Monday evening
Dear Pat,
I thought you would want to read this letter so I am typing it. The bike is on the way. The expressman said it should arrive Wednesday or Thursday. It is a "Hercules" made in merrie England. It has a three speed axle to make it easier to climb those rolling hills on the campus. Except for a kick stand, there are no accessories attached. We figured you wouldn't be permitted to ride after dark so a light would be superfluous. We did send your bike basket and padlock along in the carton. If you want any other accessories you can get what you like in the Holyoke Pep Boys or equivalent. I am sending to Monkey Ward for instructions on care and maintenance as well as a list of parts and accessories. Mother packed some other things in the same carton, so unpack it carefully. Open at the top (spelled T-O-P) and be sure you find the basket, lock, sneakers, chair pad (no use getting corns studying), and dial soap. If the carton gets rained on during shipment, you may not have the best bike on campus but it'll sure be the cleanest.
The handle bars, seat and pedals must be installed. Perhaps you can get the maintenance department to tighten the bolts for you. You can't wheel it down there though unless you can remove the pedals as they are on backwards. They may be loose enough to remove by hand. Don't forget, one side has a left-handed thread.
If the maintenance men won't fix you up, better put an ad in the paper, "Mount Holyoke freshman with dissembled bicycle desires to make acquaintance of Amhurst [sic] sophomore with wrench. Object transportation."
We still haven't sold your old bike but we have unloaded the other two. If we can get fifteen bucks for yours we will nearly break even, except for transportation costs which we would have had anyway in shipping your old bike.
We note from your schedule that you can sack in every morning but Saturday. What a revoltin' reversal. Mother says you be sure to get up for breakfast every morning whether you have classes or not. She says she is paying good money for those breakfasts and she wants you to eat em.
I suppose all your morning classes are in Skinner Hall and except Physics which I presume is taught in the building behind the Art gallery. (Obviously, I have been studying the catalogue and pictorial map on the cover of that one brochure.) Don't worry about your studies, they'll come along. If they don't, be sure to seek any counseling aid that is available. Don't wait until you are so bogged down, you can't work out of it. Struggling with math when the instructor wrote the text must be like playing a team that brought their own referee.
Don't waste any more postage on airmail. Those planes must all hit strong headwinds. Takes two days airmail, one day regular mail.
I take it you prefer to have checks sent to you rather than open a checking account of your own. Don't hold that other Fair check too long. It's supposed to be cashed in 30 days. When you send a statement of the cost of the books, we will reimburse you in checks of about $15.00 each, instead of the full amount in one check. Is that the way you want it? In case you want to draw any of your savings, I am enclosing some blank receipts. Any time you might want to use some of this money, just fill one out and send it to us. I suppose you can cash our personal checks at the comptroller's office, don't have to be cashier's checks or anything like that, do they? . . . . . . . . . (Pause to look at my bank balance) . . . . If they're smart, they'll insist on certified checks.
I am also enclosing the latest blurb from Provinetown. [sic]
Mother says save your fancy seals for correspondence with others, now that we have seen them. They are very attractive.
We won't be able to come for you at Thanksgiving but we could come as far as Philadelphia, if you can make it there. Mother thinks maybe we can drive you back after Thanksgiving, but the weather might interfere. What kind of arrangements do you have to make as mentioned to Grandma in your letter to her?
Love,
Dad
P.S. Mother is sending a parcel tomorrow, including your t.w. ribbon. Be sure to follow instructions in your manual for installing it.
[two blank bank receipts from York County National Bank]
[advertisement for "The Clandestine Marriage," a play at Provincetown Playhouse in Greenwich Village, NYC]