Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

[written] 14

[typed] Sunday afternoon March 7-'97

My dearest Nannie -

I am pretty sleepy, but will try and make myself coherent long enough for my Sunday letter to my precious Nannie. Last Wednesday, Helen Lathrop and Edith Cullen took dinner with me and stayed all nkght - we heard the Glee club practice and Mrs. Baker took a number of us over to the Zeta Psi house for a romp: so they had a pleasant time I am quite sure. They made quite a stay at Mrs. Gilman's and enjoyed every minute of it and are in love with Stanford. Edith Cullen is to marry Nelson Phelps sometime before the year is over; she has been engaged to him for six years since she was sixteen. Friday all of Epsilon Chi went to San Jose where Laura Mann, Charlotte Philips, Florence Park and Mary Brunton were formally initiated. I stayed with Gertrude and the rest, nearly all, at the Maclarens where we had such a lovely evening.

Was interupted by Mr. Pitcher calling - we spent the afternoon walking about the aboretum. To continue with the San Jose story. The Maclarens did everything imaginable to make the evening delightful and the next day, I took my silk waist and linen skirt to be made at Miss Smeads together with a black taffeta waist for Theodora.

It simply poured all day so I spent the afternoon indoors with Gertrude and took the 5 train home. She was perfectly lovely - mended my petticote for me that isn't wearing at all well and was such a trump. She gave me one of her framed Rome photos. The last communion of St. Jerone. I have it already hung. This morning I went to church and heard such an excellent sermon from Bishop Nichols - it was confirmation service and a dozen or so were presented. Last Wednesday I cut Shelley and went to church which I very much enjoyed. Helen just brought me your letter which is always so much fun to get. I think Theodora is better and happier this term as she has taken more liberty and gotten away from her boys oftener.

Did I tell you I am reading Benveneuto Cellini's autobiography by J.A. Symonds. It is wonderfully interesting.

Bye bye Toodles.

[written] 18

[typed] Saturday morning - March 20 '97

My dearest darling Nannie -

Your note has just come, and this in return must be a short letter just to wish you a thousand birthday happinesses and best wishes. I am so glad you are going to be where you will have such a pleasant time.

There has been little of importance this week. Nothing at all aout of the usual routine. Indeed it isn't the least trouble in the world to write to my dear Nannie - it is the happiest habit I have - it is more fun than a box of monkeys to get your letters and all of Epsilon Chi loves you most as much as I do. Its heaps of fun to tell you about every thing too. I only wish all the jokes and chaffing didn't sound so silly on paper or I would write more of them.

Oh last Wednesday Commander Booth-Tucker and staff of the Salvation army lectured here and lunched at Roble. Mrs. Baker asked Alice Colt and me to help entertain them at luncheon - which we did with much interest and amusement. Captain Booth-Tucker was an assistant governor of some Indian province when he read a War Cry and became a Salvationist. He speaks three different languages and quite out-quoted Prof. Miller and Prof. Murray who were also at luncheon. His lecture wasn't half as pleasing as Mrs. Booth's when she was here last year.

I send today Dr. Jordan's new volume "The Innumberable company and other sketches" I am not sure whether I sent the Innumberable company before or not. At any rate I hope the other sketches will be interesting I am very disappointed in the volume as California publishers certainly haven't mastered their art, but I hope it will carry to you some of your Toodles hearts love.

This a is a day hesitating between clouds and sunshine - just three years ago when the day was so glorious and full of sunshine and the cherokee roses had their first buds that Mamma found and picked - in a way it is a century ago and in another way but yesterday. The anniversary of those days makes a very holy week.

I half expect Theodora to stay all night with me tonight but of that I will write next time. Many of the girls have gone home for the spring vacation, but there is too much to do to be loneseome. Wishing the best of times in New York and the happiest of birthdays.

Your very loving Rose.

