South Hadley. Dec 6th 1851.Dear Duncan,
I received yours of the 30th, and it now lies before me. I wish always to write you when the stated time arrives for me to do so, although I doubt some whether my letters will always be very interesting to you. I fully sympathise with you in not getting letters from home oftener, not that I have been troubled much in the same way of late, but I know how very unpleasant it is.
What a delightful time they must have had at the picnic exibition [sic] &c. How I would have [...]ed being there! I have received an order of the exercises of the exibition. I saw Charles' name in it. He declaimed a piece by the name of 'Misconception' - Geo. Marston and H. D. Small spoke an original Greek dialogue. Among other things there was a concert of reading. It consisted of a number of little girls of about Margaret McArthur's age. They were all dressed in white, and had each a different coloured ribbon on, to represent the colors of the rainbow. The music was Pilon [?] from Cornish on the violin, and Wedgewood on the bass-viol; and some one from Saco played on a brass instrument.
I was not at all surprised that you did not enjoy Thanksgiving, as you would if you had been at home. I'm sure I did not, although I enjoyed it tolerably well. But it always seems as though that is a day upon which we had better be at home, for you know that we always have been at home before this.
We all went to church here in the morning, and then came home to a dinner of turkey and plum pudding. We spent the evening very pleasantly in the parlors and Seminary hall. The hall was very tastfully trimmed with trimmed evergreens and paper flowers. The evening passed away very pleasantly, with music calisthenics and refreshments. Miss Chapin gave us a short vacation of a week, in which those that reside in the neighbouring towns went home.
You speak of reading, very often. I hope that you read a good deal of your leisure time. When you have a good newspaper, that you are done reading, I wish that you would please send it to me, for I very seldom see a news paper.
In about five weeks comes my vacation. I am should be looking forward to it with a great deal of pleasure if I thought that I should go home, or, go to see you, but they have not written me from home yet to tell me so that I do not know.
Continue writing me punctually as you have done, for your letters give me a good deal of pleasure. I have been expecting a letter from Pamela for a long time. I wonder if she receivd my letter to her. It is growing dark so that I can hardly see to write.
Good night Duncan.
From your affectionate sister
To Duncan McArthur -