Letters to his cousin, Mabel

The next morning I set out early on my wheel to take a beautiful cliff side. At some places the Pacific Ocean is 500 feet below. The road, which is cut right out of the cliff, and most of the distance is not more than eight or ten feet wide, and you can look off the edge and see the water dashing against the rocks, and the spray shooting up forty or fifty feet. I had a most beautiful trip, covering about sixty five miles that day, of which I had to walk over 20 miles.

I must close now in haste

Lots of love from your affectionate cousin Walter.

Encondite Cottage

Stanford University, California

Sept. 18th '97

My dear Cousin:-

I have been intending to write to you before but I have been so very very busy that I have hardly had time to turn around.

You perhaps remember my saying that I had my last semester's work to make up after I got back,and of course I have my regular work besides, which is enough to give me about all I should do.

I have 2/3 of the back work done now and hope to get the last third done before a month passes.

I had a delightful trip west. I had a few hours in Cincinnati and St. Louis. A night and part of a day in Kansas City. A little while in Pueblo, Colorado. Two days in Colorado Springs, one in Denver, and three in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The most novel and interesting experiencesthat I had were, 1st, being up on Pikes Peak 14,147 feet high, and 2nd, going in swimming in Salt Lake--excuse me, I do not mean swimming. You cannot swim there for your feet fan the air instead of water if you try it. I just sat in the water and paddled around in it. One cannot sink, it is so salt. The greatest difficulty is keeping one's feet under, and it requires an expert to get them where they belong if they once get near the surface of the water.

There will be over 1100 students here during the year and that will be over the greatest number that we have ever had. They are very strict for they cannot accommodate so many.

Much love to all from your loving cousin,

Walter

Stanford Univ. California January 1st '98

Dear Mabel,

I was very much pleased to receive your letter, telling about your Thanksgiving. I enjoyed it very much and have read and reread it many times.

I should have answered it before, but we had to go through with all our examinations before Christmas, and I had no time to myself; since then I have been spending most of my time out of doors. We have had simply perfect weather so far this vacation. Nice and warm and sunshining all day; not a drop of rain has fallen so far, but we are expecting it almost any time now. Our wish is that it will hold off till vacation ends (Tuesday the 11th) but it does not seem possible, as this is what they call the rainy season.

You certainly must have had a delightful Thanksgiving day and such a pleasant surprise also. I would never for a moment think that you did not keep your secret, for I know your mother's tendency towards matchmaking.

Well, I spent a pleasant Thanksgiving- but it was a college boy's Thanksgiving and not a home one. We had a special train of sixteen cars, decorated up with cardinal bunting and red berries, take us up to the city. Our Univ. band of about forty pieces went along in the same train with us, and kept us livened up during the hour and a half that it took to get to San Francisco. The band gave a concert in the corridor of the largest hotel there, and then we went for our lunch. Four of our old club of boys had been invited by one of the old fellows, that now lives in San Francisco, to take lunch with him- we were very glad of the chance, and it was early so that we could get to the foot-ball grounds as soon after twelve o'clock as possible, so as to get a good place to see the game.

Already a crowd had collected about the entrance gates and we had to be squeezed for about a half of an hour before we got in, and then we had over an hour to wait, but the time passed quickly for we sang college songs and went all over our yells several times. After nine minutes of playing our boys had a touchdown and a goal, which counts six points, and so it went on through the game, and it was not nearly as interesting as the former ones have been, but we should not complain I suppose for the final score was 28 to 0 in our favor.

In the evening our Glee and Mandolin Clubs, with the help of the dramatic club, gave a show in one of the theatres, but I got the first train I could after the game for home, as I did not care to stay longer.

I had an exceptionally successful term that closed at Christmas. I got very high marks in all of the work for this term, besides making up the work that I left uncompleted last spring when I went home early. I have planned a pleasant and profitable lot of work for next term and expect to enjoy it immensely.

I have been here all vacation so far; am resting up as much as possible for the work ahead of me. Have been reading quite a little but most of

my time is spent in playing tennis and riding around on my wheel.

I received a nice lot of Christmas presents. Papa and mama sent me money as usual. Harry and Grace a beautiful china inkwell and two neckties. Lou two neckties, and Lena a calendar. So you see I was well remembered.

I hope you passed a pleasant Christmas and are all well.

With much love affectionately,

Your Cousin Walter.

A happy New Year to you from Jan 1st to Dec. 31st. W.E.N.

Stanford Univ., California Jan. 20th '98

Dear Mabel:-

I am ashamed of myself for not acknowledging your beautiful present before this, but I did not know but that I should hear from you, and then I would acknowledge it, and write you a letter at the same time.

The calendar is a beauty and I have it hanging up in a conspicuous place on a curtain at my right. I thank you very very much for your thoughtfulness.

I am anticipating a good deal of pleasure from your mother's letter when I receive it.

I am kind of sorry for Dorothy Chancellor, for her birthday and Christmas will come both the same time.

Since I last wrote you I have joined an eating club. At present there are only two young ladies and four boys but two more young ladies are going to come in day after tomorrow on the first, and make a nice number, eight.

The principal object is sociability. Ever since I have been away from home I have avoided the other sex, and did not know more than two or three girls in California even enough to take my hat off to them. It has made life different from what it should be, and I think that this will be a welcomed change. Another reason for changing is that I have not known my professors as I should. From merely a class room acquaintance one can form very little conception of a man. Now I am situated so that I can invite any of my professors or friends to a meal and we can have a nice sociable time together. Last Thursday the President of the University and his wife din ed with us and we had a very nice time. After dinner one of us always reads a story. Words that happen to be mispronounced by any of us are always discussed and looked up and we finally settle upon what is correct. So in many ways I expect to get a great deal of benefit from this new club.

I am getting along very nicely in my work. I have taken up more than I had to, and I expect to be as busy as I was last term.

I have heard bad news about Ida's eyes. Have they improved lately? When does your mother and father expect to move to Webster?

Some time ago I sent for a Wellesley Catalouge; I received it a short time ago, it gives the courses of study and several other interesting things.

I must close now.

Your loving cousin,

Walter.