Vassar College. J an. 2. 1895.
My dear Mother, —
That Is the first time I have written 1895. How queer
It seems/ I am just going to write you a few lines this morning, to
go on the nine oclock mail, if possible.
I got a letter from Mary MacColl yesterday, telling me that
she cannot come back to college for the rest of this year. She was
not well all summer aad really was not strong enough to come in
September, but she prevailed upon them to let her. She is very
nervous, and has something the matter with her back* they were
afraid of curvature of the spine. We are very, very sorry that she
cannot come back, for she is a splendid girl, and we will miss her
very much. Poor girl, it such a disappointment to her, for she worked
so hard to get to college. She has been to school only at district
school, and all that we took in High School, she studied by herself,
without a teacher except when her brother helped her. She has the
Scotch persistency in with her Scotch blood. Mary may possibly come
back next September, but I doubt it. She asked me to pack the rest of
her clothes and things and send to her, and that I am going to do today.
Time is flying so, I do wish we had two or three weeks more. There
is so much that I should like to do. I have spent most of the vacation in
being lazy-
I sent those flannels home because I did not need them. They are
Jan. Z, 1895 - 2
the ones I left here last year. The smaller one I have not worn at
all, because I have plenty of others of the same thickness, and I
have a new one like the larger one, which I think will not need to be
washed for I wear it over another one, and so I don't need any more
to take its place. You know I brought a stack of flannels, as Edie said,
enough to furnish an army. H you send Horace's Satires I will be very
glad. Does Lou want Cicero's De Senectute before the end of January?
I will be using one till then, but if she wants it before, I will send it
to her, and use Mary's for the rest of the time. The trigonometry
that I sent they do not use here, so I could not sell it. I sent Lou my
old fountain pen Monday. I hope she will get it all right. If she cannot
make it write at first tell her to screw off the piece that the pen is in,
and pour water through it. It worked very well for me.
I have made a pair of bedroom slippers which I intend to give
you for your birthday, but I have concluded to send them now so that
you will have the benefit of them during this winter. You so often walk
around the house early in the morning, or at night, that I thought you
might make a good deal of use of a pair. And you can wear them to
bed on very cold nights, to keep your feet warm. When you wear these
out, I will make you another pair. I will send these today.
We watched the Old Year out on Clarence's birthday.- four
Jan. 2, J. £95 - 3
girls and myself. Then as it was too late to go over to Strong they
all came up and slept here.
There is going to be a candy pull tonight, for all the girls
here - and I suppose it will be lots of fun.
With love to all,
Adelaide. £laflin,