Presque Isle, Me.,
Sept. 23, 1906.My dear Lucy, -
Your birthday I intended should be the occasion of my breaking this long silence but there was so many things this first week of school that prevented my carrying out my good intention. However, it is not too late to wish you many more birthdays, each happier than the one before. I wonder where you are this year: I thought of you when I went through Salem. I hope it will be a successful, happy year, wherever spent. Of the success I have no doubt.
I am literally stranded up here in northern Maine. Yet it is not so different from other places and it is only when I think of the map that I realize where I am. It did begin to be impressed on me on my two days' journey here, however. I travelled one day from 6.30 to 4. P.M and reached Rockland, Polly Wentworth's home. She taught here last year, you know, and is back again this year. I stayed with her over night and together we started again at 5.30 the next morning. We took what would have been a perfectly delightful steamer ride to Bangor had it not been for the heavy fog which did not lift till we reached the Penobscot. We had so much to talk about though that the 7 hours ride seemed much less. We had to wait in Bangor from 11.30 till 3 and spoke of calling on [a blank was left in the letter here] but had dinner to get and Polly's trunk to attend to which took longer than we expected. From 3 to 9 we were riding all the time and finally reached here.
It is a place of 4 or 5000. We are about 1/3 of a mile from school in a new dormitory of the Normal School. Two other teachers are here, one is the other high school assistant so we have jolly times together. We [...] have the cutest hexagonal dining room table to ourselves. The rooms and conveniences are much as at college. We have electric lights and a study table in each room.
Only one week of school has passed but I think I shall enjoy the year. I have 3 French classes beginning, 3 lit classes and 2 rhetoric. We have 7 periods a day and I have 4 free ones each week.
Lovingly,
Louise Brown