Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

[written] 13

[typed] March 2, '97 Tuesday afternoon

My dearest Nannie

Am ever and ever so sorry I have been so long about getting this letter off; but this Friday and Saturday have been so full I didn't have time - with an examination today in Art History.

I did not go tto San Jose to the Glee Club concert and party as Helen and I had an invitation from Prof. Allardice to an informal little evening at the bachelor professor's house. We felt ourselves so honored that we wouldn't have refused for worlds. Only a few of the girls were asked, with Dr. and Mrs. Fairclough and Mr. and Mrs. Hodges as chaperones. Prof. Allardice, Prof. Campbell, Prof. Kellog and Prof. Young are ther four bachelors and the evening was in honor of a brother bachelor from San Francisco and a Mr. Snow who has just joined the faculty in the botany department. It was about the loveliest time I ever had on the campus. At first we played cards - hearts - and later foot-ball with an empty egg in the dining room table to be blown from one goal to the other - the most laughable thing in the world to see the professors blowing in the excited intervals when they were not roaring with laughter. The guest Mr. Stadweller was a very finelooking young man with very polished manners. The house was delightful with its bohemian collections from all parts of the world and its great roaring fires. I tell you it takes a lot of men to entertain well.

Saturday Theodora wanted me to into the city with her so I did and such a good time as we had. Mr. Stadweller went down in the bus with me to the train and there I found Mr. Pitcher - Sigma Rho Eta who was very anxious that I go to the baseball game in the city played by Stanford and some northern players but of course I didn't care to. He made a very pleasant escort however as far as Burlingame where Theodora got on. We looked at spring tings till we were tired to death - and I took my organdies for Miss Strander to make the high necked waist and Theodora got here some peach alpaca for an everyday skirt which she also took to Miss S. We saw some very pretty plaid greens silk at .50 a yard that Theodora got for me fo a shirt waist; and we bothe of us got 8 yds of linen for skirts instead of duch skirts. The silk shirt and the skirt makes a lovely combination. We waited till the 6:30 train so as to have dinner at the Palace Grill - I never enjoyed anything so much - such a delisious steak and coffee! It made me realize what poor stuff we lived on here.

Theodora came back here with me and went Sunday afternoon. Sunday morning weAlice Colt and I went to church and there I so Helen Lathrop and Eidith Cullen with Mrs. Gilman. I went home with them for dinner and a plum pudding and Helen drove me back in the little dog cart in time to see Theodora before she went.

Helen and Edith are coming to stay Wednesday night with me. Possibly we will have an invitation initiations at Miriam's house next Friday night and I shall take my new shirt waist and skirt down to Miss Smead(Ithink) to make up.

The summer things are so pretty, such lovely plaid linen skirt waists and dresses and beautiful organdies but not one so pretty as mine.

Yesterday I had to study for this art history examination which passed off easily this morning - by way of letting you know what we have been doing I'll enclose the questions. So far I have not been able to get ahold of the desired Sequoia but still have hopes - I never can catch the editor. The rain has begun against but we cant complain after this beautiful winter. I am so sorry my Nannie has the ...(I can't spell it but you know what I mean. Helen Lathrop sent ever so much love to my sweet aunt.

Very loving Toodles

We have hopes of having the dining room in entire charge of a very excellent lady who will make it dainty and pretty beside furnishing good things to eat...at present it is very poor.

[written] 19

[typed] March 29 '97 Monday afternoon

My dearest Nannie

Your dear good letter reached me this morning and I am so glad you are in New York feeling like a bloated millionaire; tho' I suppose before long you will be going back to . A week ago Saturday Theodora and I went to San Jose just for the afternoon to see about selling the furniture your dear precious letter was such a help and comfort. In my judgment it is by far better to dispose of those things that we nomads can now not afford to move with us or store. We did little in San Jose beside having a satisfactory wi talk with Mr. Gosbey whom I like very much. As you said, the things of Mammas are ones to dispose of as we choose and the proceeds do not go into the estate. The books, pictures, busts, grandma's chair, tea, chair and his d chair are probably all that we shall save.

Theodora went back to San Mateo and I here when our weeks vacation began. Sunday Mary Brunton and I were asked to dine at the Sigma Nu house where we also spent the evenling. The next day (Monday) the Sigma Nu's came for a number of us in a four-in-hand and we went into the hills for a picnic and home again by five o'clock. It was a lovely drive and we went through Woodside - the little village where the football men have secret practice a week before Thanksgiving and our way back was by Redwood City and the county road. The next Thursday Epsilon Chi invited Mrs. Rice and Mrs. Plate to go with us up to King's Mountain House in honor of Mrs. Haskell who goes home soon. We had a coach and four and started quite early. It proved to be a cloudy day but the drive was the most pleasant. We rode through such lovely woods and saw quantities of wild flowers - cyclamen, soap lily, tulium wild violets white and yellow and maidenhair. We reached King' mountain at about twelve and had such a great big dinner not to mention the view which was beautiful. The Mountain house is right on the summit and from its ridge we saw HalfMoon bay and the ocean. The fog began to settle into big drops and while we were at dinner it rained quite hard. I made things a little more exciting by losing my purse with a couple of dollars in it but Billy the driver found it, which made me feel very rich. We simply flew down the mountains in the way back and came home through Belmont reaching the campus about half past six very dusty, happy, and hungry after a forty mile lark.

Mrs. Rice was a Utica girl and went to Miss Kelly's school along in the fifties. She did not know Mamma but knew many people whose names were familiar to me. Saturday and I went to cheer up Lolie- it stromed the minute I reached San Mateo and I found her in the midst of her flock keeping demerit hour. She looked too pretty for anything in her new black taffeta shirt waist and was surprised out of her wits to see me as she didn't expect me till Sunday. We are enthusiastic about taking summer school work at Pacific Grove so many are going down and we can do it economically taking botany and possibly entomology. Kitty and Jessie Haskell with possibly their older sister Florence, Mrs. Beedy, Ida Wehner and her mother , Gertrude Payne, Lolie and I are the possible party.

I came back Sunday evening after having been at the service in the morning - it is such a pretty one, all the boys uniformed and gloved.

Kitty Haskell and I are enthusiastic about teaching. You see we take our degrees or rather finish our work Christmas so our experience begins at the same time. Dear Miss Darrah has asked us down to her home to talk schools with us - she is so lovely - one of the brightest women and an educational leader, she offered to write any letters I might needwhich will mean a great deal to me. The snow is way down in the hills and the wind is stinging cold but the sun is out and I guess the storm is over. Tomorrow Helen comes back and brings a plum pudding and pineapple jellyjust think of that. The Encina boys have been taking their meals at Roble as they always do in vacations, and some of them nearly always dine with us to make it jolly - there have been two or three pokey little dances too. Bye,bye my dearest nannie Your Rose. P.S. Miriam sends love so does Alice Colt and all of Epsilon Chi.