Editor's Notes
I don’t know why she signed the letter "Mary Ann" and referred to Marion in the copy. I’m pretty certain this letter s from Marion as its clearly her writing. and she references things from her life (the osteopath, for example.) These letters do bring some mystery. I believe she is referring to the Osborne Company Convention when she talks about meeting her father and uncle in Philadelphia. The Company must have had its convention there this year instead of Atlantic City.
Miss Eulenstein is her good friend and was her housemate last year at her boarding house in Millville. Miss Eulenstein accepted a new teaching position (and a raise) at Atlantic City.
November 6, 1921
At The Train
A la Wiglo
Sunday night
Dear Betty,
My I'm getting lots done and this is an express train part way and is just bobbing all over. Just figured out the six week averages for two classes and now you've been neglected too long already, so I'm going to make a steal at letter writing-the other went so well. I wrote a Thanksgiving letter home which was to be for you and sent one so guess you heard from me. I've been awfully busy this week, not able to write any letter or do anything else. Well, my pen went dry here and it's now Tuesday night and I don't know what I was going to say.
Friday night, Millville had a debate here with Ocean City High School and won. Miss Hudson (the girl, Pi Phi, from University of Virginia) Miss Eulenstein, (the French teacher) was in Atlantic City. (I generally go everywhere with her) and I went. I was so dead tired from the week's work that I decided I’d get up and go to Philadelphia in the AM. When I woke up, I took the 10:27, getting into Philadelphia at 12. When up to Mariano's after shopping at about 5:00 o'clock. The Baptist Institute where Thelma S. goes to school was entertaining the Baptist college girls of the place and so we went over for a little time. The girl who was shown to take me down for eats happened to be Thelma 's roommate. Then we both discovered that we both had lived in Binghamton and I used to go to school quite often with her sister, Mabel Nearing. She has always lived there till a few years ago. They lived on Bennett and Laurel Ave. corner and her mother's best friend was Mrs. Jewell, next door to us. She also went to Northfield and knew Ruth Newton.
Dad didn't get in until about 12:00 o'clock Sunday AM and called up right away and called me to bring Marion down with me to dinner. It was thrilling meeting Uncle Frank. I like him heaps. Didn't you? And he's much better looking than I expected. We went to Greens Hotel (very nice), and had a lovely dinner. It was 4:00 o'clock and when we got there. Then we walked out a while and then back to the hotel. We had the best old visit. Then went to a very beautiful church review and came back to the hotel and visited until 10:30. They ferried across to Camden with me and to the electric trains where we took a fond farewell. I arrived home at 1223. Rather late, but kind child that he is, Edward Sommers met me and didn't mind coming in so late. I think these are the details.
Marion was bound I come up again and stay with her this Friday night and go to her clinic down in the slums and then to the Syracuse graduation and I guess I will. It's so nice to get out of this place and it's only once a year that Christmas comes. I'm going to begin saving my money after Christmas. Honest, I haven't saved a scent. I just can't, that's all.
Same mother? How about buying that material for Louise's coat, $10 and it's a bargain. I'm afraid I'll need the money for your Christmas present. It makes me peeved to think I'll have to pay $25 right out to the Osteo Dr. just before Christmas. I had some frightfully sore spots along my spine and today is the first they haven't hurt when she twisted me. Have been going twice a week and it's $25. for 14 treatments. Have felt great ever since I've been down here. Just one cold too and that was all my voice from talking too much.
Oh, a whopper of a job! We're about to have another faculty meeting. All of us have had to hand in model lesson plan sheets with the lessons all planned out. The dear man's comes up to me today and says, hmm, Miss Briggs, you and Miss Thomas will work together on a committee to look over the lesson plan sheets, review them at the meeting and point out the good and bad points. I actually almost laughed the man in the face and I still can't get over it. Says I “Well, Mr. Wolf, it certainly will be very embarrassing for me to get up and tell these teachers who have taught for 30 or 40 years where they're lesson plans are wrong” Can you imagine anything more simple?
I was going to write both you and mother, but I didn't know where to stop one and begin the other, so please send this immediately on.
I get home till Christmas Eve. So, Dad says. No sleeper. Leave Philadelphia Friday AM at 8:41 and get home around 6:00 PM. Miss Orvis wants to take a sleeper out of New York around 11 that night as it goes straight through to Utica and take an AM train from Utica home. Please press the matter and see why I wouldn't do that. Two of us could do it all right. Miss Eulenstein can tell us all about when to go.
Will write to Elfa about Elizabeth MacEwen. She was so popular in high school, she must be a junior, isn't she?
Heaps of work to do, so goodbye. Have you bought any new music? Let me know if you have and I won't get what you have. I want to get a new record for Dad's Christmas, but I want to get a dance record and I'm afraid he won't appreciate it.
Love and love, Mary Ann.
MILK SUPPLY GAINS, WAGONS START SOON
100 Auto Trucks Serve the Public in Streets, Deliveries to Begin on Wednesday. CITY'S STOCK 70% NORMAL Rioters Dump Load of Woman Driver, She Delivers Second, Reports All Is Well. More Wagons in Service. Move to Check Profiteers. MILK SUPPLY GAINS, WAGONS START SOON Chain Stores to Help Distribution. 41 Sheffield's Stores Opened. Dr. Copeland Satisfied. Coalition Women to Aid. Denies Employing Chinese.
If you're new to this project, please consider going to our site and catching up with a few letters from the 1900-1910 era. The letters only take 3-5 minutes to read and you'll find the characters more fully develop if you read the letters chronologically.
John has excellent handwriting. However, in some instances, I cant decipher it. If I can't, I simply mark the spot with "xxx"s to signify thank the word isn't decipherable.
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