July 3, 1918.
Bub dearest,
Its [sic] just a rush with the post-man whether or not I get this in this evening's mail. [She didn't. It was postmarked the next morning at 11am.]
I've been having the time of my life so far. When I'm not working about the house why Kid and I are usually off battling someplace else. The place is a lot more fun that I had anticipated. Every body up here is so nice to every one else - we really feel quite at home.
One of our neighbors a doctor at the Trudeau Sanatorium up here has asked me to come over to the experimental Lab on Tuesday and he will show me some experiments he has been performing on some Guiny [sic] pigs. He is going to take me all over the lab and explain things to me. The way it came about was that he asked me what I was majoring in up at school. When I told him Biology and Zoology he said my! would you by any chance like to go through the Labratories [sic] of the San? I said - "You betcha -" I think it is a grand opportunity and I didn't want to lose the chance.
Next week we have planned a trip to Lake Placid which is suppose[d] to be one of the very pretty drives around here.
No, Bub. dear, you didn't tell me about Ken's fine mark in the exam. My, but I'm glad - Leave it to him if there's any way for him to get to the top he is going to get there. He sure is having a chance to see France, isn't he? Why When he gets back everything will be - "now when I was in France this - " etc. There won't be any living with him!
The taxies in France are just opposite to what they are up here - why you can get in one down town at any of the stations and ride up to our place, which is just in the Saranac line, and they only charge a quarter. Couldn't want anything better. The cars are mostly seven passenger Buicks. Some Cadillacs - and by jinks, they are kept up beautifully -
I feel like saying the same thing about chem that you did but - Think what it means if I do not pass it next year - means no diploma for yours truly. I've simply got to pass it if it kills me in the attempt.
Well, dear, I must stop now as Mother is calling me - she says I've done nothing but write letters ever since I arrived in the berg.
By the way, Bubby - the other day I received a letter from one of the maids up at college - She is a very pretty French girl about nineteen - The way I became acquainted with her was that I used to jabber French to her when she was serving at breakfast. After a while we got so that we would talk quite a bit. The kids used to kid the life out of me about Una. It got me so peeved that the more they kidded the more I would have to be with her. It never dawned upon me at all that she would even think of writing but do you know she wrote me the sweetest letter. It was just filled with grammatical errors and mistakes in spelling but it beat a whole lot of these so called "friendly" letters that I get from
esome of the girls. It just goes to show that there is a whole lot more of the really, truly sincere feeling in the so-called "scum" than in a lot of this highty-tighty society stuff. Oh, I get so provoked at some of my friends sometimes. Really, they try to be sincere but only socially so - and I hate it. But I'm exactly as bad & worse sometimes, because I feel it myself. I live two lives - That is where my fault is. One is just the natural easy going, truly sincere life - the other is the high & flighty, shallow social life - and I thoroughly enjoy both that is where the pity lies. Really Bub dear, that is true about me - up at college, I had every thing any girl could want. I have it yet - popularity - offices - friends galore - yet where is all that going to get me? Absolutely no place. When I get down to Rock Bottom I have absolutely nothing - I'm not brilliant in my studies - why? because I'm to[o] much interested in the social side - There - What will I be able to do when I get out of college? Heavens only knows but - I told Dad the other night that I'm going to accept the first position offered me even if its [sic] teaching in a back-woods country school -This raving was all brought on by the fact of my receiving that letter - That girl has to work and work hard for a living and then just because
sheI speakstomeher she "cherishes my friendship because I would stop and (only) speak to her (mind you) when many times I might have been off with the girls" - She goes on to say what it means to "a girl like her" - But - do you see how she sought [sic] of elevates me and I'm rank & even ranker than she ever knows - By George, next year I'm going to make myself worth the friendship and the other kids can laugh -I'm sorry for you, you poor unfortunate dear, to have to stand all this ranting but Bub dear, tear this darn letter up. I'm just feeling so blue & disgusted with myself and life in general that I could almost -. But I won't - The old saying is, "Where there's a will there's a way" - I've got the will & I'll try & find the way -
Well, dear, I said mother was calling me before - she has given it up as a bad job now and has started doing the work herself - I'd better hurry or I'll "get mine" and then some -
Next time I write I'll try and not be so egoistic but sometimes I just an't help it -
As ever and ever
with love
Your (socialistic) Fran.[arrow drawn to word "socialistic"]
that's what I am today
tomorrow I may be a prohibitionist or something worse -