I am Curly by Maud Hart Lovelace

This summer I went to the University of Minnesota and looked at Maud's papers in the Kerlan Collection. 

There was so much, and I got to to the point where I just started taking pictures of everything so that I could read it later, with an eye towards doing something with it later. Not sure what that will be. Sometimes doing research (and weeping fangirl tears of joy) is reward enough.

One interesting thing I came across was this short story which is a precursor to the High School books.

I always wondered why the books were in the third person - Betsy is such a good friend, it sometimes feels to me as if they are in the first person because Betsy's inner life is so beautifully rendered. This story really struck home why Maud made this choice as a writer. In the first person Curly/Betsy/Maud seems...well...frankly...annoying.  There is just too much of her there.

I love the chatty tone for sixteen pages, but wow would that get tired over the course of even one book, much less 4 High School books or the whole megillah...

There are a LOT of parallels to the high school books. Curly is clearly Betsy - she bemoans the fact of her straight hair that - in the style of huge guys named Tiny the world over - is the basis for her nickname. She is disgusted that the great minds of the day have not yet invented the permanent wave. She has a horse called old Mag. But her little sister is named - wait for it - Pussy. And her older sister is Nannie. I truly didn't think it would be possible to make Julia more insufferable, but clearly, she improved with judicious editing. Mrs. Ray is called "Mom" here. Well, that is just wrong. But she is Mrs. Ray down to the waltz and two-step that make up her piano repertoire. Anna is still the hired girl and "Dad" (gross) makes the standwiches for "supper" on Sunday Nights.

The crowd still exists. Betsy's...erm...Curly's best friend is Bee. (Careful, Bee - your name is CURSED!) and she is Irish, hates boys and has red braids that used to be ringlets when she was younger.  Then there is Gretchen who has blond, fluffy hair, dances like a dream and can do housewifey things. Dot's father is a banker (probably a stick, youknowwhatI'msaying?) and they are Presbytarians, Peg is tall thin and full of the dickens and Erma has a figure not unlike that of Miss Anna Held who takes the milk baths. Geeze, these gals seem familiar...

So the story centers around Curly's first dance at Schubert Hall - hopefully followed by ice cream sundaes at Schmitz's candy store. It's bizarro Deep Valley. But first Bill.


Bill is a TomCabTonian fellow who seems dull as snot while also being overtly spooney and also a tease. He is a 1910 Lax-Bro with a heart of gold. He is not "cute" like Chauncy Olcott. Gross again.

This is Chauncy Olcott in 1908. He looks like Dame Edna.

So the story progresses, Naaaaaaaaaaaaaannie comes home from the U only three weeks in. She is homesick. Also, there is a dance in Deep Valley (Or whatever it is called in this story Bland Boise, perhaps?) and she wants to be the big fish once again. Yes, I am unjustly accusing, but wait - it gets seriously dramatic. Her popular girl problems are vast - the sororities are rushing her mercilessly and there are TWO FELLOWS in love with her!

There is a cute bit here where she says she wanted to come home to talk to Curly because Curly has such good sense. Curly thinks, "I have, too. Isn't that funny?, when I'm so romantic?" She also says, of Nannie's love tempest at college - "And I have to follow her at the U! Sometimes I get discouraged." Hee...

Turns out the boys are coming down for the podunk-hometown dance because of Nannie's charms. Nannie asks Curly to go to the dance with the boy she likes less because clearly she has no respect for her sister's ability to get a date.

But wait, says "Dad". Isn't Curly supposed to go with Bill? But Curly blows off Bill and he doesn't even seem to care. A free sundae at Hei-Schmitz's to the person who can correctly guess who Bill is going to take to the dance! Turns out Erma has just as much luck as Irma with boys ditching her last minute because of life-threatening illness.

So the college MEN show up and according to Curly they have padded shoulders and the "killingest slang" but they only have eyes for Nannie. Especially Curly's date - the aptly named Phil Downer. I don't know who Maud knew in real life named Phil, but I bet he was as shallow as a puddle in the desert.

Even with the lousy company, Curly is thrilled to be with a U man. And Gretchen - who she calls her partner in crime - plays it up to the crowd girls, which gives Curly a big charge. I love that Maud is always realistic about how Betsy or Curly - or whoever she is channeling her own character into - loves the feeling of being popular. It feels cool to be perceived as cool. Even in the Bull Moose era.

They go to the dance. More weirdness. The local hack is driven by Buzz Hickey, Mr. Thumbler not existing yet. All Curly's dances are taken because, well, it makes for a good story. At one point she dances with the boy Nannie likes, Ted, and he tells Curly her head smells like a drug store. Which is a hoot because she mentions that she just douses herself with perfume. But he also says she's a great dancer and invites her up to the U for some frat parties. Seems like Ted is a bit of a player.

But the good feeling doesn't last as Phil the Downer punches Ted and storms off. Nannie has to sneak Ted to Dr. Willard's (Hey, where have I heard that name before?) and Curly is charged with getting the girls' wraps and scarves and slipper bags out of the dance and slinking away in shame.

But wait! As she leaves the hall, who should be on the stairs but Bill! He has noticed that Curly had all her dances taken and he offers to go to the doctor's, grab Nannie and her dirty dog, Ted and then go for Merry Widow Sundaes! Turns out he was doing a favor for football star "Hank" who couldn't dance with Erma, but was still down to walk her home and try to get a little milk-bath action. (Okay, sorry, that sounded horrible.)

And so that is how it wraps up. They eat sundaes and act nuts. And Bill threatens Curly with a curling iron he brought to the dance as a gag. Oh how they laughed! And on the way home he tells her that he likes her hair straight. Which to Maud Hart Lovelace is the greatest compliment any human can give another.

Yes, it is slightly adorable, but it's no Betsy Tacy high school story. If you would like to read the whole thing, you can find it here.  I don't think it is copyright protected, but it is property of the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota. The glorious, glorious Kerlan Collection.