Friday Evening.My dear Nell;-
Let me thank you for your sweet gift which I know will often prove useful after some of our cooking. You so successfully disguised it by wrapping it up & putting it in that square box that it was a complete surprise. But the cheek of you unlocking my trunk unbeknowst to me!
I wonder what kind of a vacation and especially a Christmas you are having. I haven't done a single interesting thing and doubt if I shall have a single story to tell when I get back to work.
It rained torrents all day Christmas, but I managed to paddle over to Church twice. The choir-boys sang divinely and put the true Christmas feeling in one's heart in spite of the depressing weather. Wasn't my mother a dear? She gave me a rarely elegant dress all made and ready to put on. In fact I am dressed up in it this instant together with some red felt house shoes which Auntie gave to me & which are truly gorgeous. This magnificence will dawn on you next week not so an oak table from the other three of the "Quadruped". I had two nice little books and some other things which I shall take to College among them a painted china ink-will [sic] from Marian which will make an elegant candle-stick! I also received some things that are of no use to me & so I've donated them to Mamma with lavish generosity.
Last night was the Sunday School festival. After the carols the children were served a delicious supper, truly, ice-cream & "sich". Some of us stayed & had considerable fun at the second table.
Abbie wrote me a nice little Christmas letter, so did Elizabeth who speaks of being back in Corridor D - how do you suppose she ever worked all those people from Mrs. Mead to her father? She had seen Alice and Mary.
Well, I am trying to inveigle Mamma who says she is already my "abject slave" to wash my hair, so
Farewell
Lucy