Payne correspondence

[written] 19

[typed] March 29 '97 Monday afternoon

My dearest Nannie

Your dear good letter reached me this morning and I am so glad you are in New York feeling like a bloated millionaire; tho' I suppose before long you will be going back to . A week ago Saturday Theodora and I went to San Jose just for the afternoon to see about selling the furniture your dear precious letter was such a help and comfort. In my judgment it is by far better to dispose of those things that we nomads can now not afford to move with us or store. We did little in San Jose beside having a satisfactory wi talk with Mr. Gosbey whom I like very much. As you said, the things of Mammas are ones to dispose of as we choose and the proceeds do not go into the estate. The books, pictures, busts, grandma's chair, tea, chair and his d chair are probably all that we shall save.

Theodora went back to San Mateo and I here when our weeks vacation began. Sunday Mary Brunton and I were asked to dine at the Sigma Nu house where we also spent the evenling. The next day (Monday) the Sigma Nu's came for a number of us in a four-in-hand and we went into the hills for a picnic and home again by five o'clock. It was a lovely drive and we went through Woodside - the little village where the football men have secret practice a week before Thanksgiving and our way back was by Redwood City and the county road. The next Thursday Epsilon Chi invited Mrs. Rice and Mrs. Plate to go with us up to King's Mountain House in honor of Mrs. Haskell who goes home soon. We had a coach and four and started quite early. It proved to be a cloudy day but the drive was the most pleasant. We rode through such lovely woods and saw quantities of wild flowers - cyclamen, soap lily, tulium wild violets white and yellow and maidenhair. We reached King' mountain at about twelve and had such a great big dinner not to mention the view which was beautiful. The Mountain house is right on the summit and from its ridge we saw HalfMoon bay and the ocean. The fog began to settle into big drops and while we were at dinner it rained quite hard. I made things a little more exciting by losing my purse with a couple of dollars in it but Billy the driver found it, which made me feel very rich. We simply flew down the mountains in the way back and came home through Belmont reaching the campus about half past six very dusty, happy, and hungry after a forty mile lark.

Mrs. Rice was a Utica girl and went to Miss Kelly's school along in the fifties. She did not know Mamma but knew many people whose names were familiar to me. Saturday and I went to cheer up Lolie- it stromed the minute I reached San Mateo and I found her in the midst of her flock keeping demerit hour. She looked too pretty for anything in her new black taffeta shirt waist and was surprised out of her wits to see me as she didn't expect me till Sunday. We are enthusiastic about taking summer school work at Pacific Grove so many are going down and we can do it economically taking botany and possibly entomology. Kitty and Jessie Haskell with possibly their older sister Florence, Mrs. Beedy, Ida Wehner and her mother , Gertrude Payne, Lolie and I are the possible party.

I came back Sunday evening after having been at the service in the morning - it is such a pretty one, all the boys uniformed and gloved.

Kitty Haskell and I are enthusiastic about teaching. You see we take our degrees or rather finish our work Christmas so our experience begins at the same time. Dear Miss Darrah has asked us down to her home to talk schools with us - she is so lovely - one of the brightest women and an educational leader, she offered to write any letters I might needwhich will mean a great deal to me. The snow is way down in the hills and the wind is stinging cold but the sun is out and I guess the storm is over. Tomorrow Helen comes back and brings a plum pudding and pineapple jellyjust think of that. The Encina boys have been taking their meals at Roble as they always do in vacations, and some of them nearly always dine with us to make it jolly - there have been two or three pokey little dances too. Bye,bye my dearest nannie Your Rose. P.S. Miriam sends love so does Alice Colt and all of Epsilon Chi.

[written] 20

[typed] Sunday morning - April 4-(97

My dearest Nannie

Your dear sweet note has just come. All week I have been meaning to write to answer the questions in your last letter. Yes, the back view photo and papers came safe and sound. The picture I shall keep for my own. We have to write a Prometheus Unbound paper but as it is for Prof Anderson, it will not be returned. All the girls have guessed a and guessed at the book puzzle you sent - do send the anwer for we simply give it up.

