Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre

I am so sorry I did not write to you before. I can't forgive myself for it. Will youplease forgive me.
I have not been back to college since the twenty fifth of March, and now it is nearly the first of May. I am going back on Monday the second. Just think of the work I will have to make up! Poor little Nell will have to work as hard as I will. The final examinations come the first week in June or the last week in Ap May, so I will have to “cramm” pretty hard.
I was initiated into the fraternity the day before you sailed. Saturday I was taking a walk with Mary White and, it being a warm day, we sat down on a board walk. While we were sitting there I heard the a whistle blow for twelve o'clock, and I thought of you all sailing out of New Yorkharbour, and I longed to see you so. I am so sorry for Mary because she is not in a fraternity. She seemed to feel left out while it was all going on, but she is very brave and proud, and trys not to care. Helen Armour ordered my pin for me while I was sick, and it came day before yesterday. It is a perfect beauty, all pearls, set in roman gold, I think; any how it is a different gold than rings are made of. It sets off the pearls so well. Please thank dear Mamma again for it. I am so glad you got such pretty things on my birthday. Nellie and I had strawberry icecream and cakes in the measles room, I in bed and she sitting up, out of bed. In the morning Miss Andrews came in with the presents. We were perfectly delighted. I got a Ddozen handkerchiefs, with “M” embroidered in the corner, two books, “What Will He Do With ” and The “Founding of Fortunes,” and a darling little dressing sash, blue with little pink flowers and blue dots in it, and white around the edges. Maybe you have seen it. Please thank dear Mamma for these also. They were just what I needed. I always want books, and I was nearly out of handkerchiefs, while my other dressing sash was getting shabby. Miss Andrews read “The Deliverance” to us, Nellie's book you know. Miss Andrews is the sweetest thing. Nellie and I had lots of fun playing with her. She was a very jolly companion.Nellie and I were in the room together for over a week. I had the measles harder than Nellie but got over them in a much shorter time. Nellie was in the house a month, whereas I have not been in three weeks yet. The weather is so bad that I have to stay in longer than I would otherwise have had to. The week before I had the measles I had a very gay time. I went to two dances, one reception, one tea, one dinner party, two luncheons, and two plays, besides going over to Beths to dinner several times. Some of those things came the week before, in the holidays. One dance was at the Wick Scotts, the other at the Sam Scotts. I had lots of fun at both of them, for a wonder. The reception was given by Mrs Vos to the middle class of the seminoles. I had a pleasant time there too. Mrs Magie gave the dinner party. It was loads of fun. I was the guest of honor, and went out with Jimmy. Barry Duffield and two other students were there, Mr Price, a senior, and Mr Colwell, a junior. CKatherine, Elsie Sibley, Enid Caruthers, and myself were the girls. It is the first dinner party I have been too. The ladies went into the drawing room, and had their coffee, while the men smoked, just like grown ups. I felt like laughing, it seemed so funny. I thought of what Beth would say when I told her about it. She thinks I am a grown up lady now, and is greatly interested in all my goings out and comings ins. The luncheons were at Katherine Stockton's and Anna Scotts, and were lots of fun. “Twelfth nNight” was a great success. The “Merchant of Venice” was not as good, but I enjoyed it all the same. Miss Mathewson was as lovely as ever. I hope you will see her in something again. I am going to rest a few minutes now, for my eyes are beginning to hurt, and Papa said to write my letter in instalments, so as to save my eyes. They are weak from the measles.
Here I am again. They have stopped hurting now. I wish the summer would come and those horrid examinations were over. I will have about fifty propositions to make up and remember for the final exam in math. Nellie told you what Dr Van Meter said, didn't she? I don't see how he can make it very easy for I have to have a certain amount of knowledge of the subject to pass the examinations, but I won't cross the bridge till I come to it.
Your letters are so interesting dearie. We certainly will not lose them. They are too valuable. I have been having the benefit of Papa's and Je Nellie's letters besides my own, which the girls, or Helen rather, forward to me from Baltimore. Mamma's letters are just beautiful too. Is cousin Mary Hoyt enjoying herself as much as ever? I got a letter from Cousin Florence, while I was sick, asking what in the world had become of me. She thought I was in Baltimore. She said she would never lend me a fancy costume again if this was to be the result. That was the last time I had seen her, when she and Miss lent me my costume for the fancy dress party.On the twenty fourth or fifth of May we, the freshmen, are going to take the juniors down the bay and give them a dance on deck. The freshmen give the juniors something every year. At commencement we have a torchlight procession for the benefit of the seniors. They say it is always beautiful. The girls all dress in white and execute all sorts of dances, winding in and out you know, carrying lighted torches. They do it on the lawn in front of Goucher Hall. The fraternities always have banquets at commencement. That will also be fun. I hope I won't have a toast. That would scare me so that I couldn't enjoy the banquet. I will get home the same day you land, the eighth of June. I am going to miss the Seniors next year like everything. You little sub Freshmen can't make up for them.
I guess we will have to have a double room together, Jess, because in the first place it is probably too late for you to get a single room, and in the second place if you could get a single room I would have to choose at commencement, and, as the freshmen have last choice, I would ten to one get a room way off from you. I wish you were here to tell me what to do. Aunt Margaret and I decided it would be best to ask the dean for a double room. We would run a better chance of getting a good room that way. Then I hardly dare to ask him to give us a pretty single room again, when I gave up the other. Maybe if you want a single room we can arrange it by exchange after we go there. We might be able to get single rooms in Vingolf, but I would hate to leave Fensal because our cosy corner is in Fensal. Papa applied for a room for you but did not say whether t you wanted a double or single room. I am going to tell him what Aunt Margaret says and do what he advises, of course. You see I have to speak to the dean before commencement for nearly all the applications are in by that time, and you would then run the risk of not getting any room at all or at least an undesirable room that might be left for me to choose.Adeline's friend Gertrude White is lovely and very pretty. She made quite a hit in Princeton, and seemed to enjoy her stay immensely.The little spring flowers are just beginning to bloom. I wish so I could go out and hunt for them—While I was alone in the room Aunt Margaret went out and got some and sent them in to me—They were the dearest little things. I almost hugged them in my joy at seeing them. There were little hipatica's and bloodroot and dogtooth violets and another little white flower that whose nameMiss Andrews, who told me their names, did not know, or rather, had forgotten. The wild violets have begun to bloom. People were so kind to us while we were sick. Our room had flowers in it all the time. Sometimes they were flowers from the hot house. Beth and Mary Scott sent me violets for birthday presents, and Mr Hibben mignonettes. I just love flowers. I wish Baltimore were not a big city. But then it is not far to the country, where I can pick flowers to my heart's content. I suppose you have seen more flowers than you have ever seen before. The trees have not got their leaves here yet.Goodbye darling Jessie. Please give my love to dearest Mamma, to Cousin Maryand Cousin Lucy, Cousin Minnie, and keep a whole pill for yourself