Details
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie N.Y.
Dearest people,
I’m sorry I made you feel so abused by not telling you more about the debate but I was so tired of the whole business after it was over that I didn’t see how the subject could be interesting to anyone. And then it is a hard thing to describe a debate. The exciting part of it was the refutation of course
I don’t know when I’ve had such a good time as I did Thursday night when we went to see Miss Mann. In the first place just before we started we met a girl who had just come from Miss Mann’s room, and she said Miss Man had told her we were coming and that she was expecting to be much amused. Well-”Miss Wylie”,”Mephistopheles”, and “little Peggy” arrived at her door a little after eight. I knocked, the door was opened, and in we went. We acted our parts all the time and Miss Mann entered into the spirit of the whole thing in a way which was beautiful to see! I thought she would die laughing once or twice. Ruth was perfect. I never saw a part better taken.
I did the [highawalks], and made Miss Mann play with my cauton flannel dog whose name, Lincoln-Doglas[Douglass], she greatly appreciated. In the course of the evening we took off all the faculty and—well, what we didn’t do isn’t worth mentioning. As we were leaving, Ruth, in her character as Miss Wylie said, “Now Muss Mann, I do hope you’ll come down to see me on my way Thursday afternoons” Betty
Miss Key’s has been quite ill with a bad cold since Thursday. I sent her some flowers yesterday. I do hope she’ll be well enough to be out tomorrow or next day.
Points in it there were the Treasurer’s office, the Secretaries office, The Christian Reception, the Mathematics Department, the Sophomore Dance and Semester Exams. The freshmen were blindfolded you see so the appeals were made to their hearing and touch. My performance was the Christian Reception. As the party of tourists came along the line, each girl was seized by a member
Well after the tourists got through their journey they were
unblind-folded, and a short minstrel show was given, and it was as funny as anything of the kind I’ve ever seen. I mustn't forget to speak of now funny some of the tourists costumes were. The couriers all wore long coats trimmed in green, class [color] bloomers, and fetching little caps. Betty, Rudge, and Esther were all couriers. I met the interesting Mrs Atwater again for a minute.
My, but it was good! Two large cups of it have I consumed and two goodly pieces of hot buttered toast!
Here is the parody—I wish I could read it to you.
A Fair Illusive Vision
An old, old Crush of mine:-is this her presence here with me?
Oh but a vain creation of a college memory?
A fair, illusive vision that would vanish into air
Dared she trust for sustenance to live up on the college [fare].
The First Meeting
I can see the old white sweater, and the raggéd, draggéd dress,
She wore when first I met her, and she gave me her address,
With the verbal declaration that “five flights I’d have to climb,
But oh, do come and see me-”. That dear old Crush of mine!
All’s Fair in Love and Latin
And so, I made her present in a really shocking way—
My precious [Livy] pony—I had flunked it too, that day —
But I followed her to Latin, her hand behind her, so—
And I slipped the pony in it—But miss Palmer didn’t know!
You can see for yourself how passionately this could be recited—oh it was great, and I enjoyed it, even the thirtieth time.
Farewell
Slews of love
Peg.
P.S.
[Bootoo] was twenty-one on Friday and her mother sent her a box of Haylar’s, part of which I devoured with much joy. I haven't been weighed lately, but I think I’m getting fatter every day, and I’m working like a dog too!
By the way, I have a doll about eighteen inches tall which I am going to
POUGHKEEPSIE NOV 16 1 30 PM 1903 N.Y.
Mr Joseph P Shipp
MIss May Louise Shipp
1010 N. Delaware Street
Indianapolis
Indiana
22.
NOV 17
12 30 PM
1903