{"product_id":"letter-from-a-snubbed-schoolgirl-heading-from-georgia-to-alabama","title":"Letter from a girl in Georgia who’s been “treated real mean”","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e(4) page ALS, bifolium, 10 x 7.5 inches. Very Good with a small chip to the bottom edge, wear and abrasion at the folds.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eA letter from Alice Shepard to her friend, Miss George Faust. It’s just after Christmas and Alice is feeling “cool” that no one has responded to any of her letters. The “Jefferson girls,” she says, have “treated [her] real mean,” and are “plotting among themselves.” But, she’s resolved to be independent and talks about heading to “the Alabam” for “a while...maybe forever.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAlice is pleasant, selectively mature. She expresses deep sympathy for a friend who lost her mother, believes the dreary weather outside is trumped by “sunshiny hearts within,” and uses the term “howdy.” She gives an unflinching account of a boy cross-dressing for amusement: “He put on my riding skirt and buttoned it up so funny and sat in the saddle so funny and looked so funny and talked and laughed so funny, and of course we all were funny.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe “Jefferson girls” may not be the only meanies here. The “mysterious disappearance” of Alice’s horse at a party, after the other young folks had left, seems to be a prank. She was forced “to ride a strange horse on a man’s saddle, through a strange road in the dark night… I declare it was not much pleasure going.” It recasts the anecdote about the boy dressing up in her riding clothes. Were they laughing with or at her? Did they have something to do with the disappearing horse? Alice doesn’t seem to suspect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTRANSCRIPTION:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHarmony Grove Ga. \/ Dec 30th 1877.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMiss George Faust:— Loving schoolmate,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHighly pleased was I to get your very interesting letter and I assure you that it was much appreciated for I liked to have had a fit when I received it. Well, ‘tis Sunday, but I thought there would be no harm in writing to you as I am all alone today. Well, Christmas has about bid us adieu for this year. Surely it has been a dreary one outdoors, but no doubt there have been many sunshiny hearts within. Your kind missive was received Christmas Eve I believe, and I really think you are due a prompt reply. \u003cb\u003eCan’t help but feel a little cool toward some of the Jefferson girls. Some of them have treated me real mean I think\u003c\/b\u003e let me tell you about it. Well, I wrote to Mollie Poole, Ella Smith, Alice Fanning, and to Florence twice but what do you think? \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNever\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e got even the sign of a pen from a single one, I think I have ample room to complain.\u003c\/b\u003e I also wrote to Ellen and Dicie Shirley in the same letter. Dicie\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e(2)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ewrote, but not a word from Ellen.\u003cb\u003e I wonder if they have been plotting among themselves\u003c\/b\u003e not to write to me. Well they may just go. I feel independent.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eI deeply sympathize with Floy and her distress, sad, sad, indeed, to be bereft of a darling mother\u003c\/b\u003e, Florence, so young and gay, full of life with buoyant hopes, and amid this to have the dearest treasure on earth snatched from her was certainly a stroke severe enough to break her tender heart, but \u003cb\u003ewe know not what the “Shadowy Future” has in store for us.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eWell George I am going to leave my native state and intend going to the Alabam for a while ___ maybe forever. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eI expect to leave next Friday \u0026amp; will stay two or three months I suppose. My cousin Ella Alexander is going. Also we are going home with our cousin Fannie Gunnels who lives in Oxford Ala. We all three cousins; about grown, full of life and of course, we will have a gay time. Cousin Fannie has already given me a sweetheart out there and I am going to see how he looks.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThere were two Christmas trees in Harmony Grove —one at the Baptist Church Tuesday night\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e(3)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eand one at the Methodist Wednesday night. The weather was so bad I couldn’t attend the one Tuesday night but sister Emma and myself plunged out there through the mud in a buggy Wednesday eve. We spent the night at Mr. Shankle’s and returned home Thursday morning. The Christmas tree was beautiful. Completely full of nice presents. There was something in the top of the tree which looked like a smiling angel looking down at the presents. It was a large beautiful doll with snowy white wings and dressed in a white flowing garb. It was a sweet looking thing. \u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-tab-span\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFriday evening I started out horseback by myself, but did not go far alone I went to visit Miss Alice Pittman, a schoolmate and dear friend of mine.\u003cb\u003e When I arrived, a young man was there who came to visit her. He created quite a laughter when he went to put up my horse. He put on my riding skirt and buttoned it up so funny and sat in the saddle so funny and looked so funny and talked and laughed so funny, and of course we all were funny. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI believe that’s all. I had not been with Miss Alice long before Mr. Tommy Burns came to invite us to a party. Well we all fixed up and went over to Mr. Brocks, arrived there about sundown. Found a lively crowd there: among the number, Mr. (Sletton?)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e(4)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI had a lively time with him. He was as antic as ever that night. We all went over to Mr. Neal’s to the party, but I had a time getting there. \u003cb\u003eWhen we all got ready to leave my horse was found to be out and gone and couldn’t be found anywhere. \u003c\/b\u003eMost of the young folks had left and I said I would stay but no\u003cb\u003e they said I must go so they fixed up for me to ride a strange horse on a man’s saddle, through a strange road in the dark night\u003c\/b\u003e, but I had somebody that was all right to go with me but I declare \u003cb\u003eit was not much pleasure going.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eIf you write to me again, direct your letter to —Oxford, Calhoun Co., Ala.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eGive much love to your sister and \u003cb\u003etell your brother John howdy\u003c\/b\u003e. How is sweet little Leela getting on, tell her I often think of her, kiss her for me.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHoping you’ve had a merry Christmas and wishing you a happy New Year I close,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAffectionately,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlice Sheppard\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"[correspondence, bullies]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45205415657622,"sku":"Q1897","price":175.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0315\/9778\/9229\/files\/haec-city-1218_7ad7545d-5041-414b-9261-080d773e355f.jpg?v=1752688172","url":"https:\/\/alsobooksbooks.com\/products\/letter-from-a-snubbed-schoolgirl-heading-from-georgia-to-alabama","provider":"Haec City \/ Also Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}