Dear Mamma:-I have come out with Anne to a very pretty glen just an easy walking distance from Ithaca and it is very pretty indeed. These glens surely are pretty places. I don't wonder the Cornell people often speak of them. They seem to be very free from mosquitoes too, which surprised me very much indeed.
Lucy Baker came Friday night and had to leave last night instead of Monday morning as I had expected. She stays with this Elmira aunt only a short time and Sunday is the only day she can see her as the aunt runs a dry goods store. She has supported herself and seven children very successfully every since her husband died fifteen years or so ago. Lucy was very tired this spring when school closed but she has taken a three weeks trip up the lakes from Buffalo to Duluth and back, going down to Minneapolis and stopping a week at Mackinaw, and feels very much better. She looked well. We went around the campus some Friday evening and stepped into the chapel to an organ recital. The organist isn't as good as Prof. Hammond, but the violinists played beautifully. Saturday forenoon we went to Taughannock Falls. Took a steamer for about an hour up the lake, and then walked perhaps a mile up a gorge with extremely high perpendicular walls. It was otherwise not as
highpretty or as narrow as others I've seen, but the walls must have been over 400 ft, perfectly vertical or overhanging in places. At the end the walls came around to meet, and at one place there was a notch and quite a big waterfall, straight down in one leap. They say here it is a higher fall than Niagara, and I guess it may be. There wasn't as much water as in the postal card picture, but that might be true with even moderately high water. There is a very steep slope up at one side a way back from the falls and we scrambled up that quite a way. I took two pictures, but it is hard to time things in the light in these glens. There is no way out of the glen nearly than half a mile from the Falls. We got back to Ithaca about half past two and after we had rested a while went out to see the rest of the campus. I was sorry Lucy couldn't stay longer, but glad to have seen her for a little.This noon I went to dinner at Dr. Kingsbury's - the head of the Physiology department. He has a very pretty home, nice wife though quiet and two little children. One other guest was there, a Miss Read who is also doing work in the laboratory. We had a very good dinner off of lovely dishes. It was a pleasant change.
Thursday evening we called on Miss Hoag and her mother. Miss Hoag is one of the Latin dep't. at Mt. Holyoke. They have a house at the edge of the town, which we had an awful time finding in the evening. Mrs. Hoag plans to make her home here. She was here while Miss Hoag was studying here some years ago and likes the place. Mrs. Hoag lisps decidedly, and some of her sentences sounded very funny. But she has a lot more spunk than her daughter unless I am mistaken. Miss Hoag called down Saturday to invite us to tea Tuesday afternoon.
Today is quite delightfully cool, I am glad to say. I do hope it will last this week. We have the final exam. in Chemistry Thursday afternoon and the last physiology Friday morning. I shall start Saturday morning unless I change my mind again. I think I gave you Elizabeth's address. Expect to go to Whiteface Monday. I shall be glad to get there and stop work a while.
Anne just fished a salamander egg out of the stream. I wish Emma were here, for it is quite a different kind from any we know. It is time to start home and I had better stop. I haven't your letter here, but I don't remember that you asked any questions. I am glad you are having some nice rides.
Much love to all, and to you,
Abby