[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading]Pittsfield, N.H.
July 19, 1903.Dear Lucy,
I suppose you are enjoying life in Massachusetts' prettiest village as I am in New Hampshire's. If quiet is all that is needed for rest I certainly have got thoroughly rested since I came home. I got home the Monday noon after I left So. Hadley; said one day with the Curtises as I planned and found Montwait with no difficulty. It is a little settlement of about a hundred cottages in the woods, entirely out of sight from the road which is only about a third of a mile away. It is the main road between Framingham and So. Framingham and Montwait is about half way between. There is a flag station there so I came home by R.R. For about twenty years the New England Chatanqua held an assembly there and that is how papa's cousins came to have a cottage there. They are real pleasant old ladies and I enjoyed my visit much as of course they talked a good deal about seminary days of fifty years ago.
I am afraid we would prefer to stay at home rather than go away to school as it was then. My cousin told about part of her domestic work at one time being a floor to wash which froze as fast as she could wash it. One thing however under the old regime perhaps you could appreciate as well as some other girls who lost silver as you did. The girls in those days kept their spoons in their rooms and were told when they were to need them and would bring them down to that meal. What do you think of that plan? My cousins seemed to feel that the tuition ought not to have been increased as it was changing the school from its original purpose. Have you seen anything about a bequest by a Mr. Todd? I couldn't find it in our paper but one of the neighbors told me about it.
I have done practically no reading aside from newspapers and now studying. I don't know how the time goes so quickly there seem to be no results to show for what work I have done. I guess I have done full as much housework as anything and the results of that are not very gratifying. I have about finished a light dress out of one I had six years ago. I thought I wouldn't have it to make later. I am going to Chatham the first of Aug Abby and Vila both wrote a very favourable recommendation of the place and got me a chance to go. So I shall be away for 5 or 6 weeks. Florence is visiting in Keene with two other girls. Fannie has not returned from the N.E.A. We are going to make ourselves raffia hats when she gets back. I have begun a bead belt on the principle of Edith's chair and it is a beauty. I saw some in Spencer.
With love Louise
I have not heard from any Mt. Holyoke girls excepting Cara who is wasting her brain on vile stuff like Trig. she says. Is that the way you feel? I was surprised to get credit in Lit. My letters will be forwarded & as I don't know just when I shall go you can direct to Pittsfield.