[written] 19

[typed] March 29 '97 Monday afternoon

My dearest Nannie

Your dear good letter reached me this morning and I am so glad you are in New York feeling like a bloated millionaire; tho' I suppose before long you will be going back to . A week ago Saturday Theodora and I went to San Jose just for the afternoon to see about selling the furniture your dear precious letter was such a help and comfort. In my judgment it is by far better to dispose of those things that we nomads can now not afford to move with us or store. We did little in San Jose beside having a satisfactory wi talk with Mr. Gosbey whom I like very much. As you said, the things of Mammas are ones to dispose of as we choose and the proceeds do not go into the estate. The books, pictures, busts, grandma's chair, tea, chair and his d chair are probably all that we shall save.

Theodora went back to San Mateo and I here when our weeks vacation began. Sunday Mary Brunton and I were asked to dine at the Sigma Nu house where we also spent the evenling. The next day (Monday) the Sigma Nu's came for a number of us in a four-in-hand and we went into the hills for a picnic and home again by five o'clock. It was a lovely drive and we went through Woodside - the little village where the football men have secret practice a week before Thanksgiving and our way back was by Redwood City and the county road. The next Thursday Epsilon Chi invited Mrs. Rice and Mrs. Plate to go with us up to King's Mountain House in honor of Mrs. Haskell who goes home soon. We had a coach and four and started quite early. It proved to be a cloudy day but the drive was the most pleasant. We rode through such lovely woods and saw quantities of wild flowers - cyclamen, soap lily, tulium wild violets white and yellow and maidenhair. We reached King' mountain at about twelve and had such a great big dinner not to mention the view which was beautiful. The Mountain house is right on the summit and from its ridge we saw HalfMoon bay and the ocean. The fog began to settle into big drops and while we were at dinner it rained quite hard. I made things a little more exciting by losing my purse with a couple of dollars in it but Billy the driver found it, which made me feel very rich. We simply flew down the mountains in the way back and came home through Belmont reaching the campus about half past six very dusty, happy, and hungry after a forty mile lark.

Mrs. Rice was a Utica girl and went to Miss Kelly's school along in the fifties. She did not know Mamma but knew many people whose names were familiar to me. Saturday and I went to cheer up Lolie- it stromed the minute I reached San Mateo and I found her in the midst of her flock keeping demerit hour. She looked too pretty for anything in her new black taffeta shirt waist and was surprised out of her wits to see me as she didn't expect me till Sunday. We are enthusiastic about taking summer school work at Pacific Grove so many are going down and we can do it economically taking botany and possibly entomology. Kitty and Jessie Haskell with possibly their older sister Florence, Mrs. Beedy, Ida Wehner and her mother , Gertrude Payne, Lolie and I are the possible party.

I came back Sunday evening after having been at the service in the morning - it is such a pretty one, all the boys uniformed and gloved.

Kitty Haskell and I are enthusiastic about teaching. You see we take our degrees or rather finish our work Christmas so our experience begins at the same time. Dear Miss Darrah has asked us down to her home to talk schools with us - she is so lovely - one of the brightest women and an educational leader, she offered to write any letters I might needwhich will mean a great deal to me. The snow is way down in the hills and the wind is stinging cold but the sun is out and I guess the storm is over. Tomorrow Helen comes back and brings a plum pudding and pineapple jellyjust think of that. The Encina boys have been taking their meals at Roble as they always do in vacations, and some of them nearly always dine with us to make it jolly - there have been two or three pokey little dances too. Bye,bye my dearest nannie Your Rose. P.S. Miriam sends love so does Alice Colt and all of Epsilon Chi.

[written] 22

[typed] Saturday morning, April 10-97

My dear darling Nannie

I am just jumping up and down with delight. You are too dear for anything to send Lolie and me the shirt waists, and I was just thinking I never would have any more collars and I need them like fury - you act so sweet I am afraid your nieces will break you utterly - and the worst of it is I am standing on my head with joyful expectation of the box. Theodora is going to spend Easter with me so can the things down then. She will be tickled to death and I am so glad you sent the box to her 'cause it will be so jolly for her to get it. Of all things I wanted it was a petticoat - did I write you so or did you just know it? I was most out of those than anything. I hope the Mississippi floods have subsided for I can hardly wait.

