[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading]South Hadley Mass
Dec 13th /68.Dear Clara.
It hardly seems
toneedful that I should write home tonight in as-much as I'vealreadywritten twice before; but it is Monday evening and by force of habit I've seated myself for writing. We that is all the inhabitants of the Sem are now "fully under sail".There are about twenty here who were not last term four of them Fannie Hatch Lottie Smith, Annie Kuhn & Minnie Thompson being seniors, so now our class numbers thirty-nine, if Hattie Kittridge could only come (but she can't.) we would have forty, which I think would be a much more respectable number than thirty-nine. Among the other new old scholars are Ida Sutherland and Viette Brown, among the new scholars are a sister of Lizzie Hodgedon's and [sister] of Annie Dearborn. Having had three lessons in Mental Philosophy and Literature, I feel prepared to give my impressions concerning them, and I can say that I expect to like them, and especially the former very much. to be sure they will require considerable attention, but I can't
makesucceed in regarding them as such bug-bears as Ella used to do. The teachers are not nearly as formidable as I had expected they would be. At first I was in the second division, but have had to change on account of gymnastics.We commenced to practise gymnastics Friday. Miss Newhall is back for a few weeks, tomorrow reading classes will commence, the classes are quite small and we are to read fifteen minutes, three times a week. We should doubtless have commenced to sing before this, if Miss Tirrel had been here. She staid here during vacation, but Wednesday we met her in Springfield and she said that she was going home to stay until Monday we learned afterwards that she had been sent for, to sing at the dedication of Mr. Meade's new church. We have a reading-circle at the hour-bell before supper. Therefore you see that my time will be pretty well taken up, and my room-mate if she were in the room much might have the same reason to complain that I have had for the last two years.
Misses Ballantine and Bowles [Bowers?] are the only teachers who were not here last term while Misses Holmes and Parsons are missing. Miss Ward is apparently as vigorous as ever.
In recess meeting this evening Miss French told us that a letter had been received from Miss Parmelee and it would be read to us tomorrow morning I shall not be able to tell you anything about it in this letter, but will try to do so in my next. Steam seems to be in very good working order, and the contrast between the temperature of our halls at the present time and that a year ago is not very slight I can assure you.
I hope you will write me just as long letters as you possibly can, don't forget how you prized letters a year ago. How can I write a moment longer when my Mental Philosophy seems constantly beckoning
itme towards itself and the thought that I shall have minute [?] time unless I commence to study it immediately issuggesting forcing itself upon me. So with love to all I sign myself your aff. sister Millie Minnie Fiske left her muff in the B. & M. depot when she came on, she telegraphed to her cousin to get
Fridit and Friday night it came. Hope that the next letter I receive will inform me that I have been as fortunate as she I resolved to write my letters more carefully this term[.] this looks like it dont it.