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Juvenile Annual called The Rainbow, published 1850. One of these contributions is a story about ‘The Old Pound’ of
Somerville, a place where stray animals were locked up until redeemed by the owners.
Toward the latter part of her life,
Mrs. Munroe kept a greenhouse, and used her flowers as suggestions for dialogues of animated nature, called ‘Talks in My Home.’
Mrs. Munroe is described as a brunette of vivacious manner.
When she entered a company, she displayed cheerfulness and smiles.
Her sense of humor is revealed in an incident connected with the early history of Tufts College.
President Ballou, in need of a set of
Scott for the college library, sent a humorous rhymed epistle to
Mrs. Munroe, who, after gaining the coopera-tion of the women of the
Cross-street Universalist Church, sent him the books desired, accompanied by a rhymed humorous reply.
The first canto of this reply, which is in metre an imitation of
Scott's ‘Marmion,’ describes the receipt of the president's request, and the anxiety resulting therefrom—
A curse within our college walls,
A voice from Walnut Hill here calls,
Sir Walter is not there!
And all the great, the good, the true,
Whose names are known the wide earth throa,
Are up in arms; their fearful ire
Doth shake the walls with curses dire,
And poison all the air.
After the favorable response of her co-workers,
Calm was the matron's sleep that night,
Hushed were her fears, her bosom light,
And, as she slept, a vision bright
Filled all the ambient air.
The vision presented Sir Walter with his train of characters, in varied picturesqueness, filing upon
College Hill, where they were reviewed by the now satisfied ‘Dominie.’
