Mt. Holyoke College
Oct. 23, 1904.
My precious sister Mary:I received your most interesting letter last Wednesday afternoon. I wasn't expecting it till Thursday so I was happily surprised. I always get all my letters at once, as company all comes at once. That time I got your letters, yours and Mamma's, and one from the north of New Hampshire I suppose you couldn't ever guess who wrote it. Well I will leave it to your imagination for the present, and write about our trip to Smith College. Elizabeth wrote that she would like to have us come over Wednesday afternoon as she wouldn't be busy, so Mary, Edith Damon, and I all went over. (I like Edith very much and also Gertrude Fowler, one of Mary's other friends.) Well we started at quarter of one and took our lunch. We can have our lunch given us on Wednesdays if we want. We walked over to Smith's Ferry. (I got your letters as we went into the P.O. on our way.) It is about a mile to the Ferry. We went over in the ferry boat that time for a team was going over too. Then we thought we wouldn't wait for a car but walk a piece, so we kept on and on till we finally got to Mt. Tom junction[.] Perhaps you remember that station, Auntie. It is the one just before Holyoke. On the roadside we found some lovely large chestnuts which we couldn't pass by, so we stopped and picked as much as two quarts I should think. There was a house near by, so Edith and I went and asked if we might have them and we also asked for a paper bag to put them in. I guess a man lived there all alone and he looked too lazy to pick up chestnuts, so he said we could have them. When we reached Mt. Tom station we thought we had better take the car, so we waited. We were covered with dust, for it was just fearfully dusty. (It was before that blizzard of Friday). I forgot to mention our lunch. We sat down on the grass just this side of the river, where there was a splendid view of the water and the mountains behind it, and ate it. We had sandwiches and dried beaf [sic], cookies, pickles grapes and benanas. [sic] We also bought us each a lollipop or rather Edith got them. That is a very fashionable kind of candy here. The first thing we did when we got to Elizabeth's was to wash up for we were dusty creatures indeed. We never reached there till four, when we might have got there in about an hour, but we had a fine time on the way. Elizabeth has a very pleasant room in a private house, and her room-mate is real nice. She is very different from Elizabeth, quite stylish and she talks of "Mademoiselle" and "Fraulein" and seems to get right into the swim. Elizabeth had all her Pinkerton picture[s] round the room. It seemed like Pinkerton indeed to see so many familiar faces. Did you ever see a camera picture of Villa and Thamas taken in their costumes of "As you Like it". Babe looks just as handsome and sweet as she looked that night. She has her boy's costume on. Elizabeth had Woodbury's picture. Babe let her have it. Babe told her she could have anything of hers that she wanted as long as she was going to college. "Lib" also had a picture of Mrs. Prescott. You had better write for one. They are new ones taken this fall. She said that Babe wrote that one day they said Mrs. Haskins couldn't live through the day Do you hear anything from her? Lib took us through the college grounds. There are more buildings than here, but most of the dormitories are smaller than ours. Their grounds are laid out very prettily, and it is fine there. Northhampton [sic] too is very pretty, nice dwelling houses and nice stores and fine trolly [sic] cars, like Boston ones. I hope I shall have a chance to see more of Smith sometime, for we just went through the grounds. We started for home at six and went in the electrics as far as the ferry. Then we had a row across the river in the moon light. It was very fine, with the lights of Mt. Tom House shining down into the water. We arrived at Mead at seven, just too late to get our dinner, and we were quite disappointed, for they had frosted lemon pie, and the cook makes delicious ones! So I went up to the store and bought a dozen cakes, for I thought we wouldn't be able to study very well, for we were quite hungry after our long tramp. (Tues.)
Now, about Thanksgiving Helen Smith is going on that same train and I can go with her all right. It will be just splendid. I think they will let me go all right for you see I don't lose any recitations at all[.] Mamma wanted to know about the bath-tubs. There are three on this floor, and I don't have any trouble at all about getting one when I want it. I wonder if Auntie went to Wilton Friday it rained very hard here that day, but Sunday & Monday were good days. I received a nice letter from Lena Cloyd last week. She told a good deal about her trip. She must have had a delightful time.
You wanted to know if I have worn my bead collar you made me. Indeed I have a good many times. Fancy collars are very useful I find, and Inez said what a number of pretty ones I had. She bought some blue felt and we are going to make us some banners. We can get them much cheaper that way. They are only about .21 cents apiece. My Dartmouth Banner is splendid, a great big one with "Dartmouth" in white on it. His letter was quite formal, nothing very sweet I can tell you. He said he was just threating [?] to send me one that week but "you surely got the jump of me. The combination of blue and white is good, but the college it represents is better." Then he wrote about the big time they are to have the twenty-sixth when they lay the corner stone of Dartmouth hall. Then he inquired how I like college and that McAllister and Forsaith seem to enjoy it. This is how he wound up. "I shall be glad to hear from you and your college life at any time you feel like writing Sincerely yours, Chester T. Woodbury" It began "My dear Classmate." You needn't suppose I am writing this from memory, for the letter is right before me. I am going to be good so you needn't worry the least bit.
It is field day to-day, and the different classes contest. I passed in Trig. but Inez didn't. I was supprised [sic] enough to find I was ahead of her. She didn't mark our Latin papers, but there weren't so very many red marks on my paper, so I guess I passed all right. The Juniors gave us a reception last evening in the gym. There were five short dances, and then they gave us a farce, "The Robber" and we had ice-cream and little cakes for refreshments. We enjoyed it more than the Senior reception, for it wasn't so formal and we had a better entertainment. I was very much interested in that paper cutting you sent me. Tyna Helman sits right behind me in chapel She is very pretty and the girls say she is very smart, and has a wonderful command of language. She isn't in any of my classes. Miss Parsons just came in and she wished to be remembered to Auntie when I wrote. She didn't know I was writing right then to you people.
The Library seems to grow every day and it is going to be very fine I guess. We expect a big time here when the corner stone is laid. I suppose it will be "Founder's Day" which is in a week or two. That is a big day here.
We are having an exciting time here, for we are carrying on a presidential campaign just as the thing is done you know. Each house represents a State. This one is New York and therefore republican. We have had our caucuses, and we are going to have a campaign dinner tonight The girls who represent the big men of the state are going to dress in men's clothes and we are going to have toasts and things are going to be done in fine style. We are to have a torch-light procession and bonfire some evening. We have signs all round "Vote for Roosevelt" or "Parker's the Man" or something like those. It is great fun as well as instructive. Did you read what Presidents, Tucker and Rogers, wrote in the Congregationalist? I was interested in it.
Now I have the finest plan ever heard of. The 12th of Nov. Alexandre Guilmant gives an organ recital. He is the one who payed [sic] at the fair. Then the 13th is Vespers and Wed. 16th is the English concert. Now if you, Mary, could only come Saturday and get here about half past six the same as we did, I could meet you at Holyoke or Amherst whichever you think would be better and you could stay till Thursday morning. It would be just grand! You would have a nice time to see round, although it doesn't look as pretty as it did a week ago, and have a chance to hear the music. I have bought two tickets for the English concert, but if you don't want it I can sell it all right, I think. We could sleep all right on my couch and it is only 25 cents a meal for guests. I think you could get here all right without any trouble, and I should be delighted. When you write tell me if you can.
Well I must close now and go and mail this. With love to every body, your little sister Carrie.
