Adeline & Julia: Growing Up in Michigan and on the Kansas Frontier: Diaries from 19th-Century America

Volume 2: December 21, 1881–May 28, 1882

Volume 2 December 21, 1881-May 28, 1882 Wednesday Dec. 21st 1881 We have such comical and funny times I am going to keep an account of them as well as I can, although they will sound silly written down. Jude advised me to and I always take her advice; when she advises me to do something I intend to do. Cousin Bob got up a dancing school this winter. He likes to dance. I don't unless I can have the whole floor to myself. It's lots of fun to go though, and I wouldn't miss it for a good deal. George generally takes Jude and I and Et has to go with Cousin Bob and stand his conversation which has about as much substance to it as moonshine. I asked him one night if he didn't like the poem "Miles Standish."l "Yes," said he, "It's by Whittiah, is it not? Very fine poem." He is great on literature. At Aunt Addie's one night they were speaking about "Thaddeus of Warsaw."* "Yes, I read that," he said. "Thaddeus was the fellah who tied his horse to a twig in the snow and there came a big thaw and in the morning his horse was in the top of a tree." Thursday Dec. 22nd 1881. George wrote for West and Keisler to come and spend the holiday with him, but West's mother is dead and they will not come. IThe Courtship ofMiles Standish (1858) was by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Cousin Bob erred in both pronunciation and identification. 41 42 GROWING UP IN MICHIGAN: THE DIARY OF ADELINE GRAHAM Our dancing club meets Saturday nights. One week from tomorrow night we are going to have a masquerade. Dec. 26th Monday Christmas is over and now I may get some chance to write in this book. It seems so funny to have Christmas without a bit of snow. It was warm and pleasant yesterday. I got a good many presents, three books, "Andersen's Fairy Tales," from Et, "Tom Brown's school days" from Jude, and "Among the Poets" from Pa.* Besides I got a pair of kid mittens, two handkerchiefs, an old paper knife that was my grandfathers.2 Aunt Jude gave me a pretty Christmas card, from Graham a gold collar button, and a bottle of perfumery from Cousin Bob. Mrs. M.Mc.C.D.W.,* Et and George took dinner with us. I asked George "What is the difference between a Hairdresser and a Sculptor." The answer is "One curls up and dies and the other makes faces and busts." Jude tried to repeat it and innocently told Et "one curls up and busts and the other makes faces and dies," to the great edification of her hearers. When it began to get dark we all started down to Aunt Addie's to spend the evening, taking M.Mc.C.D.W. home on the way. Just as we started M. Mc. said "Who will take me home." "1 will," said George. "It is nice for young men to escort old ladies around," said she. "They can practise on them and mistakes are not noticed." Then George, just to take off Lee Wilkinson, said "I've got six girls and I'm the nicest young man in town." M. Mc. thought he was in earnest, never having heard Lee joke before, gave quite a lecture on conceit and poor [George] was so mortified he didn 't have the heart to explain himself. They two went first and through town we three went single file behind with our handkerchiefs to our eyes. Well, to continue we reached Aunt Addy's at last and Jude and Et were determined to go to church. George and I didn't want to go and tried to persuade them to stay at home, but to no purpose and they went. They had not been gone long e'er we longed to pay them back for leaving us and I knew of nothing that would cause Jude more agony than to go to church just as I was, without one plea so we went, I in myoId hood 2"Kid mittens" would be made of goatskin. VOLUME 2: DECEMBER 21, 1881-MAY 28, 1882 43 and no gloves.3 And to add to the harmony, we were late. And took a seat near the front. When...