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November 2, 1946
Dear Mother and Daddy, I am really ashamed for not having written long before. I intended to on Friday afternoon, but right after my Economics test, some boys came over and wouldn't leave until dinner time, and right after dinner I went out with Jack Carpenter. I don't think I have ever had such a busy week in all of my life. I had three tests, and a map due. I had a big test in both History and Economics. I think I did rather well in my History, but my Economics seemed to be worse than ever, and I'm sure that this time I won't be in store for any pleasant surprises when I get the test back. This time it wasn't that I didn't know the material, but I just got so confused figuring out the different schedules, even though I knew the principle behind them. I know that if I were given an Economics test and about five hours to figure it out, I wouldn't have any trouble in getting everything right. The next time I think I am going to study completely for the test a week in advance, so that by the time I have to take it, I will have know it for so long, I won't possibly get confused. I also had a little test in International Law which I think turned out all right. I am a little worried about my map though. I got everything placed on my map, but when I went to ink it in, the ink all ran, and there wasn't anything that I could do about it because I couldn't either erase it or get another. I showed it to the professor so that he would know that I had done it all, and asked him if I could have a little more time to do another, but he insisted that I hand it in that way. I told him I'd rather not, but he said he didn't think it was worth it to do another. The only trouble is that he doesn't correct the maps, and the corrector won't understand why it is only done in pencil, and he will probably mark me off for it.
I must tell you about about the Halloween party. If I ever live to be a hundred, I know I shall never go to a party that was more fun. You would certainly have been ashamed if you had seen us when we were all dressed up. The whole idea was that everyone was supposed to disguise themselves as completely and as horribly as possible. You wouldn't have believed it if you had
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seen Ruth. She put putty all over her face and plastered her nose up into a pug nose with a piece of scotch tape. She fixed moles and hairs all over her face, and made some huge protruding teeth with putty. She had on a horrible dress that had a hole in back, and she fixed a peep-show through the hole with a megaphone. She had her hair all wound up in a stocking and some kind of a rain hat on her head. I just can't keep from laughing when I try to tell how awful she looked, because she was really indescribable. My costume didn't really look so awful but it was really disgusting. Illie and I dressed alike. We found a lot of black material in the closet that had been used for a dance decoration. We made some big graduation gown like afairs, and some hoods with little cat faces drawn on them. They really were awfully cute. One eye was cut and the other was winking, and we fixed little ears sticking up. The gowns came down to almost the floor, and there were some tales draging down the back. We wore balck boots, ;so that the only thing that showed on us was one eye. The boys came about eight and they were equally well disguised, except that they didn't look quite as awful as we did. Everyone had a number and the boys called up the stairs there number, and when your number was called you went down and found your freek. In the meantime the whole house was dark, and one of the girls was playing some weird music on the piano. I got a boy named George Cator, who was awfully nice. I had met him before, and it didn't take me long to figure out who he was. Ruth and I went in the same car, and we carried on a very gay conversation in a southern accent. In fact everyone talked in a southern accent so that we wouldn't give away our disguise by our voices. We went to a place called the Peanut Farm, and kept on our disguises for about an hour. I had figured out who most of the boys were, because they wern't as completely disguised as we were. I knew most of them, and I had more fun carrying on a gay conversation with all of them, all the time in a southern accent. They couldn't figure out who I was for the longest time, and I talked to George Grimes for about half an hour, and he couldn't figure me out at all, and all the time I practically died because he had told me just before dinner that he was sure that I would be the first one he would guess. Finally one of them recognized my voice, and then they
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wouldn't let me rest until I took my hood off. The rest of the evening I spent dancing and talking to just everyone. Most of the time however, it was Arthur Mathews, and I now have two dates with him. I am also now very well acquainted with Dick Huntsburger.
The whole week-end after that was sort of a let down. On Friday night I had a date with Jack Carpenter, and as usual I had just a wonderful time with him. We went up to San Francisco with another couple, and went to the Mark Hopkins Hotel. It was very exciting. Now that I don't seem likely to have many more dates with Bob, I guess I won't be going to San Francisco much anymore. So I had my big city date last Friday night. On Saturday I went to a Fee Gee Party here one campus, with a boy named Peter Bennette. He was very nice and so was the party, but the Fee Gees are definitely not one of the better fraternities on campus. A very strange thing has happened though, on Friday a boy called that I didn't know, and wanted to take me out. I said I couldn't go out with him until I met him; so he asked if he could come over and meet me tonight. I said he could, but when I talked to him I was sure he said his name was Peter Bennette too, and I'm just sure there can't possible be two Peter Bennettes. I am horribly confused about the whole situation, and it is going to be very interesting when he arrives tonight to find out who and what he really is.
I went to church again this morning with the girls in the house, and have since been studying for about four hours.
Yesterday I got another set of stockings, which I assumed were the ones you had ordered for me. Thank you so much for getting them to me so quickly. I don't know what I would have done for a while, because I was really out. But now I have the other pair fixed, and with that and the new pair, that will certainly be all I will need. So I am going to send back the two pair of yours that you sent because you might need them soon. But I do appreciate your sending them to me when I needed them so much. I wore one of the pairs once. Thank you again.
Love to all,
Mary
