[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading]Templeton, Mass.
Feb. 11, 1906.Dear Lucy:-
I am more lost than ever this Sunday for I haven't a bit of studying to do. You see as long as I didn't go to school Friday I did a good share of my studying & finished it up yesterday. I suppose my fun will come in when I have to stay to make up work. Yesterday I builded [sic] a big cake and did some housework & cut apples & pressed out some thing so I could have them for the Military Ball. In the afternoon Bessie came down & we went over to the Library & down to the Bourn's & then I went in to cousin Minnie's for a few minutes. The Bourn baby is getting to be a big girl. She is just beginning to walk a little if someone helps her. Marcus said that the next thing that she had got to do was to learn to walk. Carl & Russel are fine. Russel hasn't got over his baby tricks. He was a little sleepy & he lay in the big chair. Into his mouth went his thumb & he begun to curl his hair with the other hand.
I made some molasses candy Friday "alone, alone, all, all, alone." It is a little soft but pretty good. It has stuck to the plates so that I guess we shall have to eat it plates & all.
Mama says that you had better suggest to Mr. Cambridge to keep this week Saturday & then have Thurs. & Fri. of next week. If you decide to come to Athol Sat. to meet Mama please let her know what time your train gets in. Also Mama says that if you agree to go back to New Salem for another year you must have it distinctly understood that you are to teach the same subjects as you have this year for the new principal might think that he wanted to teach them. Are you writing the poem on G.H.S.? I shall be wanting it for one of the next numbers of the Argus. We haven't much talent for writing poetry int he class so I guess poems will be few and far between. You can write one and I can put it in without any name.
It is a different world around here now. "Winter has come; the snow has too". I haven't been around outdoors without my rubbers on to-day. If the snow hadn't blown I guess there wouldn't be such an awful lot but it is piled up so that it seems a good deal. Bessie telephoned down to Grace Greenwood yesterday. She forgot to ask whether there was any school or not. We suppose there was but we have heard nothing one way or another. The Glee Club Concert was postponed to Feb. 20, the night of the Union the Masquerade. [sic] I am real happy over that.
Bessie & I went to church to-day. We were rather late so we sat back of the Maynard's pew & we saw some sights. Herbert was there & he kept things lively for his father & sister but he behaved much better than usual. He most went to sleep. Once i saw Mr. Maynard give him a lump of sugar. James Hawks, Warrin, Dwight & Ralph sat in front of the Maynards. When Mr. Nichols read the last hymn Warren put his arm along the back of the seat around Ralph so he could see the hymnbook better. Herbert was right behind him & accidentally Warren's hand hit Herbert & gave him quite a knock. H- was after a stool & a minute later he bobed [sic] his head up & hit Warren's arm. The organ gave out in the midst of the anthem. I don't think the choir knew their piece as well as sometimes. At any rate there were some discords. Mr. Hadley got off once or twice. When it came time for the hymn Mr. Nichols didn't quite know what to do but Rob started up to the little organ & Mr. Nichols said that he thought the choir better come down into the front seats.
Mason was at church. I didn't notice but that he looked about as usual. He is sprouting quite a moustache. Marion Stone had a fur & muff of that white curley stuff that folks make things for babies out off. [sic] I tell you it looks real nice on a big, grownup girl. Mrs. Henry Wright was there in all her glory. She had on a dark, an awful dark green velvet suit & a green silk waist. This would have made an extremely pretty suit if she hadn't put on a gold belt three or four inches wide. It was one of those coarse braided ones & looked horrid. The Gardner society invited us down to a social at their church. Feb. 22. Grace Greenwood told Bessie & I that we were going to be invited & we were getting a little anxious lest some thing should happen & we shouldn't get 'vited. Mr. Nichols read a proclamation from the Governor, appointing Feb. 12 Lincoln's day. Besse [sic] & I are wondering what Mr. Brainard will do to celebrate it.
Didn't you think that I got pretty giddy Tuesday? I had most a delightful time. Of course in the P.M. my pleasure was added to by being in such nice company. Lucius got some chips & we ate those. Mrs. Greenwood had Dorothy take her opera glasses. The play was as great. I can't describe it for there is no describe to it. It was just Little Lord Fauntleroy. He was the dearest little fellow. (I have heard that he was a girl.) He drawled out his words just as cute. He didn't seem to be acting. He was just as much at home as could be. When the boot-black sung the little Lord Fauntleroy sat in a big chair & kept time to the music with his feet while Mr. Hobbs the grocer rose & sunk in his chair.
It was quite a come down in the evening to go to the Union & see the Farce for the people didn't know their parts very well. I danced all of the time. I danced twice with Lucius, twice with Charlie, twice with Edith, once with Dorothy & once with Mrs. Tufts. You bet I was tired. I danced a Virginia Reel. I don't think I ever did that up here before. Emma & Chessie were up. School is going all right. I have got to speak Wed. so I am not very happy.
Thursday morning there was a fire just opposite the school house. We all got up & looked out of the windows. It wasn't much of a fire[.] The chimney was afire & it burned some around it. The chemicals came & then the steamer & finally the hook & ladder wagon. They put it out with the chemicals. One man walked around the house with a fire exstinguisher. [sic] "There," Pierce said, "That man has walked clear around the house & can't find any fire." In the P.M. there was another fire down West which didn't amount to much.
Here is a way to get library stories written easily. Henry Curtis & Frank Brown hunted through all the disks the last period Thurs. (Miss Clark wasn't in the room) to try to find somebody's library story to copy. At last they each found one that wasn't very long & took it home to copy. Miss Clark probably won't remember them so the boys will skin through. Henry said he hadn't read but one book this year.
Drake came back to school Mon. & of all dreadful looking boys he takes the cake. He is thin anyway but now it don't see as if there is a might of flesh on his face. Under his eyes it was just as black. He didn't look fit to be out. He said he lost thirteen pounds the first week he was sick. They had preliminary contest for prize speaking Monday & less than ten went up. One Senior, Alice Flood, went up but no Juniors. Miss Clark is trying to have Harold Drake go to represent the class. Naturally he doesn't wish to & so she argues & he makes excuses. They were talking about it the period I rehearsed for Rhetoricals. Harold said that he thought he had a pretty good excuse since he had so much work to make up & Miss Clark said she feared it was too good an excuse. I don't know how they will come out but I doubt if Harold speaks. Mr. Brainard & Miss Clark want the Seniors to give a play the night of prize speaking. Ray, the one that was suspended for two months for bringing wine & cider into the basement, has had his sentence changed. He is to come back Mon. but cannot attend anything carried on in the evening by the school till Graduation night & he is to be reduced to the ranks in drill.
We got a postal from Auntie saying goodbye. She was going through Concord as she wrote it so I guess she would get there in time for the theatre.
With love, X X X
X X X Molly X XP.S. Lucius has been & stayed for two mortal hours.