[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]Templeton, Mass.
Jan. 24, 1904.Dear Lucy:-
I will tell you in the beginning that you won't get much of a letter for Cousin Fred is here & I am tired for a [sic] went to another party last night. Linnie had one in honor of her birthday which was Friday. But Friday night was gentlemen's night at the Wellington Club & so she put off till Sat. She had Bertha Newcom to spend Sat. & Sun. with her & Marion stayed Sat. night. It was "orful" walking I went out in the afternoon & got my feet wet so I wore rubber boots. Helen & I rode from the top of the hill with Ralph & Louise. After we got there we waited & Bessie didn't come so Willie hitched up and went after her. Then Linnie passed around some stars made of paper, some blue, & some grey & we went to the other room & sat down at the table that had a star on it of the same color that we had.
We had been playing a little while & Edie & George came. George was invited for Helen & Warren Seaver for Bertha but he didn't come. We played "Pit" and "Panic" & Ghost & the other table played "Jenkins Up" but there was an odd number at ours so we couldn't. The[n] Marion took charge of affairs & we sat around in a circle & each put his left hand on the next one's wrist and kept your hands going back & forth. There was a quarter somewhere in somebody's hand & one in the centre had to find but we kept it going so fast that it was hard work to follow it.
Then we had some singing & playing. Then lots to eat. Before going into the dining room pieces of cards with our name on the back of it were passed around & we had to sit where we found the rest of our card. Then envelopes were passed around & in each one was a grind on some one. Mine was:-
"Mary is a maiden bright
Yet very modest & demure,
For of a boy she fears the sight
And would not flirt with one, I'm sure."If you remember, Tuesday was cold & we only had one period, for the school house couldn't be kept warm. Louise had a party Wed. night but only Helen, Linnie, Ralph, Willie & Warren went. We had told her we couldn't go in the middle of the week, but I guess she thought she would see if we could. Report card read as follows.
Latin E. Greek E. Eng. [...] Geom E. Tardy 2. I didn't get marked in Drawing for my book wasn't done then. It is now "Thank Fortune". This week we had to draw a scene from an Indian Summer Revery by Lowell. There are some low hill[s] & the Charles River & some hay cocks. She told us to make it 7" by 5" & the hay cocks had better come 2/3 the way up!! Mine don't! Cousin Fred drew me a lovely picture.
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With love, X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Mary. X X X X X X