Chapel Hill N.C.
May 15 - '83My dear Mother -
You expect many long letters; if I wrote all I would like to they would certainly meet your conditions. There is so much that I notice & think of writing at the moment, but when I sit down with pen in hand what seemed a great deal dwindles to almost nothing.
As I know you are more interested in your girls than in the weather etc. I shall be egotistical. We are both well & enjoying ourselves very much. Flannels & colds have become things of the past & we revel in the fact. What have we done? Nothing much & yet every moment seems occupied - Jennie wrote you Sunday that we expected to go to church with two of the students. Jennie's escort was on time but mine was quite late - I teased him so much about it that he said he would retrieve for it if I would only stop. After church they came in & we chatted till ten o'clock. The night before the gentlemen staid till eleven much to our disgust & we were quite pleased when they left on time.
Yesterday Mrs Spencer invited us to go with her & Prof. Holmes to Wintergreen hill. We five girls Mrs. S. & Prof H. composed the party. We walked out & rode back in a two horse wagon, sitting on straw. We stopped at Mrs Mason's who lives quite near the hill & rested awhile, we also borrowed a pitcher & spoon to make the lemonade. Mrs M. is the lady Grandma told us about that lost her two daughters within two months. She seems very sad & lonely & was very glad to see us - said she knew Papa but did not know you.
We got home about half past six, tired enough, but not able to rest for we expected callers at eight. Two young men came & kept us talking till eleven o'clk. We got to bed about twelve & much to my discomfort I could not get a wink of sleep till half past two. My face burned & I felt so nervous that I could n't lay quiet long enough to get to sleep. Mrs Battle called yesterday morning & several young ladies while we were out. I like Mrs B. better than any lady I have seen. Jennie found yesterday morning that it would be necessary to have a sun down so as she had given Susie hers, Susie bought one for her. The number to choose from was veyr small & the hat Jennie got quite large, so that it was suggested that I take the new one & Jennie take the one I brought, so I sail around in a large leghorn.
This morning I went with Susie to Mrs Newton's to take her dress. Mrs N. told me about the first time she saw you - said she noticed a very beautiful young lady sitting next to her - she watched the face & thought she had never seen such a lovely sweet face, of course she wondered who it was & was most in despair about finding out when she saw a name on the corner of her handkerchief - it was no other than Ellen Thompson. She said you & Aunt Selina were the prettiest girls on the place.
Tonight is Prayer meeting so I suppose we will have the evening to our selves. It is very warm but there is quite a breeze & thunder & clouds seem to predict rain.
Aunt Selina got a package from Uncle Henry this morning - it contained a black cashmere for her & a lawn apiece for the two little girls. Every one seems to be anxious for Aunt Selina to go down to Jennie's commencement. From all I have heard I think she is going to get a medal. I hope we can persuade her to go - Mrs. S. says that she hasn't been out of the county for years & it would do her lots of good to go. Aunt Selina said the other day that Mr John P. had become a Christian since his mother's death - before then he seemed to be, or was, an infidel. Mrs S. mourns for Mrs P. a great deal.
The house here needs lots of fixing up, but we are all happy notwithstanding - there are a great many things there at home which I wish we had brought with us. If you will send that lot of cards I brought from N.Y. I think we can put them to good use - they are in the table draw in the front room - then there [is] a lot of cards Papa brought up from the office which you might send also. I didn't know till a day or two ago that this is your room as well as Aunt Fannie's. We expect Aunt Fannie & Mamie before commencement. They are keeping house in Statesville. Mamie has a small school & her mother helps her, I believe they are doing nicely. Shall try to write to Papa either to-day or to-morrow. Prof Venable [?] has not called yet, so I hav enot had an opportunity to mention Prof. Hall.
Write soon - Love to each & all.
Lovingly
Your daughter
Alice.