Monday afternoon

Helen came in yesterday afternoon while writing and we worked on our Prometheus paper and chatted till dinner. What a wonderful thing it is.Prof A says the lyric at the close of Act II beginning "Life of Life your lips enkindle" is the most beautiful lyric in the English verse. With such a vision of radiant love and such a hope for the redemption of this evil fraught and oppressed world it seems strange Shelley could be believed an atheist - but of course he was an atheist only in his rebellion against conventional religion of his age. It seems to me that he was far too filled with divine visions to be the ineffectual though beautiful angel that Matthew Arnold calls him. So far he is the poet I have enjoyed most in this years study and we are not half through with him yet. I think there is something fascinating about his boyhood - do the y you remember the incident told in the memoirs of his setting fire to the wood pile because he wanted a "little hell all his own"? Of course that would tickle your "bandin villin"(?)

The past week has been very uneventful. Mr. Pitcher asked me to go to the GleeI club concert to be given soon but I don't believe I shall. What a great beig shame you should be ill with grip - of all unguest-like things- when you go away for a good time. But perhaps the change will help you recuperate sooner; you know me well enough to know that I won't worry for I know you will get weell, only I hope it won't make you desperately blue. Don't trouble about the shirt waist too much - you see I don't know how expensive they are east - they are very expensive here, and it does not pay to buy them when they cost so much. The under-arm seam in my silk shirt waist measure 161/4 inches and is not a bit too long. My collare measure is 13 1/2 which is the smallest size I could wear. I am so glad you are getting a pretty suit. Would you have any use for that gray dress of Mama's that she had fixed to wear to the Islands? The sleeves are about the proper thing now, and it is as pretty as ever. If you would have any use for it let me know and I will send it on, as it is just lying in the bottom of the dress box. Do you know what ever became of that brocaded frenadine polonaise Mamma had? It had large velvet flowers in it. I may be with the rest of Mam's things but I don't remember seeing it there.

Theodora and I happened to mention it last week when we saw each other. There are just three more things I want and that is a fresh pair of best white gloves - seeing as I never had any - some flowers to retrim my bule coughlen had I resurrected last summer, and to trim myself a leghorn hat with pink roses to go with my organdie. I hope to be able at the endo of this month to go the city and make these interesting purchases. The spring weather seems about settled now, and the fields ar are golden with poppies and buttercups. The poppies show how much rain has fallen for they are so large and satiny - one of their good years.

[written] 21

[typed] Miriam braought back news from San Jose that Mr. Evans dropped dead right in front of our house on his way to church last Sunday morning. It was a stroke of paralysis. He was 80 yrs old. I had a letter from Gertrude saying next week she was coming up here to spend her vacation if she could find a convenient room and I am sure she can here in Roble for the Hall is not very full.

Dr. Jordan is back from his short Washington trip looking very well.

Now that this semester is so nearly closing the girls are beginning to see more clearly what they will be doing next year. Helen hopes to have a position to teach in the Sant Cruz high school for a year when she will go east to study in New York. Miriam will be home a year when she hopes to go east, and perhaps sooner. Alice Colt has applied for a school and Kitty Haskell and I are enthusiastic about teaching as soon as we can anywhere and anything and then soome fine I'll turn up east too. It is hard to see the girls go but it makes me in a hurry to take my degree too. Did I send you at Christmas time the little picture Helen and I had taken together? I have forgotten and if I didn't I am going to have some more finished up and can send one on to my dearest Nannie.

Bye bye your Rose.

