A Letter Written on Jan 31, 1904

Templeton, Mass.
Jan. 31, 1904.

Dear Lucy:-

I have had a splendid time this week. Cousin Fred has been here all the week but he is going home to-morrow. I think that things will seem pretty quiet when he is gone. The main subject of my letter will be Cousin Fred for I haven't been anywhere except to school[.] It is the first week since before Xmas. Cousin Fred took some pictures of Kit but Mama is afraid that they arn't [sic] very good for when she saw Kit he was looking pretty sleepy. Cousin Fred has tramped most of the whole town of Templeton over after pictures. (He went up to the cemetery & up the Brooksvillage road to-day!

Sat. night he took a moonlight picture. Saturday I was making cake and he wanted me to put most everything in it; he thought that some harness blacking that we had in the house would give it a lovely color. It was chocolate cake & when I put the chocolate in I asked him if he didn't think that it looked better thatn if I had put the blacking in & he thought that it did! His rule for cake is 1 cup of eggs, 1 cup of salt & 2 cups of sugur. [sic]

We went down to cousin Minnie's this afternoon. We stayed about an hour & a quarter and thought it was plenty long enough. Worse is no name for the sound that we heard. Part of the time I had both of the boys in my lap at the same time. It made a lap full.

Last week Helen, Bessie Willie & Linnie were sliding down the hill by Bessie's house and Helen dropped her foot & took tore her shoe most off and hurt her foot some. They took her into the house and after a while took her home. She didn't go to school the next day but she is about well now. She has an awful cold-sore!!!!

How did your come out on your exams.? Did you spend the "Day of Prayer" in praying that you might pass in your exams.? I don't see why they put it then if it isn't for that purpose. Helen got 97 on her exam to pass of her D. Bessie took five and got 76 on those. She takes the rest Monday.

X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X 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 X X X X X X Mary.