Your letter was so interesting about being in New York. What a shame you missed Mrs Bliss but probably you have seen her by this time. I know th Catherine Adams the sister of the one who went with Marjorie Scott but never met Evangeline - doesn't it seem funny to think of going to Brazil just to sing ! Yes Theodora got the National Cloaks Cos. catalogue and we both liked the suits ever so much. I shall look up no. 21. Yes indeed isn't Maggie Scott magnificient? What a shame you should have been ill but it is a blessing you had such good weather to be sick in.

Summer has come here - it is a perfectly darling day - the air is so soft and caressing and the birds and the poppies look so happy. I was so amused at what you said about Waldo Williams. He is in the University now - when we had the last Shakespeare examination that was such a stunner I felt as if I should walk out of the room a la Waldo which expressed just the feeling all of the class had afterwards when we compared notes. I have a very vivid picture of the kind of a man Mr. Jackson is - I am so glad you have had such a pleasant visit. Gertrude is spending today with precious Lolie and tomorrow comes here to spend her vacation - of course I am delighted. I love to think of you in the heliotrope gown. How stylish it must be this year when that color is so much the thing. Epsilon Chi loves you ever so much and I am always forgetting to send the messages Marylyn Main, Miriam and the girls send.

Last night was the night of the Glee club concert in the chapel I believe I told you Mr. Pitcher called and asked me to go but I was so gladI didn't, for yesterday I accepted an invitation to subsitute for Kitty Haskell to go to a little welsh rarebit party at Mr. Nash's bachelor quarters in Encina. He is the librarian now, and was the Stanford's private secretary. Mr. and Mrs. Hodges - the architect and his wife - Marylynne and Kittie were invited but Kittie had a tooth ache and put a porous plaster on the outside of her face and let it stay too long so has been wretched ever since and could not go last night. So I went in her place although I know the Hodges very slightly and had never met Mr. Nash but we had such a jolly time. The curator of the museum Mr. Schlopbach - was the other gentleman. We played six handed euchre and then went into another room - the guest chamber of Encina - where a table set for six and we made rarebit and had patties, stuffed olives, fruit and candy till the lights went out. It was truly unique and very enjoyable, especially to as Mr. Schlopbach has not been in this country very long and has a strange and wonderful uncommand of the language which was very funny. He is the best curator the museum has ever had, and knows everything. He came home with us and told about his travels in a very interesting way. Mr. Nash is a fierce looking

[written] April 18-97 25

[typed] house so you see the secret of his recommendation for me to teach. The Stanford grounds are so beautiful now, every turn in the road beside the stream gives one glimpses of blooming orchards and the lawns are so green and in many places sprinkled with fallen blossoms.

I must tell you about going to church Good Friday service. Mr. Macy had asked if he might go with me and he cut a quiz for it and I cut Shakespeare as he said service was at ten o'clock. We hurried as fast as we could and found the church empty so thought we had made very quick time and could stroll around Palo Alto a while - when we came back the church was still empty but we went in and finally Mr. Peet appeared - we enquired what time service was to be and he said eleven - which meant we must cut the last morning class too- This was my Shelley with Prof. Anderson and I felt queer enough when I thought I was to meet him at 12:30 to go to luncheon with him. But there was nothing to do but stay and run the risk of not being too late to meet the luncheon engagement - especially as Mr. Macy is a freshman and I didn't want him to get into unchurchly ways. To add to my confusion I felt myself not more than half dressed as I had hurried so and as my shoe had come untied and unlaced itself down to my ankle which gave me a very dishabile feeling.

What a good time you had in New York and how lovely to see Mrs. Bliss! Thank you so much for all your trouble in buying such a lovely Santa Claus box of lovely things. I send by this mail one of the little pictures Helen and I had taken at Christmas time when the group was taken. We didn't have very many finished up then but we have a new supply now.

Miriam and Marylyn send love as well as all of Epsilon Chi -

Bye bye your loving Rose

I am sorry the pictures couldn't come in time for Easter...