1903 Letter Brings Local Gossip
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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
It’s a Wagner Week! Our own George Wagner is getting the 1903 Ole Miss social scoop while he’s off at Cornell. Elma Meek and Rel Price’s on-off/love-hate romance is always an entertaining topic. Not as entertaining at the violin concert, though!
My Dear George,
How good of you to write me such a jolly letter after my long silence. I’ve had a time since Xmas. Papa has been quite unwell the whole time and while not confined to the bed much, he has been shut in and I’ve read and read to him until the very sight of a newspaper makes me dizzy. I haven’t even written to Miss Elma since she left. I
know it is dreadful in me but somehow I just couldn’t get at it. I depend on Rel now for her whereabouts. Say, you didn’t know she was wearing a Rel solitaire when she left, did you? I didn’t know if she told you but I swore to her that I was going to tell you. As for the Tennessee doctor, he isn’t even in it — he sent her a beautiful umbrella on Xmas, also his photo, which she threatened to assign to the lurid flames — but you know me, I besought her to give it to me — I knew you were coming home Easter and I wanted you to see it. I can’t possibly understand the Rel business. I need you here to help me put things together.
I had hoped you’d refuge from Cornell during the fever epidemic. Your sister was up here last Saturday, so they told me, in Nielsen’s, so I ran them down up there to know if you had come, but learned that you hadn’t. This will be a fun time for you to resolve to stay on the “water wagon”, Mr. Wagner. You spoil too fine a fellow by falling off.
Myrtle Plant like to have busted the mutton at the Methodist Church last Sunday. She was down for a solo (violin) and when she had made the introductory long strokes, the whole length of her bow, on the last upward push of said bow, it (the bow) got hung in the overhanging plume on her hat, and with sudden jerks producing rasping notes on the violin, she snatched and tugged but in vain, for the bow had gotten entangled in her accessories and she finally sat down amid snickers from the audience and her own blushes. Would you have ever thought that she would entangle a bow?
The Isoms are regretting their move from Mrs. Meeks. I hate to see them leave the neighborhood but I’m getting powerful anxious for the folks to return — ain’t you? I do hope you were still expecting to come home Easter.
You know the Chancellor hopes to have an immense [illegible] here next summer. All sorts of folks out here and lectures etc. So, save yourself for it.
The new buildings are progressing rather slow, due to the bad weather but they hope to have them completed by June.
I hope you’ll write again very soon. Mama and Papa send their very kindest regards and sincerely hope to see you Easter. Don’t you tell on me about the solitaire until we see her face-to-face and then we will fix her. It is my opinion that Rel has been worked again.
Very sincerely,
Misella