[written] 22

[typed] Saturday morning, April 10-97

My dear darling Nannie

I am just jumping up and down with delight. You are too dear for anything to send Lolie and me the shirt waists, and I was just thinking I never would have any more collars and I need them like fury - you act so sweet I am afraid your nieces will break you utterly - and the worst of it is I am standing on my head with joyful expectation of the box. Theodora is going to spend Easter with me so can the things down then. She will be tickled to death and I am so glad you sent the box to her 'cause it will be so jolly for her to get it. Of all things I wanted it was a petticoat - did I write you so or did you just know it? I was most out of those than anything. I hope the Mississippi floods have subsided for I can hardly wait.

Your letter was so interesting about being in New York. What a shame you missed Mrs Bliss but probably you have seen her by this time. I know th Catherine Adams the sister of the one who went with Marjorie Scott but never met Evangeline - doesn't it seem funny to think of going to Brazil just to sing ! Yes Theodora got the National Cloaks Cos. catalogue and we both liked the suits ever so much. I shall look up no. 21. Yes indeed isn't Maggie Scott magnificient? What a shame you should have been ill but it is a blessing you had such good weather to be sick in.

Summer has come here - it is a perfectly darling day - the air is so soft and caressing and the birds and the poppies look so happy. I was so amused at what you said about Waldo Williams. He is in the University now - when we had the last Shakespeare examination that was such a stunner I felt as if I should walk out of the room a la Waldo which expressed just the feeling all of the class had afterwards when we compared notes. I have a very vivid picture of the kind of a man Mr. Jackson is - I am so glad you have had such a pleasant visit. Gertrude is spending today with precious Lolie and tomorrow comes here to spend her vacation - of course I am delighted. I love to think of you in the heliotrope gown. How stylish it must be this year when that color is so much the thing. Epsilon Chi loves you ever so much and I am always forgetting to send the messages Marylyn Main, Miriam and the girls send.

Last night was the night of the Glee club concert in the chapel I believe I told you Mr. Pitcher called and asked me to go but I was so gladI didn't, for yesterday I accepted an invitation to subsitute for Kitty Haskell to go to a little welsh rarebit party at Mr. Nash's bachelor quarters in Encina. He is the librarian now, and was the Stanford's private secretary. Mr. and Mrs. Hodges - the architect and his wife - Marylynne and Kittie were invited but Kittie had a tooth ache and put a porous plaster on the outside of her face and let it stay too long so has been wretched ever since and could not go last night. So I went in her place although I know the Hodges very slightly and had never met Mr. Nash but we had such a jolly time. The curator of the museum Mr. Schlopbach - was the other gentleman. We played six handed euchre and then went into another room - the guest chamber of Encina - where a table set for six and we made rarebit and had patties, stuffed olives, fruit and candy till the lights went out. It was truly unique and very enjoyable, especially to as Mr. Schlopbach has not been in this country very long and has a strange and wonderful uncommand of the language which was very funny. He is the best curator the museum has ever had, and knows everything. He came home with us and told about his travels in a very interesting way. Mr. Nash is a fierce looking

[written] April 10 '97 23

[typed] little man who when he is unbent proved very lively and interesting and above all a most jovial host. He of course has been everywhere with the Stanfords and was young Leland's tutor.

I caught a glimpse of Mrs. Myrick a day or two ago with a whole bevy of society girls - She was in her most tickled element especially as she had dear Prof. Allardice in tow too. She looked very pretty indeed and was very sweet - and airy. I went through some of the chemical labs and it was great fun to see Prof. Young display his chemicals to them.

The hall seems deserted as Helen Younger and number of the girls have gone to the city to shop. I am giving my bed a good sunning out of my window and think it is about time to take it is. Mrs. Rice just asked to show off the room to a friend - it is one of the show off rooms I find owing to its sunshine and pretty views. Don't forget to send the answer to the book puzzle - "cross eyed sons" is as far as I can get in it and I am sure I never read such a book. Thank you so much for clothing your

Bye bye your loving Rose

I would give worlds to go out into the hills with you it is such a bewitching day - the white oaks look like delicate maiden hair ferns.