Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

[written] p. 20 15

[typed] Sunday - June 28 - '96

called down to me to start the dinner so shall finish this later.

x x x

Sunday July 5th - '96

A trifle later isn't it my dear Nannie? - but actually this is the first time I have sat down since I got our steak dinner just a week ago to-day. I believe I had several topics to wind up with that I shall tell you before this weeks happenings are recorded. Fisrst: Maggie Scott is in New York on her return from Brazil and will be there about six weeks, I told Susie Cory to be sure & let her know your whereabouts. She doesn't know whether she will return to South America or not, and is spending so much time East seeing to educational matters. Second: Charles came in and ina day and a morning put the grounds into such beautiful order that we have been proud of them ever since, & he did do many little odd jobs too. Third: I made a tee-total failure of the Washburn school - my wits & memory & ideas flew every which way & I shook like an aspen leaf till I sat down, having muttered some incoherent sentences that had neither verb nor noun, Laura came next & did better & each improved in turn till Miriam Maclaren carried off the honors. Honestly I never knew what it was to be frightened before but I shall never forget now - Really I didn't like Chauncey Depew when I heard him but I think him & his vocations truly miraculous now that I have had a little experience. Now for this week's news - there is none - it has simple snapped & the week is gone leaving behind it the tracks of an excellent dressmaker & two suit apiece for Theodora & me at the rate of three seventy-five a suit.

x x x

Have just gotten Charles's luncheon - I don't intend to stir till I finish this patch work letter. The shirt waist patter you sent, Laura has used and also Mrs. Wright. Mr. Wright took such a fancy to my blue shirt waist that he carried it off down town to have it exactly copied for Mrs. W. Theodora has gotten expert at making button-holes, and nick by nick I am learning the art of dress making - mean now to make me a little matinee jacket out of my old red striped flannel skirt by the shirt-waist pattern & have a stock collar of red ribbon & full of lace at the neck - then one more shirt waist out of Theordora's old gingham dress, make over my dotted swiss dress, & finish my batiste, then to finish up with my underclothes & I shall be done - oh I forgot my green silk waist, night gowns for every day I shall be most in need of, as at present I have only one besides the little old duds of Mama's that we found in the attic. Friday evening Gilbert & Jessie Russell & Laura came down to get me to go to a little informal, impromptu, dance at the Vendome which was "kind of fun". Felt too tired & indifferent to go out to the Schneider's garden party, especially as we had no way of coming and going without considerable expense, stayed home & finished off my pink crepe waist ready to wear which was more satisfactory. It is like this: - It is a beauty as the crepe draped as only crepe will in the hands of an artist dress maker, I put Ora's pink velvet roses at the sides of the colar which adds the finishing touch.- my sketch isn't very good but it may give an idea. The green broadlcoth skirt made circular is the handsomest thing I ever had, and the blue skirt & silk waist I like

[Sketch to the side of the upper half of a dress, sleeves, and waist] (sketch)