Chapter XV: Letters From Week-End Camp

From Tillie Wingo to Her Best Friend Grace.

Greendale, Va.
Saturday Morning.

My darling Grace:

Such a time as we are having--I've almost danced up my new ten
dollar shoes, but I am sure glad I wore them as they have been much
admired. There are oodlums of men up here and some of the prettiest
dancers I have ever met.

I must tell you what a terrible break I made. There is a man here
named Bill Tinsley, and do you know I took him for a jitney driver
the first day I got here and gave him a tip--twenty-five cents. He
took it like a mutt and now he has a hole in it and wears it around
his neck and everybody thinks it is an awful joke on me. I must say
that it is hard to tell one kind of man from another when nobody
introduces you. He is awful dum but dances like Volinine. He never
opens his face except to feed it and to laugh and he laughs louder
and more than anybody I have ever met before.

Speaking of feeding, the eats are fine. I don't see how the Carter
girls ever learned how to do it but they have the best things! I
hoped it would be bum as I want to fall off. I have always been a
perfect thirty-six and must say I don't relish taking on flesh, but
I can't resist fried chicken and waffles.

I am almost sorry I brought my new pink as I really need some kind
of outing dress, but I did not have room for so many things and I do
think that it is best to have plenty of dancing frocks rather than
sport suits that after all do not become me very much.

We have chaperones to burn as Miss Elizabeth Somerville is here and
Mrs. Tate may stay a long time so Lil can be here with Lucy Carter.
I am dying to stay but $2.00 per is right steep for yours truly. I
don't think that is much for what you get and I think the Carter
girls are real smart to charge a good price as long as they are
giving you good things. Helen Carter does a lot of the cooking and
has the sweetest little bungalow aprons to cook in. They are pink
and blue, just my style, and when I get a trousseau I intend to have
one.

We danced last night until eleven and then old Miss Somerville made
all of us go to bed. She couldn't see to play cards was the reason
she was so proper. Little dinky kerosene lamps that blow out in the
wind are not much for card playing but they do fine for dancing. The
boys say they are going to bring up some electric lanterns the next
week-end so the old lady can see to play and she will forget the
time.

Did you ever sleep in a tent, Grace? Well, it is great--I was real
sorry I didn't have a blanket when it blew up so cold. It was right
down nippy. I wasn't going to say a thing but I was sorry I hadn't
even brought a sweater--one of the fellows didn't have a blanket
either but I heard him say he was going to sleep in his clothes. A
blue Georgette crêpe and a pink chiffon wouldn't help me much and
all of my clothes are diaphanous this summer. I am sharing a tent
with two old maids and a sten from Richmond. Do you know when I went
to my tent I found six blankets on my cot and Susan the maid brought
me two more? It had got out among the men that I didn't have a
blanket, how I can't imagine, and they sent me theirs. Now wasn't
that too sweet of them? I sent them all back but a lovely cadet
blue--it was so becoming I chose that. It turned out to be Mr.
Tinsley's so I believe he is not mad about the tip I gave him.

We are going on a walk this morning over to a terrible place called
the Devil's Gorge. I am going to wear Lucy Carter's shoes and Nan's
skirt and Helen's middy blouse and Douglas has a hat for me. The
sten in the tent with me lent me some stockings. You see I brought
nothing but silk ones. After we got to bed last night and I was
almost asleep but was talking to the sten, who is a very nice
agreeable girl--the old maids were both snoring--we heard a car
chugging up the hill and it seems two more men had arrived, motored
all the way from Richmond. It was a Dr. Wright and a boy named Dick.
I heard Helen Carter, in the next tent, just raising Cain and saying
he was very inconsiderate to come in on them at night that way, but
before they could so much as get up to see where they were to
sleep, they got a message that the new comers had brought their own
blankets and hammocks and no one was to stir for them. I met Dr.
Wright at breakfast and I think he is real cute. Helen Carter is
mighty rude to him and I can't see how he stands it. Helen has
lovely manners usually but she certainly does pick him up quick. He
is a general favorite with the rest of the family though, and Bobby
is just wild about him. No more at present. I don't see how I ever
wrote this much as there has been a lot of noise and I know ten
times I have been begged to stop writing and come dance. It looks
like rain but I do hope it won't. My blue will melt I know if it
rains.

Your best friend,
TILLIE WINGO.

Skeeter from Frank Maury.

Hello Skeeter!

