[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]Steubenville Ohio
Sept 16, 1880Dear Sister
You will wonder why I did not write you sooner but I thought I would wait until I got nicely started and have something to write worth writing. As mother has probably written you I had a letter from Dr. Reid on Saturday after you left and I started the next Wednesday afternoon. Arrived here Thursday morning at half past ten and went to work as soon as I got my face washed; have been busy ever since and expect to be busy all the time. I like it just ever so much and have not been one bit homesick. My work is not going to be very hard; not as much so as it was last year by any means. I teach every day from nine till half past twelve in the forenoon and every day but Wednesday from two till half after three in the afternoon. Wednesday I only have one class from 2 till 2.45[.] The rest of my time I have to myself three weeks out of four. Every fourth week I have study and by that I mean that I have to stay in the school Hall and watch the girls while they study see that they read their Bibles, take them out walking, call the roll dismiss the classes &c &c. That week I shall be kept very busy but on the whole I shall have quite a good deal of time to myself, for reading or improving my self in some other way.
My classes are U.S. History, Geography, Arithmetic[,] Algebra, Geometry, Grammar, Latin Grammar, Biblical Antiquities and Spelling. There are four of us who teach common branches two quite a good deal above forty and two under twenty five. One of the older ones is a married woman whose husband lives in Illinois. The other graduated at Mt. Holyoke in '58, and has been a teacher ever since. Miss Paull the young one is a graduate of Blairsville Seminary and has been here two years before this. She taught only part of her time previous to this year but now she teaches full time. I do not know her age but she is very little if any older than I am. We are both large and look very much alike in every way. At least so the girls tell us and I guess there is a good deal of truth in it.
Dr. and Mrs. Reid are very pleasant. Mrs. Reid and I had a little spat about morning the first day after I came but she is all over it now and I think respects me all the more for my spunk. She wanted me to room with one of the girls and I rebelled for I knew it was an imposition. I told her I would much prefer to take a small room and have it to myself so she gave me a little bit of a room with a single bed. Miss Buxten [sic], the Mt. Holyoke teacher, has one just like mine and she says they measure 9 ft by 10 1/2[.]. I have in mine my bed, a ward-robe, wash stand, small bureau, table, trunk and three chairs. Before long I must have a stove. And yet strange to say there is room for me to get in and turn round. However I would much rather have it than room with the young lady Mrs. Reid wanted me to take. I think I ought to have my time to myself out of school. I am not paid for all my time and I do not mean to give it all.
I was out at church twice on Sunday and was at prayer meeting last evening. I know I shall like the pastor and enjoy going to church and that is more than I did either in South Hadley or Mechanicsburg. I met Dr Beatty the morning I came but have not seen him since. Mrs Beatty called on me Saturday and gave me a very kind invitation to go over and see them. They have rooms in another house just joining this and eat in our dining room at a table of their own. The old Dr is quite childish and [...]. They travel around a great deal. Are going to Phila. next week I believe. I wrote a long letter to Miss Jennie Rea yesterday, the first I have written her since before I left Millstone[.] I asked Mrs Reid the other day if she remembered Miss Jennie. "Oh yes" she said. "She was one of the good, good girls." Now I must stop for the school bell will ring in just a moment and I must do an errand first. Write me as soon as you feel able and tell me all about your new life in Wooster. With love to all I am
Sister Lillie