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Vassar Collage Po'keepsie
April 8th 1866
My Dear Parents,
I wonder if it is as as wintry & disagreeable with you to day as it is here. The ground is covered with snow & It is still snowing very fast. It is very discouraging after the pleasant weather we have been having. Last Thursday it was very warm, the thermometer standing at 79°. I was really fearful lest I should not get my Spring clothes in season but it does not look much like needing them now though it is not very cold and I persume the snow will be all gone in a few hours after it clears off - We had such a nice game of Croquet last Thursday that I was in hopes the weather would
not be again unsettled. I hope for your sake the weather is not such as to prevent them from working on the house. I am quite anxous to receive another letter from you and learn what you are doing about my dress. I did not mention in my other letter I believe that I very much want a thick white waist Cambric I think or something of that sort. It will be so convenient to wear with the skirts to my dresses & especially my blue poplin. I think a pretty way to have it made would be with three or more little tucks on each side of the front and around the sleeves. I have seen them so here & they look very pretty. If you decide to have It made for me have a band in the neck. I did not bring my black silk garabaldi waist I find} is it too much worn-out, for If not I should like it sent. I thought last Thursday, if I only had one of these little black-silk loose sacques that the girls wear so much with skirts, it would be just the thing. What I am inclined to think would give me the most comfort of anything I could have in the warm weather would be a cool morning wrapper; something that would be pretty in the morning and loose & comfortable in the evening if I wished to take o£f my after-noon dress, in study hour. I have thought of white-brilliants or a very light chintz or linen trimmed with pretty stripped calico. Nellie Dickson has one which is made gored and trimmed down the front & around the bottom. There are quite a good many of the girls who have them & they look very neat & pretty for morning besides being very comfortable. Do as you think best about it and if I have it I persume my pink chambray if fixed prettily, will often do for after-noon. U you will send me that black velvet girdle of mine I think it may be pretty with my summer dresses & my slippers which I think
will do around here. And now a few words about my hat & I think I am
done with clothing for this letter. I never was so undecided in my life,
seemes to me, you know I got my sea-side hat in Albany and that is just
what I shall want on all most all occasions. But it will not do if I want
to go down to church probably at the most more than three or four times.
The shapes of the jockeys seem to be none such that I could use my old
one and in fact it seems almost unnecessary for me to have another jockey
for those few times. I shall want a bonnet when I come home shall I not?
I hardly know what but when I was in Albany the milliner there said
they were going to wear the gipsey hats a great deal. I have been
wondering if I could not think get something of that kind that would do
to wear here if next Fall or if possible that would do all summer. I
don't know how this will strike you but I am so undecided I might almost
say indiferent I don't know what to do. Could you not find something at
Betsey's which would suit you & send it on or if you think best I suppose
I could get along without going down to the city and so notyl£need one
though I would rather not do that. I hardly know what the other girls are
going to do indeed I don't know as they do themselves. I should very
much like something that I can put my feather on to trim, though perhaps
it would fade it so much-—and it would be better to keep it for next winter. But I will drop all this now lc talk of something that will be of more interest to Father as I fear all this has not. I don't know that I have time enough that I ought to commence another sheet, but I have enough to write so I will try it. I believe I promised in my last that I would send you some connundrums to-day lc as I have a large store the only trouble is to make a choice. I think you succeeded very well in the last ones and deserve some pretty good ones if you are becoming so smart. Tell me >then— Why widowers are like old clothing? & Why is an Oil Speculator like the Secretary of the Navy?—There is one which in my present position of a Mental Phylosophy student I think very good fe as you would not be very likely to guess I will tell you—What is Mind? (No Matter)— What is Matter? (Never mind)— What is Spirit? (Oh that's immaterial)— Perhaps you have heard them before but I think they are very good. There are several other very good ones I should like to send but perhaps this is enough for once & I will save them for another time. Nellie Dickson is visiting at her Uncles now k does not expect to be back until
the last of the week. Julia was down yesterday afternoon & spent the
after-noon and we had a pleasant little time working & chatting. Emily
had a letter from her Mother last week in which she said that her Father
was so much pleased with her accounts of the school that he thinks of
having her come another year. And immediately went on to make arrangements for next year. Holidays, etc— We laugh at Em. a good deal for the way the seem to take it for granted she will jump at the chance of coming. However I think she will though she has said all the time before this she should not. She says if she does I must come too but I don't think it follows. Em. bought some maple sugar in the city yesterday and I have been eating some to-day. It is the first I have had & of course tasts good. I have been wondering if you have the usual amount this year. If you buy several pounds I should not object to a lump in my box. Mrs JLord spoke of having a "sugaring off" when we first went up there & said we would but either she forgot it or we were on the go so much but we did not have it. I see I have come to the bottom of the page which warns me I must stop. I hope to have a good, long letter from you soon. Do you know why Louise has not written to me I have not had a letter from her in a long time now. I suppose the College boys start for home to-morrow. I wish we were going to have a vacation too.
