i am back again at grandmother's for the holidays. grandmother and uncle theodore seemed so glad to see me that i am beginning to feel quite as if this were home. yick and betty are still here, chauffeur graham still manipulates the automobile.

mrs. delancy gave a "little christmas dance," as she calls it, last night, and the description has come out in the morning paper:

"the home of mrs. delancy was transformed into a bower of flowers, ferns and softly shaded lights, on the night of her christmas dance. the[pg 161] hall and staircase were decorated with southern smilax entwined with white flowers, and the dressing-rooms with mauve orchids; while in the drawing-room the mantelpiece was banked with richmond roses and maidenhair ferns, and that in the dining room with lily-of-the-valley and single daffodils. passing through the dining room, where an orchestra was stationed behind a screen of bamboo, twined with flowers, the guests entered the japanese tea pavilion, which had been erected for the occasion. the entrance was formed of bamboo trellis work covered with southern smilax, flowers, and innumerable tiny electric lights. the walls were covered with fluted yellow silk, and from the ceiling depended dozens of baskets filled with flowers interspersed with japanese lanterns and parasols. huge bouquets of chrysanthemums were fastened against the wall. the table was exquisitely decorated with enormous baskets of flowers; in the centre was one with large mauve orchids over which was tilted a large pink japanese umbrella, trimmed with violets, while from each basket sprang bamboo wands suspended from which were japanese lanterns filled with lily-of-the-valley and violets, the whole forming the most beautiful scheme of decoration seen this season."

how tired i am writing it all! i wonder if any one felt tired looking at it.

then followed a description of the ladies' gowns:

"the ladies were simply stunning in their smartest gowns, mrs. delancy queening it in an exquisite apple-green satin, with pearls and diamonds; miss morgan (which means my respected aunt), whose sparkling blonde beauty always charms her friends, in maize chiffon, through which sparkled a gold-sequined bodice and underskirt, and mrs. deforest, dark and graceful, in a rich white satin gown. mrs. austin looked extremely handsome in a most becoming orchid gown, with ribbon of the same shade twisted in her dark hair."

there was a lot more of the same, but my hand refuses to write it. one would think it was a number of half-grown children the newspaper reporter was trying to please by saying nice things about them. strange that in this america nothing is ever said about what the women say or do at those social functions; nothing seems worth noticing about them but the kind of clothes they have on. the men do not count for anything at all.

i wonder was professor ballington there. i wonder did he look at any one with that smile away back in his eyes which was there when he looked at me the time i sang my one spanish song.