Wellesley College - Legenda Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

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Dear Mama : June 6. I haven ' t time to write a long letter, and there isn ' t much to tell ; we just have been doing the same things that we always do. That is, except yesterday. Then Mater Alma told us that we were not to do a thing all day but play out in the open air, that we were to have a regular field day. And she said that the one of us who made the best record in the games should have a silver cup. Of course I got it. You know I told you once before that I would get even with Carrie Nation. I should think I did : I made her look like thirty cents. Excuse me, I did not mean to use that expression ; I can imagine you holding up your hands and wondering if that is what I am getting out of my visit to Mater Alma. I didn ' t learn it from Mater Alma or the English lady. By the way, I must go immediately and hand in to that same lady Uiv impressions of Mater Alma ' s back yard. Love to papa and the children. With love, Marguerite. Diairst .1 ai ia : June 9. This has been a long, hard day, but for all that, I have had a better time to-day than any time since I have been here. I got ud very early this morning. That little Carrie Nation woke me by running about under my window making all manner of fun of a tree that I had had planted for Mater Alma. You know that Mater Alma has been kinder to me since I have been here (all except making me have that goxcrnessj than anybody except you, mama dear, could possibly be, so that I have been anxious for some opportunity to do something for her. Well, I noticed that she needed a tree over by the dining room, so I bought one with my own money — a beautiful cut leaf weeping birch — and had it planted there as a surprise to Mater Alma. In fact I didn ' t tell anyone for I wanted to surprise the Mater to-day, the day of her big garden party. But of course that busybody Carrie Nation found it out and, as I said, was jeering at it. Of course I did not like that, and in my anger I picked up one of her most dearly prized posses- sions, called the Ready Orator, and almost threw it out the window at her ; but something within me told me to keep myself a lady whatever she did, so I put it back where I got it. Wasn ' t that a victory ? But Carrie Nation was so angry that she wouldn ' t pass me the sugar at breakfast. Well, I know you want to hear about the garden party. It was a sort of coming out party for me, although I am to keep right on with the governess, etc. I wore my new French dress and everybody said I looked very pretty and behaved nicely. Narcissus was beautiful :

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I am o etting on better with Miss Math than I did : that is, I don ' t pay very much attention to her. Iris told nie the other day that some time I may wish tliat I had ]iaid more attention to her, but how can I when there are so many other things to do ? I have promised my room mate to play golf now, so I must close. With much love, Your UauGHTKR MARGriiRITE. February 27, igoo. O, mama dear, don ' t you think I could come home? I haven ' t been at all homesick until now, but now it just seems to me I cannot stay here a day longer. It all comes of the foolish customs and pastimes that they have here. They have been playing that boresome game, Cross questions and silly answers, steadily for a week, and I have been forced to play whether I wanted to do it or not. They don ' t call it cross questions here — they call it Mid-years. I didn ' t mind it so much until it was Miss Math ' s turn ; she asked the most embarrassing questions. I suppose she is just getting it back at me for not paying more atten- tion to her. The game has made me terribly nervous, so I am staying up long after ten, the usual bed lime in Mater Alma ' s household ; if I am not careful, the House Committee will be upon me. The House Committee is a harmless group of girls whom Mater Alma has asked to see that we all go to bed at the sacred hour of ten. Of course they never do anything, but it is fashionable to be afraid of them. So I must bring this to a close. Yours, with a great deal of love. Mar. P. S. — I had to turn out my light suddenly laht night to escape the House Committee. I just wanted to tell you that Mater Alma ' s private secretary says that she thinks I came out of that silly game very creditably, or with credit, I believe she said, and I need not pla} ' it any more for a long time. So my spirits ha ' e started on the upward road, and Iris has cheered them on by promising to get up some private theatricals for me before long. So that if papa will just not forget to send the check I wrote to him about, I shall be as happy as a lark. As ever, your affectionate daughter, Marguerite.

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she still wore chiefly black, but it was relieved, as the society reporters would say, with spangled, butterfly-like liberty silk. I shall be so sorry wheu Narcissus leaves ; she says she must go soon. And Mater Alma, although she seems fond of her, makes no effort to keep her longer. I spoke of that to Iris, but she says that ii Mater Alma ' s way of showing her approval of the girls. Isn ' t that strange? Your loving daughter, Margy. Dear Mama : June 20. You know, after the garden party I was to be delivered from Miss Math, also from my seances with the English lady, and I was jubilant. But this happy condition of afi airs was only to be brought about by good work for Miss Math and careful attention to my remarks to the English lady. Well, I may have a shred of brain left, but I am inclined to think not. I stuffed my head so full of formulae that I think I squeezed out the brain. Also I had to spend part of the check you sent me to buy my hat with, for coffee. Mater Alma never seemed to think to send it to me, no matter how late I stayed up. Probably she did not expect me to stay up late, but she must have thought I could work Trig, problems automatically, for she filled up my daytime with matters not worth while. (Result of association with English lady.) I have spent nearly all of every afteruoon on the lake. At the end of the month Mater Alma says she expects to ask about a thousand people out to float. I hope they all know how, for Mr. Parkins, he ' s Mater Alma ' s best friend, could never save them all if they took it into their heads to drown. My coffee is boiled now, so I must drink it and demolish that last shred of brain with some more sines and cosines. Your desperate daughter, M.VRGUERITE. P. S. — I will write to you as soon as I find whether or not I get rid of the dragons. Dearest A fain a : Sept. 26. History repeats itself. Who would have thought that when I was once delivered from the English lady, that another one would arrive just in time to take her place ! I suppose you will think I ought to be happy at getting rid of Miss Math; and so I was, for a season, but Mater Alma says now that I do uot have Miss Math I can spend just twice as much time with her 14