Mt. Holyoke.
June 11, 1905.
My dear Mary,I have been a naughty girl to-day, for I stayed home from church this morning. You see it was exam. week next week, and I wanted to be fresh for the exams, so I thought I had better take it easy to-day. I took a "sit-up" last evening to study math. In fact I spent the whole day cramming the algebra. It comes at nine to-morrow morning. Then I shall begin right after that to cram Latin and so on one at a time, till next Saturday noon. Then Oh Joy! I shall be all through. Probably I shall be pluging [sic] German, while you are playing at you[r] recital so we can think of each other. I wish you the greatest success. It seems quite odd that your examination and mine should come the same week, for yours seems something like an exam. We know how to sympathize with each other. You must have had a beautiful time when you went to Boston. I know it must have been just the kind you like to hear. I think it was very fine in [sic] Grace to give you the tickets. I suppose you are having a fine time with Helen. Is she going to the recital with you this year, as I did last?
Mary received a[n] invitation from Ada to her wedding. I hope she has remembered you with one for us. It comes the 28th, the Wednesday after Commencement.
I heard some one playing "Angel Voices ever near" this morning and I thought of you, not that that is the only piece you play, but because I have heard you play it some.
I will bring home my Commencement dress, for I do think I shall need it perhaps, especially at the Alumnae. You know I sent my pique skirt to the laundry and, what do you think they charged for that one skirt. 50 cents! Just imagine it! and more than that they used blueine. I am afraid it won't look so fine with a pure white waist, as your nice white skirt will look. I think Auntie can do much better than the laundry. I am glad that I haven't sent many things away for it would have taken all the money I could rake to-gether. The skirt isn't awfully blue, only you can see that it is tinged with it. Then it is clean any way, so never mind.
This morning Mary and I went out after breakfast and got a fine lot of forget-me-nots and I found a four leaf clover. I hope that means that I shall have good luck next week. I put it inside my algebra when I got home. The brook is lined both sides with the little blue blossoms. I got some last Wednesday and I sent a box to Clara and I carried a bunch down to her mother. I would like to send you a box, but I am afraid they might stay in the P. O. so long, that they would be spoiled. Th[e]y wither easily if left out of water long, but they revive beautifully. Inez got some last Sunday and they have been beautiful all the week. The buds come out and the stems grow long, so they keep fresh and nice.
Tuesday evening.
Well I am through algebra and Latin and it is a great releaf [sic]. The algebra was very hard and long, but I hope I got through safely, that is all I ask. Every one thinks it was a very hard exam. The Latin was fine. It was long, but we knew most everything in it, or at least we ought to. I filled a blue book, which has sixteen pages. I wrote steady for two hours and a half. When I got out I found Mamma's letter in my box and also a postal from Cross addressed to Miss Mary E. Gowing. Did you get one to Miss Carrie L. Gowing? It is great fun to get letters after going through an exam. Monday evening I received a letter from Mary Nesmith Parsons. It was a very sweet letter, and I will bring it home for you to see. She hoped Mamma was much better, she was very sorry to hear of her injury. She said she would continue the conversation at Commencement. Wasn't that sweet! I also received a letter from Annie Pettee about a present for Ada. She wanted me to send her a dollar[.] They are going to get something silver. I am going to tell her to spend the dollar and I will pay her the money at Commencement for I want money enough to get home with, and a dollar would make quite a hole in my purse. I am looking out to have money enough to finish out my mileage.It has been very warm to-day. Just after dinner we had a shower. The sky looked very much as it did that time in Derry. You remember Mr. Campbell had company and they called us all out to look at the sky. It wasn't quite as brilliant as that but it was very grand and beautiful. To-morrow is the Senior Mountain Day. They started this afternoon at four o'clock in about eight or ten barges amid the cheers of the Sophs. They stay upon Mt. Holyoke till to-morrow night. They have a class meeting at midnight when they tell all their secrets, and tell whether they are engaged and all such secrets. It is a great day for the Seniors. They have been preparing their parts for a long time. Each one has has [sic] some part or something to do. Then they go to bed about two in the morning and get up again to see the sun rise. They get all tired out, but then they would not miss it for anything[.] The seniors do not have to take exams this semester. Miss Woolley is going to preach their bacclaureate [sic] sermon Sunday. The service is in the afternoon. I think I shall try to go. There are so many visators [sic] and friends of the Seniors that the under graduates do not have much chance to get in unless they wait a long time, but I thing [sic] I will try it.
What a disappointment that we can't go to Gene's wedding[.] I was expecting to wear my graduation dress to that affair. Isn't even Helen going? I should think she would never forgive him if they wouldn't let her go. I don't mean it quite as strong as that, but I should think she would want to go to see her brother married. I am sure I shall want to see you when you are married, and I shall feel hurt, if you do not invite me.
Last Tuesday evening the Seniors gave "Twelfth Night" as I wrote they were going to. It was simply grand. The costum[e]s were very fine, at least they looked very fine from a distance, velvet and satin and diamonds. It made me think of Pinkerton. I really think Forsaith made a better clown than this girl. Some of those Senior girls make dandy men, and they look so handsome that it would be very easy to fall in love with them. Harriet Allyn is very tall and she makes a perfect man. Her grind in the Llamarada is something about making such a fine man that the girls all fall in love with her. The new Llamarad[a]s are just out for the Junior class of this year. When they came out two of the Freshmen rode round on horseback blowing horns and they carried red shield[s] with the class emblem on them. There was a general excitement then I can tell you. Inez bought one but as they cost over a dollar I though[t] I better not get one as there are so many expences [sic] here, and I shall want one my Junior year of course, so I decided I wouldn't get one however interesting and pleasant it would be to have one.
Wednesday evening we gave our reception to the Seniors. I took Katherine Dwight, a very sweet girl who lives two rooms from us on this floor. There was a short entertainment after the reception and refreshments of ice-cream and cakes, and dancing.
I went to "Twelfth Night" with the Soph. whose room I am going to have next year. I found out that she knows Charlie Newell and Arthur Nichols. She went to school with them at St. Johnsbury Academy, Vermont. She hadn't seen them for some time, so she was much interested to hear what I could tell her about them.
This morning I received a letter from Clara Ridgway. She was much pleased with my flowers. She seems to be gaining and she hopes to go to Commencement. She writes awfully sweet letters. I went down to call on her mother this afternoon and carried her some more forget-me-nots. I had a fine call. I went up to her room first and then she took me down to the kitchen while she got supper. They were going to have strawberry shortcake, and she gave me a little dish of strawberries and a fine slice of cake. The strawberries were native ones and so they were delicious. Then she walked back with me to Mead. I had a fine time. She is going home right after Commencement.
I guess I will close now as I must write to Annie Pettee and Cross to-night. With love to you and all the rest of my beloved family from
Your little sister
Carrie
