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November 18, 1946
Dear Mother and Daddy,
I am sure that I have just gotten over the bussiest week of my college career. First of all I spent the entire week in the library in a book. I was absolutely determined to do well on my two tests. I don't know yet how I did on my history, but I do know I did know so much that I didn't have nearly enough time to write it all down. In fact I just had to outline the last questions. I musn't feel too elated, however, because you can never tell about tests, and I might very well have gotten a very poor grade. I don't think I ever studied as hard as I did for my Economics test. I read the first section over four times and the last two, and I worked out all sorts of graphs and charts that I thought I might have to know. After I got through with the tests, I wasn't very elated, because I didn't think that I had done very well, and as a matter of fact I didn't, since I only got a seventy-six, but the class average was only fifty-two, so that will give me at least a good B in the test.
Last Wednesday night, I also went over to talk to some Freshmen girls about Stanford traditions. They are having the Freshmen program to get the girls acquainted with the campus and especially the different groups on campus. They have several girls from all over the campus go and talk to certain groups of Freshmen girls, and I thought it would be a good experience to talk just informally to a group like that; so I told them I would do it. I thought it would be awfully hard, but it wasn't at all, and I really enjoyed it. I have to do it six more time; once more this quarter and about five winter quarter.
I didn't have a music lesson this week, because I didn't have enough time to practice and study for all of my tests, besides the fact that I had to hand in two book reports, a map and a map question this morning at eight. But I did get the biggest compliment about my playing this morning that I will probably ever get if I live to be a hundred. Mrs. Reynolds was out in the kitchen, and she said to the cooks that my playing was the only thing that made her day bearable. Mrs. Reynolds knows all about music; she graduated from the
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Vienna Conservatory of music, and was quite a prominent singer in Europe before she married and came to America. Besides the fact that anything that will make Mrs. Reynolds' day bearable is a tremenous compliment in itself. She also told me yesterday morning at breakfast that she had never seen as popular a girl as I was, but that is a secret between us. The new deam of women came to dinner last Wednesday night, and Mrs. Reynolds wouldn't let me have any coffee after dinner until I had played for the guest. I got through two pieces very well, but completely forgot the third. But Mrs. Reynolds covered up for me by keeping up a conversation with her about all the music teachers I had had. I think though that she made up most of what she said as she went along.
Last Friday afternoon after my Economics test, we went out to see Sally's house for the first time. We couldn't go out before because we didn't have a car to get up there and back in. But Sally's (Teachout) mother was up here with her car; so Sally took us all up. It is way on top of a hill, and is extremely pretty around. It is very quiet, as there is only one other house near her. They have little apple trees up there, and also walnut trees, and she said they ate half of the time off just what was growing around, although I imagine that was a little exagerated. The house is very small, and they eat and cook in the trailer, but the way she has the house fixed up is just darling. We all sat there and ate apples, and played bridge, and talked, and had a lovely afternoon.
I was very proud of the way I managed my dates this week-end. I went out with Jim Miller on Friday night, Jack Carpenter on Saturday night, and Art Mathews on Sunday night. I also went to church with Jim Miller. I am really not too pleased with Jim Miller any more; he is one of these very talkitive boys, who is very convenient for a few dates, but now that I have seen him several times, I have heard everything he has to say about three times, and it isn't quite so interesting any more. I had absolutely divine times both Saturday and Sunday nights, and don't know what I will do in the end, because I know I won't be able to keep on going out with the two of them and I don't know which one I'd rather keep going out with. It would be fine if only they didn't
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know each other so well or were in the same fraternity. Art is the most exciting, and has the most social personality, but Jack is the nicest looking and is the nicest, and I really believe that I get along with him the best, although it would be awfully hard to beat the date I had on Sunday. Sunday (the Delts) had sort of a dinner party, after their formal initiation, and was the best party I have been too all year with the exception of the Halloween party. I don't usually go to regular parties on Sunday, but this was an exception.
My pills arrived, and I was really very glad to get them, but I have to admit I was rather disappointed when I opened the box, because I wasn't expecting any package from you, and it looked so exciting when I opened the Bullock's Wilshire box and all the white wrapping. It was sort of disillusioning to find only pills inside.
I haven't as yet made any reservations to come home, but I am going to call the station either tonight or in the morning; so prepare yourselves for my arrival.
I am going to send this letter air mail-special delivery, for I wouldl ike to have you get it as soon as possible, since you won't have gotten a letter from me in a long time.
Love,
Mary
