[There are two letters in this envelope postmarked Oct 18, 1895. One is dated "Monday Jun 18?" and Jun 17 is the Monday in 1895. The other letter is also datelined on a Monday, but no other clues are given to the full date. I will assume the letters really date back to Jun 1895 (this one speaks of the upcoming Fourth, so I believe it really does mean to be dated in June), and were mailed by Alice back to her family when she returned to South Hadley in the fall.]Monday PM. June. 18?
Home.
Dear boy,
There you have gone & said & done it after all - a success beyond my wildest dream - I feel now as though we might take the "Bristed Scholarship" next year if we really set our heart upon it.
I thought the three weeks of measles would be a big drawback to your mathematics especially, but it seems not so. C[..] will have to look to his laurels by the class of another year.
Of course you know what I think about your coming home. The quicker the better is my sentiment felt & expressed - I might spare you two or three days if necessary to visit Miss [?] Lester & see the boat races, but I don't see yet how we can get along very well ten days - It seems strange to me what Mr. Stone can want of you fellows so near the Fourth - Abington would be a safer & cooler place than he will find for you - Is Lester going? The house is turned upside down this PM. & part of it out of doors - Seffie is cleaning out the corner rooms. It is hard work - I helped her some about the washing. I shd. want some time to fix you off to Chatauqua [sic] that is if you brought any dirty clothes or holy stockings - Perhaps you cd. leave your medicine bottles in your bureau drawers, set up in the corners - I have plenty of Ponds Ex. Ginger Peppermint & the like here -
I must try to help Seffie if I can - She is at work alone now - It is fearfully warm trying to work today - No more time now
We expect Rev. Mr. Williams & wife from Chaplin to call here this P.M. on their way to Rut [?] for meetings tomorrow - so I have changed my gown -