[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]
9 Auburn Place
Brookline, Mass.April 16, 1925
Well, I'm alive so far! This is the spell when I'm doing an experiment every morning for 9 consecutive days, Sunday omitted. This means analyses every afternoon and calculations every evening. Six days are done. They are well worth while - and I wish I had just about twice as many on these athletes. It may be necessary to corral them somehow! For there is certainly a difference between the "physically fit" young woman's circulatory apparatus and the ordinary. One of my Phys. Ed. girls is not the best type - she gets out of breath, compared to her associates, to her own knowledge. But she's better than the feeble Simmons damsels! For they are a poor bunch, physically speaking, it seems to me. There is one "athlete" I've not had at all yet, and she was one I picked out the day I saw them as a husky one. Here's to her circulation!
I was going to tell you about my adventure in literary Boston, wasn't I. Dorcas Weston, '23, wished to consult me about her future. It seemed to me she would not care much about Miss Major's, also I wanted part of my evening, so I planned to take her to some restaurant where we could talk and call it done. She called me up, however, on the appointed day to say that Mrs. Aldrich asked me there for supper. Now this is Mrs. Thomas Bailey Aldrich of Mount Vernon Street, with whom Dorcas lives, for company, as an old family friend, to keep Mrs. A- from being alone with servants. Mrs. Aldrich is 80+ but sprightly and the mistress of the ranch. I regretted having no time to prepare on the works of husband and on her own recollections - title forgotten!
Dorcas came to the lab for me on her way home from her own hospital lab job and we entered the portal of the lovely house close to Louisberg Square. Butler at the door to receive our umbrellas! We went up to Dorcas' room in a tiny family elevator (!) for the house is 5 stories. There was one guest staying at the house, a Mrs. Fuller from Rockland. Mrs. Aldrich had on a sweet bluish lavender light silk dress and she's as erect as Dorcas. Supper at once. The table had a cover of white all heavily embroidered with bright red small figures! Oriental I judged, but surprising. Also we had paper napkins, very simple at that! But aside from this, there was an elegance! Lovely dishes and silver, and the butler, 30 years+ with the family, Hannum by name, quite correct.
First we had chilled soup in delicate glasses. Then we had some fish patties, most delectable, with some bread stuff, I forget what. This was supper, for it was Good Friday and the servants were going out. It was early, 6:30, namely. Mrs. Aldrich is a bit deaf, but she expects to hear everything and we all spoke up. She's the delightful hostess type, and Mrs. Fuller was also a skilled conversationalist. Then after the patties, the butler brought in a "brazier" - it resembled a chafing dish strongly but with a triple lamp below. It appeared we were to have mushrooms on toast. It also appeared that Mrs. A- likes to do such things with a certain dash! The butter was put in - then two little pitchers which had been brought in with the correct quantities of liquid in which the stems had been cooked and of cream were added, with seasoning. Thus -
"Now, Mrs. Fuller, five minutes, just five minutes, by your watch!" And the mushrooms went in. But they did not boil!
"Hannum, I think there should be no hot water beneath this. They do not boil."
"It's all right - it'll boil," says Hannum.
Mrs. Fuller, "It'll never boil with that below." (but this to Dorcas & me, in low tone. - "It's five minutes" - also in low tone.) "Hannum - this is not right. They should be getting dark brown!"
Whereupon Hannum, who is a patient man, I judge, lifted the top pan, seized Mrs. A's paper napkin and bore away the offending hot water!
Mrs. Fuller - "It's ten minutes" in gentle voice for the mushrooms did not yet boil. But they cooked presently and at 15 minutes we had them served on toast, and they really were delicious.
There is a dog, Major Dobbin, the sweetest thing you ever saw - nondescript breed - but so gentle and intelligent. I can't stop to tell his pleasant tricks, but he is a dear. Mrs. A- has him write notes to Dorcas when she wishes to give her a present! Major Dobbin thought she ought to go home (to Portland) for a weekend. Major Dobbin thought she should have some rubbers at the laboratory in case of rain, &c.
The house is as it ought to be - dark and elegant and full of books and pictures and things given by the authors and artists themselves. And the lit'ry atmosphere is there, the real thing. After supper Dorcas and I were sent to the "little library" to talk and then I left early. 'Twas very pleasant. I was glad to have that glimpse of old Beacon Hill.
Anna Agassiz Prince has a son - Gordon Agassiz, born last Friday. She was at the lab as usual on Wed. It has been suspicious to me for some time, but a generous lab. coat was a fine garment, and I had no idea until a few days beforehand that the event was likely to be so soon. She called up the lab on Monday to announce this, and called up her mother fifteen minutes after the baby was born! All is well. I'll be sorry not to have her around for she is a nice person.
A letter from Alice Browne Frame regrets that I can't go, but makes no mention of Betsy's going! However, the Goucher vacancy is not yet filled, and that is a full instructor-ship and not bad, with Johns Hopkins as a neighbor. $1800. I think she can have it if she wishes. The Simmons place is still uncertain, and it seems to me less good scientifically. Goucher has a good scientific history and Miss King is a better person than the Simmons head, though Betsy would like Boston, and she might live with Caroline Holt, I think. Caroline wants to keep her apartment and faithful Mrs. Kelley if she can get some rooms rented to congenial folks. She hates to leave both her garden and her independence!
My cousin Jessee just called up. She's coming down next Sunday for which I'm ever so glad. She's never seen Koussevitsky and the Pension Fund concert comes then - Wagner mostly. She said she couldn't come, but I had gotten tickets because they were going fast, and so I wrote her again. She sent me a bunch of lovely arbutus, provided by Mrs. Groves, which came perfectly. It has lasted two days and will be fragrant for another. Caroline and I go up a week from Sunday.
The rooms and suites do seem a bit mixed! I surely thought from your letter that Miss Hussey was driving Miss Randolph out of her suite! If Miss Randolph should take those rooms, either Miss H- might have to come back or Miss Snell's plan might get active. However, I don't believe she'll stay many years longer in South Hadley. I wish something would turn up so Gertrude and Florence could keep my suite, for I hate to have them leave the house. The Scott place would be lovely for them except for the work of it - just the sort they'd love. But it would be too hard for Gertrude who'd get the brunt of the care.
Well, there seems nothing to be done now, as far as I can see, though if there is danger of Miss R's moving down, I'd certainly like a whack at her suite! It would be pleasant, to put it mildly, to be on the floor with you. I wish Miss R would keep it a year more - but that is purely selfish, and I ought not to afford it for probably another Charlotte would not turn up. But it's a heavenly suite! I'm not sure I wouldn't take Gertrude's and Florence's old rooms year after next even with the Hahn clay pipe below, that is, if they should be available by Eleanor's getting Miss Pierce's. I'm glad the latter will have such a good time, but her place will be hard to fill.
I can't grieve over Miss Hazlett's departure! Aren't there some Mt. H- candidates among your girls who have been studying? Seems to me you've had some good ones - not Mary Steinmetz! I think it would be nice for you to have somebody like Betsy around in your department. She's 5 years out now.
The garden is behind those here, but I'd give 10 cents to see it. Asparagus starting?
Love to you, honey dear -
AbbyOh, I forgot. Arnold Arboretum had nice things Sunday. The early yellow shrub - before forsythia, slightly, is Cornus mas. Also Cornus officinalis but not quite as good. Seems hardy - in parks &c. There is a yellow stemmed variety of the same thing we have in red stems (another Cornus) out by the corner of our drive near the house. The two are planted together very effectively in the Arboretum. Aren't these stamps pretty? [Scott #618 Lexington Concord]