February 12, 1919, From Richard (Includes Esther's Reply)

Indiana University
February 12, 1919

Chere Amie Esther:

Your letter arrived Tuesday morning at 8:30 o'clock, to be exact. It certainly contained many good suggestions which made me "hungry". Ha. And would you believe it? I had some popcorn Sunday. Mr. House went home last week-end; and his folks, not knowing it, sent him a big box of popcorn cakes and apples. Of course we boys decided that it would surely spoil, so you may guess what happened to most of it. However, he is a fine fellow and we are still alive.

I could not write to you yesterday, on Tuesday, because that is my hardest day. From 2:00 o'clock on, on Wednesday I am free from classes, so I usually write letters then. If my letters do not get there until Friday, then I have been to [sic] late in mailing them in the afternoon. They should get to Geneva the next morning, by my calculation.

So all the young men are going to leave the community are they. It is surely a sad happening. Alas! What will all the girls do? I do not know whether I ever spoke of Gladys or not. She lives at Portland; that is, their home is there. I think you can get a very nice and appropriate program for Washington's birthday. Some of the most interesting and useful games or rather tests are to be found in psychology. That is, the observation powers and the memory being brought into use. That sort of thing is educating also. A person trained to use his or her eyes is an exception, almost. I hope you have a good time at the next party also. I might possibly be at home by that time. Ha! You see I got a notice from the president the other day, asking why I had not been "shot" by the University Physician. I did not, you know. It is a court-martial offence to disobey orders down here. Which means, to be expelled from I.U.

I surely would like to have one of your pictures. I did not know that you had any. I shall give instructions for one of my sisters to give you one of mine, as I have only a very few down here. I do not recommend Sullivan's at all, and I have sworn (?) never to go back there.

I just got back from the mens Gymnasium, before starting this letter, where I was in swimming. They have a very fine pool. We do not have Military Maneuvers on Wed. We had Convocation today for the first this year, a program in honor of Lincoln was given today. Oh, yes, we have to guard our green caps very carefully or the upper-classmen steal them, for relics. I have heard of some possessing as many as six. This college life is the life.

Yours Truly,
Richard.


[A rough draft of Esther's reply was enclosed in the envelope.]


Geneva Ind.
Feb. 16, 1919.

Dear Richard:--

I've been doing so much chasing around that I am in a whirl. Do you know that since you left for Bloomington I haven't been to a thing until the last week or so? Everything comes at once it seems. Last Friday we went to a basket-ball game at Geneva (a double-header) between Hartford and Berne, and Geneva and Huntington. Hartford and Geneva were the winners both teams winning by a score over two to one. In the Geneva game Carl Striker jumped & ran his foot through the floor up to his knee. I heard a splintering sound, saw that his leg was in a strange position and thought at first that he had broken it. I guess almost every one thought so too. At the same time a truss rod that holds up the floor broke. The floor was four or five inches lower in the middle than at the sides. Since there was a very large crowd there was quite a bit of danger the floor might give way. I was certainly relieved when I got down on solid ground. It was quite large when we got home.

Saturday night Marguerite Bears gave a little party for a cousin of hers, Elmer North, who has just come home from the service. It was about twenty minutes of two when we got home and were ready to go upstairs. And I hadn't studied my S.S. lesson. If I am not used to it, staying up nights goes hard on my constitution. I surely felt "bummy". I slept about half of the afternoon. And then the rest of the afternoon I spent at Reefe's helping make out the program for the next class meeting. It is to be at their place next Friday. Gladys, Alva, Bessie, Willie, Clark, and I made it out and we if have everything we have planned it ought to be good.

I don't like to be slow in writing to you because it makes it inconvenient for you to answer since as you said, your spare time comes on Wednesday afternoon. This should reach you before then. If I had known I would have some open time at school to-day I would have brought some paper with me and written to you here. As it is I am scribbling on tablet paper and will copy this at home. Miss Byerly announced this morning that Ishmael Hank was sick and would not be here to-day so I won't have Physics which gives me two periods free. I just now noticed that it is snowing quite hard. I wonder if this snow will stay any length of time. We haven't had any real winter at all so far.

Is there really any great likelihood of your coming home or was it merely a possibility? It is afternoon now the girls of the Junior and Senior classes are going to give a party for the boys Thur. evening at the school house. We spent the noon writing the invitations. We didn't want the boys to know it until we gave out the invitations but we have had an awful hard time keeping it from them for they know we are up to something and keep peeking thru key-holes and cracks and listening at the doors, trying to find out. That is one thing for me to go to this week and then on Friday is the class meeting, so I think I shall have enough to go to. Then in the evening I was at church at Liberty. Omil, Gladys,and Alva were going and Alva took mercy on my loneliness and took me along to make an even number.

One big piece of news I must not omit is that Miss Byerly was at S.S. I had been intending to ask her but as yet hadn't done it so I was quite surprised to see her, but Tressie wasn't there.

Had you heard that Harry has gone? He went Wednesday morning. At least he told me Tuesday evening that he was going then. I saw him at the Farmer's Institute. That's another place I went last week which I forgot to mention. Oh, yes, I heard that Ishmael made quite a complimentary remark about my English (on exam.) at Teacher's Institute Sat. It came to me by a long route but it finally got here so I suppose from now on I'll have to be extra careful.

Say, what kind of terrible names have you been calling me anyway? "Chere amie" for instance. (Ha).

We made some candy and popped corn again Sunday. Luella sent me a very pretty valentine.