[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]Tuesday 7 P.M.
Brief letter tonight for faculty meeting comes at 7:30. I'm tired as a dog. These early mornings and hours & hours of lab. work are wearing. A. Wilcox ought to help me. She offers to, indeed, in a half-hearted way, but if I do say it as shouldn't, I think she'd muss things, and I want 'em good the first time.
Yes - I'll be glad to look for your cup - Do you want me to look only, or to purchase? Didn't quite understand. Thought perhaps you'd rather purchase on your way back next Fall if the pattern is a stock one. There's a lovely Boylston St. store under the Colonial Theatre that I've been pining for an excuse to enter all the year.
Took my Sophs. birding today as it rained yesterday. They are drear girls. The ruby crowned kinglet sang very well for them. I counted 25 birds that I saw or surely heard this A.M.
The girls are wild - Student Gov't Pres. was announced today. They have polls open for several days for voting and then result announced. Everybody knew who she would be - fine girl. All around the Centre - present Pres. struck the big gong and then announced the result - great clamor & yells galore. Then they processed around the house - Pres. now-vice Pres. & between them next Fall's Pres. carrying flowers & flowers. Then the Juniors singing - then the Seniors &c. They came around to the front of the house for many more yells & speeches. This old hotel does certainly give the College a unity now lacking at Mt. H- College Hall Centre is the place for all such festivities. (tivities is that last)
Yesterday I went birding after breakfast - nothing rare. Then lab. work steady until 5:30. In the evening Leland Powers gave Lord Chumley. He surely is entertaining, tho I think some of the characters were better done last Fall by the Juniors. The "cast" sat in the front row.
Today birding - lab - quiz which the children thought awful - more lab till five - then a walk to the village, and I'm awful tired.
Christina MacKenzie, one of the Revell girls, sent me a big box of lovely arbutus. By the fine mail service here, I learned at 5:30 last night that I had a package, but couldn't get it till this morning at nine. Some I had to throw away but I've had my green vase full around everywhere today. The fragrance is lovely.
The children are still singing and clapping for "Juliet" - I judge she has appeared. Such officers always dine at the College Hall Guest table the night after election. That is the table at the end of the dining room. I suppose real guests were formerly there & the name still clings - now Dean Pendleton takes the college guests mostly to her little dining room.
You needn't turn up your nose at Miss Coman. I have found her very pleasant this year - She does a lot of things for the College - And anybody that Miss Bates lives with is to be looked at twice. Speaking of gems, Miss Bates is irrisistible [sic] - She was telling at lunch today of her Irish maid - an elderly person - Miss Coman asked her if any of her relatives were in the Irish famine and the woman replied that her mother was born in the famine - and a lot of her relatives were born in the famine "but I don't know as I 'iver heard any of 'em say they died of it."
Faculty meeting is thro' early. No particular business except voting for honor scholars with stipend, there being four scholarships in the gift of the fac. People waxed enthusiastic over the merits of the candidates for Durant scholar - but no enthusiasm appeared over the daughters of "missionaries & ministers."
The librarian's report was read - an interesting document from a literary as well as library standpoint. Dramatics ever appear & requests for constitutions - mostly refused.
Now I'm going to write a note to Christina and go to bed.
Should also tell you that Miss Bates' maid once remarked that she didn't see why they needed an open fire - she wasn't cold. Miss Bates hadn't been paying attention, but after a while woke up and asked "Did you say you were cold, Mary?"
"I may be an Irish woman, but I speak the English language, and I speak it so's to be understood, at least by them as has any brains"
This morning she told Miss Bates how Sigard, the dog, had seen a ghost. "He was a-staring right ahead when I came down stairs - his eyes was a-sticking out and his fur all bristled up - but he turned to me with the beautifullest smile on his face! He'd seen some of his friends what was dead."
Yet again - the maid explained the first time she was told unexpectedly to put on an extra plate for a guest - "Mother of God, what a shame!" Whereupon Miss Whiting said - "Well - Katharine Bates, you do always strike the most amusing people!" I forget whether you've ever seen "Sarah Frances" otherwise Miss W-. She is an o.m.
Good night - Love to you -
Abbie.My mother says her eyes are no better. My father has gotten over his backache, but he'll get something else soon. He's feeble - very.