Mount Holyoke College,
South Hadley, Mass.
April 5, 1919.
Dearest Sweetheart,
You don't know how glad I was to get your letter when I arrived here at M.H.C. I, too, Bub dear, enjoyed every minute with you. Only wish they could have been longer - But ah, just wait until May - Then, we'll have one long dance and a whole day and a half besides that I can hardly wait to see you again, dear.
Since I left New York I've done various and sundry things. To begin with, I had a fierce and awful chem semester xam [sic] - Haven't heard, as yet, whether I passed or not but am living in hopes, dear. Wish me luck for it is this that is standing between me and my diploma.
Let me tell you, dearest, about the excitement coming up on the sleeper. Six of us went to a play in New York Monday night and then we came over to the Grand Central to get the train. Well, we had sleepers arranged like this - [now you have to suffer with more of my drawings!]
This is the way we were located - well we came in and Freasie was already in the upper berth. Naturally, when we saw her we were very glad and for a time made quite some racket. Then we took some candy out & passed it round. Finally we went down to the dressing room to get ready to turn in. Well! All the other kids had gotten in but Buddie and me. I came down the aisle with my golden tresses hanging down & my kimona properly draped about me and a heavy coat over that? See? Well, who should be standing right outside the berth talking to Freasie who was already in bed but two youths - very respectable looking, I will say that for them. We stopped short in our tracks and turned to one of the other bunks to talk to some of the other kids. Ye gauds, Bub if they both didn't come down the aisle and touch us on the shoulder. They both doffed their hats and said, "Now see here, we're trying to get up a party tonight at 12 o'clock - you know we are all going back to study tomorrow! Now we brought some ginger ale and some other spicy stough [?] back with us and we want to mix it. Now you tell us where your berths are and we'll stick a glass of punch in to you" - previously, I had given my name as Dorothy Smith & Buddie as Jane Walters. We told them we were both sleeping in #8 of the next car - Then we went back to the dressing room and waited for over a half our [sic] for the nuts to get out of the car. We then sailed back and got into bed - and, as we thought, fixed the curtains O.K. We thought we had gotten the boobs off our track by giving them the wrong no. of the berth - nothing doing, though - about one oclock [sic] after I had been asleep for quite a time I heard someone say, "Ah, Freasie please say good-night to me - Just have one glass won't you!" Then, lo & behold I turned over & there with his head thru the curtain was one of those nuts - He said, "A-ha- I knew you were fooling me Dorothy - I just want to say good night["] - Well, I switched on the light and told him in pretty plain language what I thought of him and said I would ring for the porter. Upon which they both immediately with drew - Ye gods, but it scared me for a time. Buddie was awake, too, so she crawled into bed with me. We found out that both of them were drunk and last but not least they were Phi Gamma Delta men from Dartmouth. Now wasn't that an xperience? [sic] The next morning in the train everybody about thought we girls were rather bohemian, I guess, for they looked at us queerly - There were 15 other girls on with us from M.H.C. and they, of course, wanted to hear all about it.
Listen, dearest, I'm going to tell you little things as I go along about Senior hop! For may day on Saturday if it doesn't rain! (pray that it won't) the men usually wear white flannels and dark coats! See how observing I am - yah-ha - then at the play Saturday night either tuxedo or full dress - You will have your full dress for the dance Friday so if you want that for Saturday night that is O.K.
Last night we had the Sophomore Senior hop up here. It was lots of fun - The poor sophs were so careful of "their" seniors, you know. To see that they did every thing O.K. more fun, It reminded me of my sophomore year, too, when we had to play the "men" to the upper-classmen. The kid I went with sent me flowers to match my dress - wasn't she the sport, though?
Well, dear Boy, I certainly have tired you enough with my chattering, haven't I?
Don't work to[o] hard and once in a while think of me, won't you dear?
All my love,
Fran.