A Letter Written on Jan 30, 1910

Monday Afternoon: Dear Lucy:- Ill take this up so it will go out to-night at six. If you want to stay longer at Edith's than Tuesday, I would stay until as long as I wanted to, and then go on and spend Sunday with Mary and stay over Wednesday with her if you want to. You are there and may as well stay as long as you want. I just saw Mrs. Tetterton go down. It has not been pleasant to -day but has not stormed much. With love C.A.M.

[Handwriting change; some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]

South Hadley.
Jan. 30, 1910.

Dear Auntie:-

I am going to write you a good long letter & then perhaps you will send it on to Lucy as I have so much to say that I can't write two. I just wrote a postal to her saying that I thought she had better come next week Tuesday. I know I shall be rather tired after the strain of those three exams & I shall want to feel that I can do want what I want to & nothing else. There is a concert next Tuesday night & probably an organ recital Wed. P.M. so I really think she would have a better time than if she came when we were all so tired.

I wonder what I wrote to make you think I was "going too fast." I thought I had been living a very quiet reasonable life with but little dissapation. [sic] I'll own I am tired to-day after two exams. & going off yesterday, but I shall rest hard to-day & be ready for work to-morrow. Don't worry about my not getting enough sleep. My proctoring does not disturb me much for I just walk down the corridor & back again after ten & go to bed. This A.M. Pearl & I started to get dressed at quarter to eight. The doors close at eight, but we were down in the dining-room at five minutes of by the clock but I rather think that it was too [sic] or three minutes slow.

Mr. Paddock of the Idaho Industrial School was our minister to-day. He came last year & told such nice stories about his work on the frontier. We all called him Abraham Lincoln. Of course his is accustomed to preach to a different class of people from us so he speaks quite emphatically, but he says some of the best things I have ever heard. I am so glad he is going to speak at Y.W.C.A.

Well, one more exam. over. Miss Trueblood had told us that it would do no good to study our notes so I didn't very much. The exam. was funny. It was principally stating one's opinions. We don't think she will count the exam much if any. The last question was Tell what you have got out of the course (if anything)[.]

I took the 11:30 car for Holyoke. Pearl had been doing some shopping in Holyoke & met me at the station. Carrie met me us at the station & we went up to her house. Sigrid Anderson is visiting there. She had a fine position but it was so hard that she overworked & had to stop. She is feeling better now, but is far from well yet. We all went over to Carrie's boarding place to dinner & had steak, mashed potato, corn & apple-jack. (We came home & had steak, mashed potato, corn & apple tapioca. Wasn't that funny?) We went back to Carrie's room & she b[...]ted up some real Vermont maple syrup & poured it on the snow & had a grand sugaring off. Carrie had four or five of her friends in the house in to help us. One of the girls had just received her laundry & she fed us on sugared popcorn & salted peanuts.

I invited Carrie to spend the day with me during our Spring vacation & she invited me to G- but I got my invitation said first. Next, Carrie, Sigrid, Pearl & I went up to the college & went into the chapel & through the art building & new library. They have a lovely new library - just lots of room in it. Then we went up & called on Louise & Katherine Bailey. Pearl & I were both impressed by Louise's room. It was almost worse than any off campus Freshman here has & Louise is a Senior. It was low, small, dark & very little closet room. Louise & Katherine are both working some to help themselves along. It rained & snowed by streaks but we didn't mind it. Carrie went to the station with us. We got the half past five car from Holyoke so got here in plenty of time for dinner. In the evening I practised a little & then went to the Art Building to do some reading. When I first went out it was storming terrifically, but it stopped when I came home.

Friday Bessie & I studied till four o'clock & then came home and helped get ready for the tea. It was funny to see our preparations. Alethea's brass tea-kettle leaked so we borrowed one. Inez lent us dishes, Alethea brought in sofa-pillows & a daffodil & Bessie brought some of her animals. (She has almost a menagerie) We had tea with lemon & sugar, "four o'clocks" (which are cookies) and dates stuffed with cream cheese which are very nice indeed. Then only four of the eight Freshmen invited came. One was sick & the other three walked to Old Hadley in the P.M. & didn't get back in time. However when I was up in the Lib. studying that evening they came up & the rest of the girls entertained them & I guess they ate & drank as much as anyone. On the whole I think the tea was a success.

I forgot to say that yesterday it was quite a sight to see the Connecticut. Some time recently it flooded the land beside it & brought these great cakes of ice upon on shore. Now the water has gone down but the blocks of ice are left. It is quite a sight.

Do you remember my telling about Marion Hoyt 1909. Freshman year? She was ever so nice to me - sent me a Christmas postal for one thing. She is visiting here & I saw her this A.M.

Well, I must stop & write to Roger & tell him I want him to come over the last of the week. I hope Cousin Lizzie will stay some time longer. Please give my love to her.

With love to you & Uncle,
Mary.

Don't worry about me just because I am weary to-day.