Perry letters

Stanford, Feb 4, 190[??]

My dear Mother:

Your kind presents arrived yesterday morning and were the first reminders of my birthday. I thank you very much for the very toothsome remembrances. You and I perhaps were the only ones who knew that with the dawning of Saturday I should be twenty-two years old. I did not let the boys in the house know that it was my birthday, for had I done so this good right arm would have received so many enthusiastic punches that it would not now be able to direct the hand in this letter. I [ewwe] near letting the secret out though. Mrs. Gillespie, our kind and thougthful matron

the adopted mother of us all, asked me Friday night when my birthday was, having remembered that I had once told her that it occured in the first week of February. She wanted to have a cake made in honor of the event. And there I was! I wanted the cake, Oh! so badly! yet if I had told her "on the morrow" every mother's son of the ones gathered around that supper table would have visited my room bright and early Saturday morning and would have conferred upon me many "honorable mentions in the form of various vigorous blows upon the said right arm.

So I complacently told her that it would occur on the 23rd of February - and thereby saved my life and lost my cake!!

Yesterday morning I studied and after dinner did a little

manual labor. We have a lawn in front of our house and the grass needed cutting, so the Freshman one of the numerous Juniors, and the two seniors went to work and shaved the thing. The poor Fresh man claims that he can't get to California to escape the [drudgerie?] of the lawn-mower, but we made him work it [???] day [???]. The junior [???.................] and the Seniors - well, they principally [bossed?] the [?].

I am very glad to hear that Paul has at last received his "raise". That means that he will no be under the necessity of receiving help from his father, [??] that is just what he has been striving after these many months.

How is your dress and hat getting along - by the way? Have you had them commenced yet?

I am glad that Ed can now settle up his liabilities. I regret though, that circumstances prevent his settling his accounts or anything less than dollar for dollar.

The morning dawned with sunshine, but I fear that before night falls we shall have rain. By the pools of water in the roads I judge it has rained last night.

Please write next time before the close of the week. I was tempted to delay this letter until next Sunday, but your presents yesterday [broke?] my firm resolutions & I find myself today at my old tricks - "writing home on Sunday." The boys the house are as grateful to you for the can[dy?] as I am.

Goodly - Fred

KE House, Stanford, Jan 28, [190?]

My dear Mother;

Last week was a very monumentous one for our Fraternity. In the contest for the presidency of the Junior class was a member of Kappa Sigma. The other candidates were, respectfully, a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity & a well know non-Frat. man. Sigma Nu is one of the oldest & best established Fraternities at Stanford & it seems like insolence, perhaps, for us to attempt to best her in a class