Day After Thanksgiving
South Hadley Mass.
My Dear Father:
Our long anticipated Thanksgiving rest is drawing to a close, from Wednesday noon untill [sic] noon to day, and the hours are fast creeping on to twelve oclock - which means back to work again.
Yesterday was a tupical [sic] Thanksgiving day, it was a clear cold day with enough snow for moderate sleighing. We all went out to church like dutiful girls, feeling very bright and cheerful and expecing to hear a beautiful Thanks. sermon but our village pastor favored us with a learned discourse on evolution; the poor village folk looked as if they were vainly trying to grasp the idea. We concluded it was a discourse he had been preparing for the past year and just waiting an opportunity to deliver it.
We began the day by singing the doxology at table instead of having grace - an ancient custom, our dinner after the good old Puritan custom - was turkey stuffed with various garden vegetables I didn't approve of, but the mince & squash pies were perfect. Last night we had a Longfellow evening. The first thing was the reading of G. W. Curtis' estimate of Longfellow's writings, which we followed with recitations from his principle poems, and portraits from "Hiawatha" and "Miles Standish" Our venerable "villag[e] pastor" closed the evening by several gestures and a few remarks and led in singing a good old Thanksgiving hymn. I did not go home with my friend because I thought it would be more economical and profitable to remain here.
I am very sorry Edd [older brother] wrote home for money for me, I wrote and told him you had given me sufficient money for my coats and other expenses. I received your last installment of twenty dollars Saturday.
I bought my coat it is a dark brown plush sack very heavy and lined with a thick quilted lining. When I was buying I thought it was the kind of a wrap you would like, the price of it was forty five dollars but I got it for less.
I was very extravagant - when Nilsson was in Springfield quite a number of the girls and teachers went down to hear her, I thought it would be the only opportunity I would ever have and went. Her voice is fine beyond any conception I had of it, she sang Fausts' "Jewel Song" gloriously.
Good night Father wish I could see you, love to all, your aff. daughter Gertrude
P.S. Where will I go X'Mas? They are not going to keep open house here at the Sem. What do you think of either New York or Boston? There are crowds going both places, the crowd of girls that go to Boston will board at the Young Women's Christain [sic] Assoc. boarding house, Edd could get us a private place in N.Y.
I had intended to stay here untill [sic] this afternoon, when some of the girls told me they had asked if they might board here and had been told the house was to be closed. Gertrude.