[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]Templeton, Nov. 16, 1902.
Dear Lucy,
It is nearly six o'clock, and I have just got round and will begin my letter to you for fear some one will come later and I shall not get it written. I have expected Moses and Frank to come some Sunday evening and they may come tonight. Aunt Ada, Mrs. Wheeler and the two little girls have been here for the last 3/4 of an hour, waiting for the car - Uncle Warren and Mr. Weeler looked over Mr. Scollay's greenhouse. They had been up on Dolbear hill, and over to the Braithwaite's and got left, so put in their time that way. Ada reported all well at E. T-n. Carrie and Mary went up on Dolbear this afternoon, and Mrs. Morse and her four boys and Charlie Scollay went up there, so you see it was well visited to-day.
Mary told me yesterday that Mrs. Beal is dead, she died Friday night and M. thought her death was sudden. Mabel Titterton invited Mary to ride with her this morning, so she went instead of going to church. We thought it would do her as much good - she seems to get a good many rides this fall. What a lovely day it has been. I hope you got out for a walk, or don't they allow you to go to walk Sundays? I am glad you have called on Alice, as she took pains to go to see you - it wont be your fault now if you don't see any more of her. Is she to let you know whether she will come here for Thanksgiving? I want to know if she is coming, but I don't think she will. Mr. & Mrs. Lord and Bessie are going to Boston to spend Thanksgiving at Mr. David Lord's. I don't know where Margaret is going. I did not attend the Unitarian fair no one went from here but Carrie - she pronounced the entertainment quite nice - the pianist and singer came from Boston. Carrie substituted for Mrs. Roundy at the Whist Club Friday afternoon. They met at Mrs. Morse's. Mr. Morse got poisoned with dog-wood, but is nearly well now.
Friday evening the grangers invited Gardner & Westminister [sic] granges, and so many came (about 70) that they had not seats enough and Mr. Braithwaite came here to borrow chairs. I lent them nine, dust and all. Mr. Gray has bought the house Charles M- lived in and it is to be taken down or moved away at once - yesterday Charles had an auction and sold his housekeeping goods or part of them - he was his own auctioneer and there were quite a number there - the solid, respectable men about here were there. Mr. Joel Dudley, Franklin French, Mr. Roundy, Arthur Lamb, Mr. Bourn, Dr. Greenwood, Mr. Braithwaite, Uncle Isaac. I think there were hardly any 'low-down' people there, and it was as quiet as need be. I don't know where he is going - he says nothing about it. Mrs. Parker says James told him he could have a home there if he would let drink alone. I think it was a good deal for James to do. I should hate to have him about. Mrs. Parker came over here to sit by my kitchen window and watch the auction. Mr. Parker was clerk, so she was much interested.
Mary went to Mr. Abbott and asked him if he had any objections to her going back into music - he tried her some more and told her she could go back but he thought it a waste of time, the music will be so hard, he advised the Prep. but she has latin at that time: she is going back, but I rather think he is right about its being a waste of time, for some reason she wants to go, and we are glad to have her: it will not hurt her anyway. She got her report card Monday and I was well pleased with it - she got E in everything but English, and she only got F+ in that, but she thinks that is higher than any one else got, or she did not know of any one who got higher - even Johnson (Ichabod) only got F. She felt rather badly about it - said "Lucy never got F." I told her you was a good deal older. I think she did very well, considering every thing was new, and she began Algebra & Latin at home. Mr. Osborne 'waylaid' Mary and asked if you was coming home and hoped you would call at the school &c. Mary and Linnie are getting to be great friends. I don't think it is a very good thing, for Mary goes with Linnie and not so much with the other girls and by and by they will leave her out of every thing and Linnie is so much older she will leave her and Mary will be alone up here. Grace King had a candy pull Friday night and all the girls and boys up here were invited except Mary - Beulah, Rowena, Bessie & Helen all went, missed the 10-15 car and had to walk home.
Well, I suppose we shall see you very soon now. I don't think I will write again unless there is something special, for you will be so busy that you will not have time to read a letter Monday & Tuesday It would be your best way to get off at Athol as you did last June - you would get home at 8-30 and save 25 or 30 cents besides. I suppose it would be dark to find your way alone. Perhaps Helen would come with you - she would get home just as soon as it would not cost any more - not quite as much. If you don't come that way Carrie thinks you better get off at Otter River - she says she will meet you there, and if the electric will not wait for the train to get in, you can go to Mr. Lord's and wait.
That would be better than waiting around in Gardner. If the electric waits for the train you could get home at 8-15. Write which way you will come so we may know. Bring what washing you will not need till Christmas or later - we can't do much in two days. I presume you will have callers half the time You will not find Dick here. I got Mr. Lorenzo Manning to take him away last Monday - he had failed very fast the last two weeks and the last week I was afraid every morning that he would not be able to get up - two mornings he did not get up till about eight, and we did not think he could. I think he was in pain all the time by the way he kept stepping. I hope, though, that I shall never have to do such a thing again: but I am very thankful that he could get up and did not get hurt or have any worse time.
I have had no company this evening, and now I will go and read awhile. I cleaned pantry all last week and you must get home before it gets out of order. We mean to have Mary have her picture taken tomorrow.
Much love,
Mama.