Wellesley College - Legenda Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

Page 21 text:

English guest. Sometimes I think Mater Ahna must be a corporation ; there are some matters in which she seems to have no soul. At any rate, it isn ' t one of mercy. To return to the English lady. She is worse than the other one. The first one, as I probably told you, was of a wonderfully imaginative turn of mind ; bvit her curiosity was satis- fied with descriptions of the places we go in the summers, or with descriptions of how I used to feel when I was a little girl and dropped my piece of bread and butter, while this one asks ray opinion on every conceivable thing — asks me to discourse at length upon the advantages and disadvantages of a girl ' s living on an allowance, and whether or not the Boers are justified in the war. There is a new girl here now. She is very new indeed ; in Biblical language, she knows not how to come in and go out. But she has learned that she must come in when Miss Math has need of her. She has been visiting a lady named Mrs. Prep Schule, who is a person of a good deal of importance, I believe, which may account for Mater Alma ' s treating her young charge with such extreme kindness. I suppose from the fact that the new girl, little Rosie, has been with Mrs. Prep Schule so long, that she has no mother ; she certainly acts as if, like Topsy, she had just growed. And as the gardener would say, she seems to have run principally to top — green and spreading, but without nuich root. Mater Alma told all of us old girls when she first came, a few days ago, that we were to look out for her and do all we could to help her. ' Well, one of the very first things I noticed about her was a tendency to gluttony. I never saw but one evidence of it, and I think my prompt action cured her. Not content with the food at Mater Alma ' s table, she bought a big feast — olives and cake and all sorts of good things — and locked it in her room during dinner, intending, selfishly, to eat it all alone in the evening. Of course, I knew that it would make her ill and unable to work for Miss Math for a week. I knew how that would ruffle Miss Math, so I determined to save little Rosie from future trouble, at whatever cost to myself. So I quietly removed the feast ; I had to climb in through the transom to get it, and otherwise inconvenience myself, but I didn ' t mind, for it was for Rosie ' s good — I started to write goods, but of course I did not mean that. When I had gotten possession of the feast I did not know where to put it, and as I did not wish to let it spoil, I was obliged to eat it. Of course, Rosie was very angry when she found it out ; she came and demanded her food very vociferously, I only smiled indulgentl3% remembering my own childhood days, and when she had calmed down a little, I asked her in to have a cup of tea with me. Soon, so that no one can say that Carrie Nation treated me better than I treat Rosie, I must get up a pillar dodging party for her. No, that is not the same as a pillow fight ; I suppose Rosie will call it a dance. 15

Page 20 text:

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

Page 22 text:

By the way, please send me some money. Pillar dodging parties are expensive. Give my love to the people who ask about nie. Affectionately, Makc.uekitr. Dear Mama: June lo. This is the day of Mater Alma ' s second big garden party. This one is for Rosie. Of course, the attention of e erybody must be turned toward her to-day. I began early to do my share. I had heard that about the first thing for which Rosie had expressed a preference after she got well settled here and began to take notice, was that rather peculiar combination of colors, pink and red. So as a delicate compliment to her I wore those colors down to breakfast. But bless you, so far from liking it, it ruffled her, to put it mildly ; she seemed to think she had the exclusive right to wear those colors. I must do something to appease the child, but just now I must go to see about my gown for this afternoon. Later. I forgot all about doing anything for Rosie, because I had my hands pretty full with Carrie Nation. She has actually seemed to be shrinking in size ever since I knew her, but her idea of her own importance develops in an inverse proportion to her size, as Miss Math would say. She is still a good deal of a child, and last evening she thought she would have a bonfire all by herself, and not let any one else even see it. So she sneaked off after dinner, alone. Of course I found it out and followed ; it wasn ' t hard to get off, because Mater Alma doesn ' t look after me as closely as she did, now that she has Rosie to take care of. Maybe Carrie wasn ' t angry when she saw me. She was just ready to set the match to her bonfire, but she left that and turned on me like a tigress. I had had all the fun I wanted, by following her and spoiling her pretty little plan, so I let her think that she was getting the best of me. She tied me down, I pretending to resist, and then she made .some marks on my forehead. They came off without any trouble, so that was all right. But it was that little affair which was responsible for to-day ' s trouble. She abducted, spirited away, Stole (I can ' t think of any words bad enough) my most beloved and trusted maid, one we call Frances the Huge — I suppose that is the reason Carrie had to take three of the biggest girls she could muster, to do the deed. Well, there was no use talking about it, I couldn ' t and wouldn ' t go to the garden party without her help, and I didn ' t know what I v, ' as going to do. But luckily Frances has a brain as big as her name ; she outwitted Carrie Nation and got back to me safe and sound. As soon then as I couid get ready I went to the garden party. I was somewhat late and a little excited, but the look of helpless surprise on Carrie Nation ' s face when i6