Viewing page 188 of 316

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

177

[[stamp]] 87 [[/stamp]]

and in the evening we asked Nannie & John McEntee over. She came and spent the evening but John could not come on account of an engagement. Gertrude sang and played, we had some ice cream and ended a most happy day in quiet social enjoyment. After all this seems now to me as a fit way to celebrate such occasions which under other circumstances are apt to be laborious and trying to the old people in whose honor they are noticed. My father and mother seemed pleased and that is what I most desired.

Thursday Aug 9. 1877. Maurice has been in a dreadful state for a long time and has been at home now for a week. He was able to be about the day of the Golden Wedding but since then has given us great anxiety. His mind is disordered. I sat up with him Tuesday evening. He could not sleep. Yesterday he got to sleep and he slept last night. I had a talk with him last night. He seems aware of his condition but I have little hope of his being able to help himself. I went and saw Sam Cuykendall about him and met Crounse there. Both were very kind but Crounse said he had been practically of no use for two months. This is very depressing to me but I try to struggle against it. I ought to be quietly at work somewhere. Mary, Julia and During left Wednesday morning and we all dreaded to have them go, it seems so dull here. Calvert Burger & During left Wednesday morning - Church has written to me to go with him up into the Maine Woods about Sept. 4" He wants Gifford to go too but I have no idea he will. I cant go and wrote him so yesterday. I dont want to say much. I want to go somewhere by and bye to settle down to work and have no desire to go on a mere excursion simply for enjoyment. Church spoke to me of this early in the summer and seems to really want me to go but I dont see how I can. Have had a nice letter from Taylor - since he got home, and a note yesterday. I wrote him to know if he had any objection to my letting Maurice have our "musical bill of fare" for the Freemans. He tells me to use it as I suggested, without names. He proposes it as follows - 

Soup.
Violincelli.

Fish
striped Bassoon baked - cast-o'net sauce