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February 16, 1947
Dear Mother and Daddy,
Well all my troubles are over, and I made a record last week in reading time. I had to hand a book report in on Friday for my history class, and the book I was reading was five hundred and eighty-nine pages long. I read the whole book in about two days. I never realized I could read so fast, but I guess that just shows that if you have to you can. I had to stay up practically all night one night to get the thing done; I could have waited to do it until some other time, but I hated to waste good time to do it because it doesn't require much brain work, and as far as I can see doesn't give you anything. But I do enjoy reading the books. This last one was about John Brown, and it was very interesting because all the other books I have ever read about John Brown have thought he was a lunatic and this person didn't seem to think so. The report finally turned out to be about ten pages long. First you have to write about a page about the author; then you list the twenty-five most important facts in order of their importance; then you list the twenty-five most interesting facts; then all the weak points, and then all the bad points; and after all of that it doesn't seem to be worth much.
After Wednesday I had a very quiet time, and spent the rest of the week, including Wednesday studying. As far as Jack and Art are concerned everything is just as it was. There is certainly no telling how long its going to last though - I certainly am not going to prove interesting to both of them much longer. I thought I'd better think of a joke Valentine for both of them. Art's was the funniest, but then he is the funniest boy; so I guess it was appropriate. I got him a Valentine party popper
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and wrapped it up in a cigar box, and had George take it over and put it on his desk. I had it wrapped to look just as if it had come from Mac's smoke shop. He hasn't said anything to me about it; he may not be quite sure that I was the one that sent it, but I'm pretty sure that he does. Evidentally he got quite a laugh out of it - that is from all reports. I got Jack a Valentine lollypop and gave it to him last night. He also got quite a laugh out of that. I went in on Friday afternoon to get them. I was driving in with Judy and Kay, and I made some remark about that I was really a good driver, but no one believed me; so on that Judy handed me the keys and said here show me. So of course I did, and I got along fine, that is until I got in the middle of Palo Alto, and then the car got stalled. Just as I was having all kinds of trouble getting it started, up drove George Grimes, Jack, and Lloyd McGovern, and they just stopped and laughed at me; that made things worse than ever, but I finally got the car started and drove off with my nose in the air. I then tried to turn down a deserted little side street to find a place to park, but Judy said no - as long as I drove the car in I was going to have to park it where any normal person would, that is it an empty parking place on the main street. So I held up traffic for another half of an hour while I got the car parked alongside the curb. It was the first time I had ever done it; and I want you to know that I did it with surprising dexterity - even Judy and Kay were excited.
Friday afternoon I went out with someone new. A boy named Bob Perry; he is a new hasher at the house. He is very nice and funny. I originally had a date with him to go out to the regular Friday afternoon meeting place, but it finally turned out to be a party with about half of the girls in the house going and most
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of his fraternity brothers. It was just loads of fun. There were a lot more boys than girls, and since I was the only one who had a date, all the other girls got their pick. The boys are all Kappa Sigs. This Bob Petty's father runs a big hotel or something at Bryce National Park, and it seems that they use these great big old touring buses, the kind that have about six rows of seats and sit up very high from the ground, and have a whistle like a trolly car, and make an awful lot of noise. Anyway he has one that he has painted bright red and white, and is by far the most hysterical thing you have ever seen. Of course we drove out in it - all the other girls in the back seat - the boys came out in regular cars - and me sitting very prim and properly up in the front. I felt awfully silly, but it was so much fun. I am going out with him sometime week after next, and he'll take me for another ride in this fabulous car.
This Bob Perry lives in Cedarville, Utah. The boy from Danville that I went out with a few weeks ago, also called and asked me out last week, but I was to busy to make any dates. Along with Susanville, I seem to be doing very well with the "villes", don't I?
Friday night I stayed home and studied, and I studied all day on Saturday except for about half an hour that Art took me into Palo Alto to buy a Frostie. Saturday was the day that all the boys were officially pledged, and all the Fraternities had pledge parties at their houses. I went to the Delt party with Jack and had a perfectly wonderful time. I wore my pink dress, and the way the neck is fixed works just perfectly now. I have gotten to know most of the Delts by now and almost most of the girls that they take out, so whenever I go to a big party with them I always have so much fun. I have never seen such a group
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good boys as they are. I am fully convinced that they are the best house on campus, and I haves have heard several boys from different fraternities say that they have gotten the best pledge class of any. The only girls from my house that were there were my two roommates, Carol Chases and Barbara King, Joan McDonnough, and Judy Peake. At the party we just danced, and ate, and looked at funny pictures of the boys, and listened to Lloyd McGovern play his little pieces on the piano, and looked the house over.
The invitation that you sent me was an invitation to a luncheon given next Saturday by Elizabeth Couch. I was just a little surprise that she would include me in on her party list. Dick Huntsburger and Anne Carter have moved their wedding date up to the twenty-second of March.
Nest week being Washington's birthday, we are given a holiday and everyone wants to go skiing, and naturally I want to go with them. I thought it would be all right, since I am having both a test in history and in law this week; so I don't have much work hanging over my head next week-end. I think that Jack is going to drive us up - but you won't have to worry about that because there will be mostly girls in the car. It is so much fun going; I didn't think you'd mind my again just as long as it didn't interfere with my work, and I hardly see how it will after just getting through with two tests. People go up every week end, and sometimes there are more Stanford affairs going on up there than are going on down on campus.
I must go and study at the library now for my history test on Tuesday. I have finished all the reading and all I have to do now is a good job of reviewing.
Love to all,
Mary
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P.S. Just in case you thought I had forgotten, I thought I'd better mention the fact that I went to church this morning. The minister we have now is very good, and we heard a very good sermon this morning. I went with Cathy Teachout, Ruth, Virginia Walker, and Jean Crawell.
Love,
Mary
