Mt. Holyoke
April 30, 1905.
My dear sister Mary:I have just finished a three sheet letter to Helen and now I will start one to you people. I got your two letters last week and the bag Auntie sent and will put my hat into it as soon as I get a chance. We have had a perfectly delightful day to-day. The trees are beginning to look green, and there is a little green bush outside my window which is already in blossom. It has little white blossoms and keeps in blossom till snow flies. I wonder if the Ivy has come out yet. I noticed that some of the Ivy here onthe buildings has come out. Last Thursday afternoon we had our final Latin prose examination. I didn't think it was so very difficult although it wasn't exactly easy. It will seem fine not to have any more Latin prose this year. Miss Steavens said I wouldn't have to keep up my German lessons much longer. She said I have made great improvement. Last Tuesday evening the Juniors gave their big play "The School for Scandal". It was something like "She stoops to Conquer"[.] It was very fine. Friday evening the Amherst Senior dramatic club gave a play in the gym. but I didn't go[.] They say it was very funny, but I would rather hear our College plays instead of spending my money for that. Wright Larimer has been playing in the "Shepherd King" at Springfield I guess I wrote you before. The Freshman-Senior reception is comming [sic] June 7th and I am going to take Katherine Dwight. She is the senior on this floor and her grandfather gave Dwight Art Memorial. She has just been in to give us some lovely candy. She is quite wealthy I guess and her people send her very expensive candy. She is just the sweetest girl. I asked Alice Thompson and Gertrude Norcross before but they were already asked[.] Do you remember the break Marion made when she asked her senior? You know, she had already asked two before and she told the girl so. I profited by her example and didn't tell Katherine she was third choice. It is going to be a pretty affair upon Prospect in the evening. May 17th we are going on our Freshman Mountain day up Mt. Holyoke. Last Thursday afternoon Miriam Kelly and I went to Byron Smith's farm after Mayflowers. She wanted to send them to her mother, and she didn't know where to find them. I went there the first Saturday after we got back so I knew just where they grew. We found a fine lot. They were just out fine, and we found one place where we could sit down and pick them all round us. She had never picked any before. I guess that was about a six mile walk. We were gone from three to half past six. I just love to walk like that. Last Saturday, yesterday, Mary and I met Elizabeth and started for Mt. Holyoke. We went through the Gorge. That is one of the important places around here. It is a long, very high ridge of rock which slopes almost perpendicularly to a wild little brook below. It is a very picturesque wild place, and we found lots of flowers beside the brook; two kinds of violets, mayflowers, dog-toothed-violet, Jack-in-the pulpit, Paligula, saxifrage, blood root (that is very handsome, the little white flowers look like wax) herpaticae, wake-Robin, and anemones. We had a delightful time looking for flowers. We took our lunch and sat down on the grass beside the road to eat it. Elizabeth brought fresh rolls and benanas [sic] and we had benanas [sic] bread and butter, cookies and dried beaf. [sic] We shared our lunches. Elizabeth is to be brides' maid at Ada's wedding, which is to be about the 28th of June. Oh! I think we are going to get home the day before Pinkerton Commencement. If I only can go, wouldn't it be splendid? Have you written to Lester? Tell me all about it when you write (Helen Smith just came in with some salmon salade [sic] on crackers for us.) Marian Webster has first honor, Myra Forster, second and Elizabeth Gross third. Elizabeth and Irene are comming [sic] to Smith next year and Bessie Bradford here you know. We shall have quite a Pinkerton settlement don't you think.
Monday morning
I couldn't finish this last evening as it was so near ten, so I will write some more now. I have just been to Chapel and returned a library book which I read yesterday Jane Austin's [sic] "Pride and Prejudice" and I only have one recitation to-day which comes out at two o'clock. Well I think I will tell you some more about our trip. We started to go up the mountain, but it began to sprinkle just a little so we thought we had better not go further. We went with Elizabeth to the ferry and then we started for home. The rain would stop for little spells and then come on again and for the last quarter on an hour it came down quite fast. Mary had no jacket on, but I had my coat so she was wet to her skin. The rain dripped off our noses and down our hair and we were sorry looking sights when we got home. We went about eight miles in all. We both took a warm bath and neither of us have any cold. I hung my skirt and jacket in the laundry to dry over Sunday so they are all dry now. My skirt needed washing so it had a good chance. We were sorry not to get to the Mountain house but we had a good time however.The Juniors have been practicing spinning tops lately, and the Seniors jumping ropes for the last week. "May day the Seniors clad in cap and gown, solemnly and silently (?) jump rope. The following day the "jolly Juniors" try to spin tops, accompanied by appropriate songs and cheers." The freshman class had their picture taken last Wednesday and it is just fine. They cost a dollar, but I think you would like to see how my friends look and what a fine class we have. I guess I better stop and study now so I will send a letter full of love to you all, Carrie
