Margaret tells about Miss Torrey, a brilliant but eccentric Bible teacher at Wheaton College. She had very acute hearing--she once heard the whispering conversation of two boys in the back of her classroom who were discussing the affairs they were…
In second grade the kids' piano lessons were from the aunt of one of Margaret's classmates, Mary Peabody. She and Margaret were companionable in an easy, relaxed friendship.
Margaret recalls her time in high school. She was taking the train to and from school. She talks about life at school, lunch time, and describes some of her teachers.
Margaret did third grade at an open-air school. It was a new idea to which Adelle subscribed, so she sent her two daughters there. The kids would wear their winter coats and sit in the cold for school, putting their feet in a box to keep them warm.…
Margaret's senior year was not a good one: Kenneth was away, dad was ill, so life wasn't fun anymore. Kenneth and Margaret wrote letters quite often. Margaret tried in vain to turn Kenneth on to poetry. Margaret remembers the commencement events and…
Margaret recalls her parents' decision to send her to Wheaton much against her will. The bribe was a second summer to the girls' camp, which cost pretty much the same as attending Wheaton. The only other pleasant experience was her meeting in later…
Margaret was called by several names. Kenneth always called her Margaret, but Adelle called her Peggy of even Peggotty, which she tended to use in her letters to Margaret.
Margaret remembers living in her neighborhood of children. There seemed to be children in every family. It might have been a community of middle aged couples.
Margaret's grandmother died before she was born, but she has one memory of her grandfather Estberg. He came one day while she was playing with other kids and he stood behind her, a very tall man dressed in black. His image is mixed up with that of…
Margaret wrote to her mother about a book by Arthur Judson Brown. He was expressing his point of view, and there were many differences in opinion, especially between men and women. They discussed with other missionaries about getting into the field.
Margaret reads a letter to her mother telling her about Kenneth's parents' visit, the poor health of Kenneth's mother, and her struggle with the weather in Princeton. She writes about Ned Stonehouse, a bright young man at Princeton seminary. When Ned…
Margaret continues reading from her diary about the club of twelve boys and twelve girls, skating, getting angry at a tall boy who threw ice cream to Evangeline, and other things that happened at school.
Margaret was introduced to sports in fourth grade, especially softball. She learned to play volleyball in fifth or sixth grade. In seventh grade she began playing tennis.
Margaret's grandfather died in June 1907, at the age of seventy-one. Adelle and the two girls attended the funeral. The total expense of internment was $ 144.25
Margaret tells about her friendship with Lois McShane and the group of close friends that formed around them. She recalls their parties and other get-togethers/events. Some of the boys in the group dated Margaret.
Margaret recalls her first kindergarten project, a turkey cut out of paper and colored, and a sailboat cut out and put on a piece of paper. She also gives the names of her school teachers from kindergarten to eighth grade, and remembers one who was…
Margaret reads the first letter she received from Kenneth, wishing her Merry Christmas. It was a very brief note, written on "the most beautiful letter paper" Margaret ever had in her whole life.
Margaret remembers her second grade with Miss Stevens, and her favorite song back then, "Marching Through Georgia." They always had music lesson; it was just part of life
Margaret tells the story of her family attending a Methodist summer camp. She wandered into a dining tent at the camp and, without her parents knowing it, had a meal. They had to pay for the meal, which they thought was too expensive and so Margaret…
Another habit of the Mortenson family was family visits. They visited Grandmother often and many other members of the extended families. They visited people on both sides if the family.
Margaret tells about her family's road trip to Michigan in the summer of 1923. Three tires blew up during the trip. They had to spend the night at the Gales home, the family of Alex, who used to date Margaret. He tried to reconnect with Margaret, but…
The Mortensons moved and took over a boarding house on Dempster St. That was when Margaret started kindergarten, and she remembers walking across a railroad track to school. Her sister Evangeline was adorable and everyone liked her, including the…
At the end of the winter the Mortensons found it difficult to continue to stay in Somers, especially for A.D. to be going back and forth in the cold weather, so before the fall they moved to Racine, Wisconsin, and they stayed at 1741 Villa St. In…
