yet to do any thing with it. Uncle Isaac saw in the Boston Globe that Mr. Osborne is to leave the Gardner High. It is too bad to change so often.
Have you raised the $50000 yet? I hope you will not have to take another tramp like that. The lightning struc Mr. Moses's tree & walk, THursday night. That was near enough. Stuart is at home today but I have not seen him at Annie's. Much love, Mama.
Annie had on a new dress that looked very pretty from here, green, with a white yoke. Carrie & Lizzie went to the Orthodox.