[Letter: date unknown]

[Letter: date unknown]

[unknown]

Reading interests

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Correspondence

This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. For access to the original letter or high-resolution reproduction, please contact the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).

Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection

William Still Collection

Blockson manuscripts

William Still Collection

Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Libraries

blockson@temple.edu

BMS010X0137

I have just received/ Rob's letter so/ how was it you/ was not invited/ to the reception/ I should ask/ what presents/ Mr & Mrs Still/ sent but shall/ imagine them/ to be among the/ handsomest./ I got a letter/ this morning from/ [Emmie?] she tells/ me she is Aunty/ "[?]". I do/ wish you could/ or would send/ some papers/ you forgot to/ enclose/ that slip. It is/ just a lovely/ day but I/ must stop as/ I have but a/ little time/ Sunday P.M./ I thought I would add a/ word more in honor of Willie's/ birthday. You must give him/ three sound kisses for me./ [?] class/ had its first "class society meeting"/ Friday evening. When I went to/ prayers I thought whilst I/ was down I had better remain/ so stayed at the hall but did/ not go out to tea allthough[sic] the/ girls wanted me too[sic], I was sorry/ afterwards I did not, as I didn't/ get home until near 8 o clock/ but I got what was to be had/ namely some cold tea bread and/ butter and some apple "[?]"/ I must tell you/ a joke about Benchly and the/ to get/ ready/ for/ Rhetorical/ what was/ the name/ of that/ fine looking/ gentleman/ do tell/ he had better/ be careful/ how he smiles/ my things are/ nearly all moved/ No[xxx?] the other/ Yours/ JS younger one of the [Moles?] just the/ other week C[xxxxx?] lectured here/ Langston you know goes (or at least/ used to) with Benchly so of course/ he was to have gone with her/ and another one of the young men/ was going with Moles, [Child?] they/ were just more than going to fix/ up bought white kids ribbons/ and flowers and the fellows never/ went near them, they were just/ more than angry and intended/ to keep^it a "secret" just among the/ hall girls but it was to[sic] good/ to be kept in. So I believe now/ they are out with them./ Miss L. Moles (the older)/ is taking first term of grammar/ and "rithmetic". One of the little boys/ was up in my room the other day and/ asked me who blacked my face/ I said [for?] I didn't know it was/ let me see. You didn't say anything/ about my things./ To say that I deeply regret the/ failure of my negotiations/ with you, would be a feeble/ representation of my actual/ feelings. The joy I had anticipated/ in your society and the [gain?] to my/ school, are effectually thrown to the/ winds. But in the wise decision of your/ parents you and I must willingly/ acquiesce. Their plans and prospects/ for you are undoubtedly the/ best as you cannot as^ well discriminate/ and judge for yourself as they for you./ I have no misgivings as to your/ usefulness[sic] wherever and in what/ ever you may be engaged. Since/ writing you last, I have been, most/ of the time, unwell. Yesterday, I had/ just left my bed after an indisposi/ tion of several days. [Calomel?], quin-/ odine, chlorade of potash, and the/ like have had full play with my/ system. My head and strength are,/ as yet, anything but enviably stout./ Owing to my inability to apply myself at/ present, to my law studies I have been/employing my leisure in studying span/ ish and reading Voltaire's Siècle de Louis/ XV. The Spanish, in pronunciation, is a/ remarkably easy language but the many/ idioms peculiar to it in common/ with other Romance languages/ is the trying part in acquiring it/ I shall attempt to acquire it enough/ for [general?] [reading?]. But of Voltaire,/ what shall I say? His style, so racy,/ so piquant, so witty and [?] so/ instruct[xxxx?] interesting! His descript/ tion of the enterprise, victories, defeat,/ and deplorable misfortunes of/ the Pretender, is graphically beau/ tiful./ I wish I could fill out the remain/ der of this sheet, but my force of [mind?]/ is failing, I must reluctantly aban/ don the [?]. I hope you will/ not measure the length of your/ reply by this. Write much, the more/ the better, as [?] [?] [that?] I am/ [very?] happy peruse your letters/ with an interest begotten by those/ of no other. I had some nosegays/ gathered to enclose in this but they/ have lost their savor; in my next/ letter I shall [?] your olfactory/ senses with [?]/ It is near eleven P.M. For the present,/ good night./ Ever yours, Thos. De S. Lucky