Thank you for the bosom shirts and the ones that helped make them.
They’ve come. I like them very much and the bows too. They’re made
right. I lent Bubby Short one bow. His box hadn’t come. He kept running
to the expressman’s about every minute. We began to go last night. If we
miss any questions to-day, we shall have to stay away next night. That’s
going to be the rule. O, you ought to ’ve seen Dorry and me at it with
the soap and towels, getting ready! We scrubbed our faces real bright
and shining, and he said he felt like a walking jack-o’-lantern. I
bought some slippers and had to put some cotton-wool in both the toes of
’em to jam my heels out where they belonged to. I don’t like to wear
slippers. My bosom shirt sets bully, and I bought a linen-finish paper
collar. I haven’t got any breastpin. I don’t think I’m good looking.
Dorry doesn’t either. I know he don’t. That’s girls’ business. We had to
buy some gloves, because his cousin said the girls wore white ones, and
nice things, and ’t wouldn’t do if we didn’t. Yellowish-brownish ones we
got, so as to keep clean longer. But trying on they split in good many
places, our fingers were so damp, washing ’em so long. Lame Betsey is
going to sew the holes up. When we got there we didn’t dare to go in,
first of it, but stood peeking in the door, and by and by Old Wonder Boy
gave me a shove and made me tumble in. I jumped up quick, but there was
a great long row of girls, and they all went, “Tee hee hee! tee hee
hee!” Then Mr. Tornero stamped and put us in the gentlemen’s row. Then
both rows had to stand up and take positions, and put one heel in the
hollow of t’ other foot, and then t’ other heel in that one’s hollow,
and make bows and twist different ways. And right in front was a whole
row of girls, all looking. But they made mistakes theirselves sometimes.
First thing we learned the graces, and that is to bend way over
sideways, with one hand up in the air, and the other ’most way down to
the floor, then shift about on t’ other tack, then come down on one
knee, with one hand way behind, and the other one reached out ahead as
if ’t was picking up something a good ways off. We have to do these
graces to make us limberer, so to dance easier. I tell you ’t is mighty
tittlish, keeping on one knee and the other toe, and reaching both ways,
and looking up in the air. I did something funny. I’ll tell you, but
don’t tell Grandmother. Of course ’t was bad, I know ’t was, made ’em
all laugh, but I didn’t think of their all pitching over. You see I was
at one end of the row and W. B. was next, and we were fixed all as I
said, kneeling down in that tittlish way, reaching out both ways, before
and behind, and looking up, and I remembered how he shoved me into the
room, and just gave him a little bit of a shove, and he pitched on to
the next one, and he on to the next, and that one on to the next, and so
that whole row went down, just like a row of bricks! Course everybody
laughed, and Mr. Tornero did too, but he soon stamped us still again.
And then just as they all got still again, I kept seeing how they all
went down, and I shut up my mouth, but all of a sudden that laugh shut
up inside made a funny sort of squelching sound, and he looked at me
cross and stamped his foot again. Now I suppose he’ll think I’m a bad
one, just for that tumbling in and shoving that row down and then
laughing when I was trying to keep in! He wants we should practise the
graces between times, to limber us up. Dorry and I do them up in our
room. Guess you’d laugh if you could see, when we do that first part,
bending over sideways, one hand up and one down. I tried to draw us, but
’t is a good deal harder drawing crooked boys than ’t is straight ones,
so ’t isn’t a very good picture. The boys that go keep practising in the
entries and everywhere, and the other ones do it to make fun of us, so
you keep seeing twisted boys everywhere. Bubby Short was kneeling down
out doors across the yard, on one knee, and I thought he was taking aim
at something, but he said he was doing the graces. I must study now.
Bubby Short got punished a real funny way at school to-day. I’ll tell
you next time. I’m in a hurry to study now.
Your affectionate Nephew,