A Letter Written on Nov 18, 1906

[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading]

Templeton, Mass.
Nov. 18, 1906.

Dear Sister:-

I thought that I was going to have a lot of time to-day. I had only this one letter to write & I had two books from the Library. About half past four the Parkers came over and they are here still. However I am out in the "chicken" all alone. I have made some checkermints but I guess they are not very good.

It has been raining some to-day & the snow is going fast. Didn't it snow Thurs. night? I didn't expect to go to school the next day but I did. (The Parkers are just going. It is nearly quarter of seven) I had harder work getting home than going down. Of course a car went off about noon at Stinson's. Rena & I waited until about half past two for a car of any kind & then it was a Baldwinville car. Elmer told us to take it so we did & when we got to E. Templeton we were transfered [sic] into the "Refrigerator" which is rightly named. There is no heat on it, it is all open up above & there are great holes in the floor. We found that the Baldwinville girls were in there, nearly frozen for they had been there for half an hour. When we got up about to Mrs. Ward's we had to wait for the men to shovel out the track. Then we went on, walked around the car at Stinson's, & arrived home starved.

Mama will probably tell her experiences when she writes. Don't be alarmed because you didn't get a letter from her. She went to Gardner Fri. & then Auntie came & it got put off but she will write soon. Your letter arrived Wed. I guess Carl forgot to mail for by the post-mark it wasn't mailed until Tues.

Well the Parish Meeting was last night & Bessie, Clara & I joined the Parish. Mrs. Greenwood finally persuaded us to so we feel big now. There was a great deal of talk but finally there was a unanimous vote for Mr. Skerry. Wasn't it strange that after we were so nearly divided between the other two that we should all unite on the very next one. He is to have $1200 & the parsonage & the parsonage is to be wired for electric lights. Cousin George Stone got up & said that he thought we had better not chose [sic] a minister at once for he thought we should like to feel where that $300 was coming from & he did feel it was very soon for no one wanted to wait & everybody was willing to pay extra to help things out. They started a paper then & there & $250 was were pledge and Mr. Lord put nothing down there.

Cousin George was so generous that he made us laugh[.] He said that "he was willing to pay ten times as much as he did last year. He wasn't called upon to pay anything last year". Mrs. Louis Cobleigh rather surprised us when she announced that she thought we should make the greatest mistake of our lives if we let this man slip out of our grasp. We weren't aware that she had him as close as that. When some of the people went up to put down the amount they would pay Mr. Lord said for others to come right along, that he hoped they would crowd up as they do when they buy theatre tickets.

While some were signing, Mr. Fred Stone wanted to know how many were surprised when they heard the clock strike twelve last Sunday. A good many said they didn't here [sic] it. James Maynard said that he guessed he wasn't so surprised as the minister was for he was going by the clock & it stopped at 11.30. So to-day when Mr. Skerry took out his watch at the beginning of his sermon it struck me funny. I guess we have a got a very fine minister but I [am] afraid he won't stay long. He has some trouble with his throat & that is the reason for his leaving Soco. Mrs. Parker says he has two boys, one ten & one eight. The parsonage is going to be papered & painted so I don't see how they can come quite yet but he wants to come at once as the doctors are anxious for him to leave Soco.

I went to the Union with Miss Blodgett & the Curtises. Mama was going with me but when I took my music lesson Miss B- asked me to go with her & as Mama was feeling rather miserably I accepted later. The Curtises went with her. Mrs. Curtis was going to sing. The entertainment wasn't much but Mr. Hadley was there so I felt paid for going. He was ever so nice. He told me that Mr. Holly wished to be remembered to me & Mr. Gray probably did only he didn't say so. He danced with me & sat out part of another with me & I had quite a talk with him in the entry. They have another man working with them - a young fellow just out of Exeter. He thought it was pretty cold working now.

Our colds are all developing into coughs. Auntie was nearly sick all the time she was gone & still feels miserably. Mama says that she will send a Recorder instead of a letter. Auntie brought me a new postal card album which holds 284 though to look at it, it doesn't seem nearly as large as my other one. I have 236 now. She also brought me a white muffler which I want to get time to hemstitch. I got the handkerchief done while she was gone but didn't get it washed. I must stop for I haven't had much time to read. Only a little more than a week before Thanksgiving[.]

With love,
Molly.