Vassar College.
March 10. 1895.
My dear Mamma, —
Here I am sitting on my bed in my pink flannel nightgown and
bed-slippers- just as I study every evening. It is just time for the
total eclipse of the moon to begin, so I suppose I shall be leaving this
letter often to go and look at it. It is so clear that it can be seen beauti-
fully. We are glad that the moon is on our side of the house, or rather,
that we live on the side of the house where the moon is.
This morning Dr. Twitchell of Hartford preached - a Congre-
gationalism I believe. I think I have read articles of his in the religious
newspapers. Dr. Taylor has had the grippe, was kept in his rooms for
several days.
On this account they could not have the Faculty meeting to name
the honor girls. This will be done tomorrow.
A number of the teachers have had the grippe- Miss Gentry was almost
dangerously ill with it, and is still in the Infirrnary-
We had quite a time in our room yesterday - which was Ray's
birthday- Only nineteen, not so old as Lou, Carrie and Belle and I tried
to think up something new for a celebration, and we decided on having a
supper in our room, of things made entirely by ourselves, instead of going
down to dinner. A good many girls heard of it and seemed to think it was
a very strange and daring thing to do, but it was quite easily done. Of
Mar. 10, 1895 - 2
course everything had to be done in the evening, for the gas is not
turned on in the day time. So we got Ellen Hailey, who lives at one of
the cottages, to invite her over to spend the night Friday- Friday
evening we cooked some of the things, and the rest we did at supper
time yesterday- and had quite a sumptuous repast. First course-
poached eggs on toast, creamed fried potatoes, (which means milked
ones) bread and butter and chocolate. Second course, potato salad with
mayonnaise dressing. Third course, Floating Island. Carrie does not
know anything about cooking, but Belle is a splendid cook. She knows
everything about housekeeping and sewing and so on.
You ought to have seen us Friday evening, Carrie sewing on her gingham
chemistry apron, Belle beating eggs with a fork, and me paring potatoes-
Rather a domestic scene for a Vassar College room, you might say. It
was lots of fun- We had a good deal of difficulty in keeping Ray from
seeing things, for It was all a surprise for her. We had to store the
things in other girls' rooms-
Such a supper is not very expensive, as we can have all the bread
and butter and milk free, that we want, and potatoes are cheap. The man
in the store looked somewhat surprised when I asked him for a quart of
potatoes.
Ray's friends were very good about remembering her birthday-
Mar. 1C» 1895-3
Her bundle from home did not come yesterday, but she got word that it
was on its way- Her brother Fritz and her cousin Rob in New York
sent her a box of Huyler's candy- all done up in numerous layers of
paper etc. Belle says it costs a dollar a pound. I think it is dreadful
to eat up candy at a dollar a pound. The moon is almost entirely eclipsed
now, which means that it is ten o'clock, and time to go to bed.
The weeks are going by very fast now, less than three weeks to
spring vacation - which begins March 29, and lasts ten days. I think I
is
told you that Ray's cousin Mrs. Ellison was-going to take her to North
Carolina for spring vacation, where Harry is, in Turnpike, near Asheville.
Carrie's sister in Rye Seminary has her spring vacation commence
on the day that ours closes* so that they cannot go to Boston together. So
probably Carrie will stay here with me, and we will enjoy it.
Love to all - Adelaide. gClaflin,