[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]Templeton, Mass.,
Sept. , 1906.Dear Sister:-
I fancy there may be some things to write about but I really don't hardly know what they are. All my hopes are centered on Tuesday - the day of the firemen's muster at Westminster. If the men don't get a prize I think I shall array myself in a sack cloth and ashes. Next Sat. is the field day and muster (if two or three engines make a muster) at East Templeton. Eva has asked me to go with her and unless something happens I guess I can go. Auntie & I were talking of going over to Otter River & go up Bell Hill this P.M. but we have decided to go to-morrow. I hate to put it off for the trip has already been put off several times. Cousin Lizzie can't go if we go to-day, it will be four o'clock before we get over there, and I am expecting Bessie & Shortie up sometime before mid-night. On the other hand I am afraid Lucius will come. He endeavored to come home with me from church but I skipped him. The other night I took a little extra walk in order to avoid him. What would Roger say? Auntie & I are going down to the cemetery on the next car I fancy.
Most of the people are gone or nearly so. Bessie has had two days of Normal School and lives to tell the story. The older ones do lots of things to the Freshmen
donethere. Bessie, Grace Hubbard and Jennie Wyman have a corner suite. There is only one door that leads out into the corridor. The first night they went up after supper & found the things taken off their bureaus & laid on their beds, the things in their drawers made up in their beds, the globes twisted partly off the electric lights, etc. The girls were tired & as there was a great deal of noise around the corridor they got a key &unlocked their door. About mid night Bessie was waked by some one pounding & begging to be let in but she lay low & pretty soon the noise ceased. At two they were all awakened by a terrible noise at the door & finally Bessie heard a chair being dragged up to the door. She thought that they were going to put some one in through the transom so she got up & tried to shut it. The other person was stronger & a dish of water came through all over Bessie. A lot of rubbish was put in but the girls did not get in. Bessie thinks they will catch it worse than ever when they do leave their door unfastened. They are going to have the misery over as soon as possible however so they will probably suffer to-morrow night. Bessie says there is nothing but travel up & down stairs. Their room is on the third floor in the domitory [sic] & their seats on the 3rd floor in the recitation hall. They have recitations from 9.30 to 12:25 and music in the P.M. Bessie takes music, English, geography, history, botany, physiology, psychology, the study of worms & bugs, chemistry, I think there is something else but I have forgotten it. I should think she would be busy shouldn't you? Do they haze at Holyoke? If so I am going to enter as a Senior.Warren Seaver has gone to Cleveland. I suppose I saw him off for I saw him on to the Fitchburg car at West Gardner. I saw Ed Gregory the other morning (& came near being late to school in consequence.) I told him that we were cousins & I thought he would bust over the relationship. I saw Drake in at Primus Bennetts, the morning he started for Norwich, Vt, Eddy Tandy has gone to Brown. Elsa went Friday. She has been having a mild attack of tonsilitis [sic] & had a bad cold when she went. We girls all went down to see Helen off. Then Linnie & I went down to the saw mill & got two bags of saw dust. Linnie was real aristocratic for she tied one up with a green ribbon. She got a letter that night saying that Miss Keenan was going to be married. She also got a pair of sailor's trousers from Viny. I haven't seen Dwight to speak to since the first day of school. I think he goes the first of the week. Carrie comes to-morrow so I shall have a glympse [sic] of her.
I have had various & sundry postals from Roger. The last one said that he couldn't come back before college opened[.] Lucius was in Hubbardston last week & he sent me a postal from there. Cousin Emma sent me a couple. There is a new butcheress in town now. She arrived last Thursday & Mama said that
WedFri. Walter seemed more talkative than usual. It seems to be a girl year.Mabel took me to ride Fri. night. We went up the South road & had a lovely view of the sunset. Daisy doesn't go as well as she used to. The blacksmith says she is growing old but Mabel rather resents that for she is only thirteen.
Before Elsa went I played tennis quite a little. Mr. Stinson & I (ahem!) played against Willie & Theo. one set[.] I tell you I felt big. We beat the set too. Last Sunday we were all out on the piazza & the Stinsons went up. Mr. Stinson got out & brought the baby up to show to us. She was awfully good & didn't cry even when Mama took her in to show to Uncle.
Monday Morning.
Bessie & Shortie came down last night so I didn't have a chance to finish. Auntie & I rode up to the cemetery & walked back. Mama got Mr. Rice to pick her pears. She has sold one bushel to the fruit man & half a bushel to Mr. Blodgett. Imagine our pears being eaten by the "inmates"! I have distributed pears & flowers all around the neighborhood & Frank Akers is complaining because I have no license to do so. I think I shall have to get one of him. A week ago Sat. he went fishing. Though he [was] only gone about four hours he caught nearly forty fish. The next morning we had a present of some pouts. [?] I love them & I had to eat most of them (which did not trouble me.) I carried over some pears Sat. & yesterday morning Eva came over with a pitcher of sour milk. I don't know who will come out ahead if this keeps on. Cousin Bessie brought up a basket of lovely peaches yesterday so you see we are living on our neighbors.
It is cloudy to-day so I don't believe we can go up to Ball Hill. (It [is] growing pleasanter now) It always rains when we plan to. Mama says to tell you she has a tormented cold. She feels very miserable. It is one of those which you think is better & then without any warning is worse. I am glad that the sequel is promising well. I think you will be an experienced teacher without doubt when you get through at New Salem.
With love,
Molly.