Love to all my friends Ik a large amount for yourselves -
From
Your everloving
Ellen
April 8th 1866
My Dear Parents,
I wonder if it is as as wintry & disagreeable with you to day as it is here. The ground is covered with snow & It is still snowing very fast. It is very discouraging after the pleasant weather we have been having. Last Thursday it was very warm, the thermometer standing at 79°. I was really fearful lest I should not get my Spring clothes in season but it does not look much like needing them now though it is not very cold and I persume the snow will be all gone in a few hours after it clears off - We had such a nice game of Croquet last Thursday that I was in hopes the weather would
not be again unsettled. I hope for your sake the weather is not such as to prevent them from working on the house. I am quite anxous to receive another letter from you and learn what you are doing about my dress. I did not mention in my other letter I believe that I very much want a thick white waist Cambric I think or something of that sort. It will be so convenient to wear with the skirts to my dresses & especially my blue poplin. I think a pretty way to have it made would be with three or more little tucks on each side of the front and around the sleeves. I have seen them so here & they look very pretty. If you decide to have It made for me have a band in the neck. I did not bring my black silk garabaldi waist I find} is it too much worn-out, for If not I should like it sent. I thought last Thursday, if I only had one of these little black-silk loose sacques that the girls wear so much with skirts, it would be just the thing. What I am inclined to think would give me the most comfort of anything I could have in the warm weather would be a cool morning wrapper; something that would be pretty in the morning and loose & comfortable in the evening if I wished to take o£f my after-noon dress, in study hour. I have thought of white-brilliants or a very light chintz or linen trimmed with pretty stripped calico. Nellie Dickson has one which is made gored and trimmed down the front & around the bottom. There are quite a good many of the girls who have them & they look very neat & pretty for morning besides being very comfortable. Do as you think best about it and if I have it I persume my pink chambray if fixed prettily, will often do for after-noon. U you will send me that black velvet girdle of mine I think it may be pretty with my summer dresses & my slippers which I think
will do around here. And now a few words about my hat & I think I am
done with clothing for this letter. I never was so undecided in my life,
seemes to me, you know I got my sea-side hat in Albany and that is just
what I shall want on all most all occasions. But it will not do if I want
to go down to church probably at the most more than three or four times.
The shapes of the jockeys seem to be none such that I could use my old
one and in fact it seems almost unnecessary for me to have another jockey
for those few times. I shall want a bonnet when I come home shall I not?
I hardly know what but when I was in Albany the milliner there said
they were going to wear the gipsey hats a great deal. I have been
wondering if I could not think get something of that kind that would do
to wear here if next Fall or if possible that would do all summer. I
don't know how this will strike you but I am so undecided I might almost
say indiferent I don't know what to do. Could you not find something at
Betsey's which would suit you & send it on or if you think best I suppose
I could get along without going down to the city and so notyl£need one
though I would rather not do that. I hardly know what the other girls are
going to do indeed I don't know as they do themselves. I should very
much like something that I can put my feather on to trim, though perhaps
it would fade it so much-—and it would be better to keep it for next winter. But I will drop all this now lc talk of something that will be of more interest to Father as I fear all this has not. I don't know that I have time enough that I ought to commence another sheet, but I have enough to write so I will try it. I believe I promised in my last that I would send you some connundrums to-day lc as I have a large store the only trouble is to make a choice. I think you succeeded very well in the last ones and deserve some pretty good ones if you are becoming so smart. Tell me >then— Why widowers are like old clothing? & Why is an Oil Speculator like the Secretary of the Navy?—There is one which in my present position of a Mental Phylosophy student I think very good fe as you would not be very likely to guess I will tell you—What is Mind? (No Matter)— What is Matter? (Never mind)— What is Spirit? (Oh that's immaterial)— Perhaps you have heard them before but I think they are very good. There are several other very good ones I should like to send but perhaps this is enough for once & I will save them for another time. Nellie Dickson is visiting at her Uncles now k does not expect to be back until
the last of the week. Julia was down yesterday afternoon & spent the
after-noon and we had a pleasant little time working & chatting. Emily
had a letter from her Mother last week in which she said that her Father
was so much pleased with her accounts of the school that he thinks of
having her come another year. And immediately went on to make arrangements for next year. Holidays, etc— We laugh at Em. a good deal for the way the seem to take it for granted she will jump at the chance of coming. However I think she will though she has said all the time before this she should not. She says if she does I must come too but I don't think it follows. Em. bought some maple sugar in the city yesterday and I have been eating some to-day. It is the first I have had & of course tasts good. I have been wondering if you have the usual amount this year. If you buy several pounds I should not object to a lump in my box. Mrs JLord spoke of having a "sugaring off" when we first went up there & said we would but either she forgot it or we were on the go so much but we did not have it. I see I have come to the bottom of the page which warns me I must stop. I hope to have a good, long letter from you soon. Do you know why Louise has not written to me I have not had a letter from her in a long time now. I suppose the College boys start for home to-morrow. I wish we were going to have a vacation too.
Love to all my friends Ik a large amount for yourselves -
From
Your everloving
Ellen
