To Bertha from Alice “Sally” – January 13, 1921
[Note: Sally is Bertha’s younger sister]
Box 173 R.M.W.C.
Lynchburg, VA
Dear Bertha,
Please ‘scuse me if I don’t seem to have written for a long time. I’ll try to reform.
I suppose you want to know what happened during the holidays so I will write as detailed an account of it as I can.
I got into Washington a little after four on Wednesday the 23rd. (It is awfully hard to realize that it was only three weeks ago yesterday.) That evening, Eleanor Dunne and I decided that we would like to see Madge and Robert so we called up and suggested that they come over. They weren’t at home. They were at a pageant over at school so we promptly announced to Mrs. Dunne that she should have the pleasure of taking us to Western. We departed forthwith and saw many people. Archy Atkinson and Bob Peary are much improved by officer uniforms (they are captains this year) and clearer complexions. I have come to the conclusion that Archy is awfully good to look at. We also saw Bob Armstrong draped artistically in portiere to represent Savonarola. Well, he looked alright but Eleanor and I couldn’t help laughing at the idea of Bob as a priest. Lady Jane orated at great length. Van Moseley counted money frantically for Miss ______ as she sold tickets. We had a gorgeous time.
…to Mrs. Armstrong by her innocent son who didn’t know that he had done that at least twice before. Next morning, Eleanor and I went back again and went to assembly. Everybody was there (even William) and poor Francis Birch flushed furiously and refused ________ speech and Bernard Spittle and Francis Corey sang and the R.M. member of the faculty welcomed me with open arms and – as usual – William and I scrapped or rather William’s feelings were hurt. He, not being an alumnus, flatly refused to come up on the platform and I being an alumna was taken by the hand and led to see that I got there. Therefore, William saw me (for the first time) and desired a smile so he sat and stared at me to make me look at him and when I did he for some reason looked the other way and didn’t see the smile I gave him. Then I tried to make him look at me and William growing suddenly modest decided that I was looking at the beautiful Captain Archy who sat squarely in front of William and William waxed ruthful and said so later on in the day and William made more kinds of a silliness of himself during the holidays than any one I saw.
Bertha! A member of the ________ staff has just called and asked for my last essay and asked…
…then William and I called on the Peary’s. When we got home, tonight we to play billiards. Monday, I went over to school and stayed to watch drill at the request of Archie, Robert P., Bob A., and Van. We went out to supper again and William took Phoebe and myself to the Knickerbocker and dumped us as he had to study. That evening, he and I had more or less of a rough house and it ended in his returning me my sacred cigar butt (Bob’s) and reclaiming one of the silver chain bracelet that you gave me over in the islands. I don’t know whether I’ve said goodbye to it forever now or not. I’m going to try negotiating to get it back. Tuesday, I came home. (I mean back to school.) Since then, I have been regretting that I ever was born and all the rest of the post-vacation stuff.
Dr. Hamaker’s baby died Christmas Eve.
We have several inches of snow here which fell Sunday and we have had a flurry or two since.
I am causing much excitement by the number of pages which of love written to you as I guess I’d better stop. Please write and give me some good advice. I need a big sister badly. I know that I’m infinitely more discrete than most of the girls here but I don’t know about some of things I have told you of ______ here and it is easier tell you than Mamma. Also you know the boys more intimately than she does. Anyhow, I want some advice. William Wadsworth said that if this letter sounds crazy, a red-headed northern girl has been in the room all the time that I wrote.
Lots of love.
From,
Sally