Come in, the water's fine! Say, Skeeter, what's the reason you can't
light right out and come up to camp? Be sure and bring a blanket,
the nights are cold as flugians. Miss Douglas Carter says that
they call it a week-end camp just for cod, but we can stay through
the week if we've a mind. Bully eats and plenty of 'em, and say,
Skeeter, two mighty prime girls--no nonsense about them but spunky
and up to snuff. They are named Lucy Carter and Lil Tate. They say
they'd like to meet you a lot. If you come we can play five hundred
when we are not climbing the mountains and hunting bee trees. Lucy
has some chores she has to do but Lil and I help and we get through
in a jiffy. It is just fun. I talk like I been here a month and it
is just one night. Anyhow, Lil and I helped this morning and we are
going to do it every morning. You see, these Carter girls are
running this camp for the spondulix they can get out of it and it
means all of them have got to spit on their hands and turn in. Lucy
has to help wipe the dishes when they have many folks. I blew in the
glasses and polished them so fine that Miss Helen said she would
like to hire me. I ain't going to tell you more of the camp because
I am sure you will be here yourself soon. It beats the beach all
hollow. These girls are sure slick, these Carter girls. They have a
camp fire going all the time to make it look al frescoish, but they
do their cooking mostly on stoves and in fireless cookers. They
roast the potatoes in the camp fire and bring them to the table with
ashes on 'em to make 'em look more campyfied; and they have a big
iron pot hanging over the fire but they never have anything in it
but water. Say, Skeeter, when you come, bring your fish lines as
there is a stream that looks like fish. Let a fellow know when to
look for you.

Yrs. truly,
FRANK MAURY.

Susan Jourdan to Melissa Thompson, the former cook at the Carters'.

Dere ant Melisser?

i am sogournin hear most profertably to all consearned. me and uncle
Oscur is took over the Brunt of the laber but the yung ladys is
very konsiderable of us and all of them healps at every chanst. miss
Helun is astonishun in her caperbilitys, morn what we thort
posserble. We had upwards of thirty last night for super and it took
a sight of vittles to fill them folks. We want countin on morn
twenty-four and want countin' on them eatin quite so much but miss
Helun took holt and stirred up some batty kates and got em started
to fryin befoar the waffles give out and all the folks turned in
then and et batty kates like they aint never already filled up on
waffles. White folks are sure quick to think in times of stress.
Niggers jest lay down and give up when anything suddint turns up
like extry stomiks but white gals aint nocked out by sich things.
Now uncle Oscur and me would have to know long time befoar han about
batty kates but miss Helun just waltzed in and made em. it war the
las think they learnt her to make at the XYWZ whar she tuck a coarse
in culminary cookin. Theys a yung lady here named miss Guen who is a
mistery to me and uncle Oscur. she is bar futed and dressed in a
dress no biggern a flower sax but she talks properern miss Lizy
sumervil and hoalds up her haid ekal to mis Carter herself, she is a
gret han at cookin and shen Me together kin git up a sweet meel. She
was floared by the Nos. last nite tho and shen Me was bout givin up
when miss Helun stept in. miss Helun looks Sweet in her bugaboo
apern i think dr. Right thinks so too but when he started to say
something to her bout it she pritty near bit his haid off. she is
got it in for him good and wright but the others is dafty bout Him
and Bobby thinks he is the angle Gabrul hisself. I aint writ you
bout a low flung mounting boy up hear what put a hornets nest under
my baid the fust nite we sogourned hear. he is impruved now because
of mr. Lewis who sayed his say to Him and thin made him take a bath
when it want morn Chewsday. We gits along with him by gittin out of
his Way. Ill give it to him that he is smart enuf and kin work. He
is got strange notions tho and whin some of the compny handed him a
little change for his trouble in totin up they bags he got insulted.
uncle Oscur and I says we would like some of them insults heeped on
us. no more from yours in haste at preasant. I dreemed bout teeth
last nite wich is sure sine of death but miss Nan sayed it was
because i sleapt with a wad of chueing gum in my mouth and it sprung
my Gaw and maid my teeth ake. we are xpecting a large Crowd for the
4th of july. it air a strange thing to me that white folks should
make so mutch noise on the day that our rase was given its freedom.
The folks is all lawd in prase of my biskit which is no trubble at
all to roll out. the yung folks is all gone on a walk what they
calls a hyke. They is going to a fearsum spot known as the
devilsgorge. twas there that miss Guens paw made way with his life.
miss Guen and i is to serve lunch for miss Lizzie sumervil and some
ladies and a gent who is too crepit to hyke. They is endorsed in
cards and done forgot to chapperroon. thaint none here what needs
watching. that pretty miss Tillie wingo is mighty flity but thaint
no meanness in her. the bows act like beas round a honie pot with
her. She don't talk nothin but fulishnes and gigglin but men fokes
is sometimes took with that sawt of tainment. miss Nan done say she
thinks twould be good bizness if they ask miss Tillie to stay on as
a gest. She earns her keep and weakenders will come here jest cause
of her. miss Duglas say so too but miss Helun says let her stay but
make her get sum sootable duds as shes got no i dear of lending her
her noo accordeonroy skurt perchused specally for the mountings and
she sayed she seen miss Tillie eying it with Mutt Ise. I am enjoyn
poar helth and hope it finds you the same.

respeect.
SUSAN JOURDAN.