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he had been deprived of it in early life. Told me of the man in Philadelphia who gave exquisite dinners, but whose friends finally could not stand his bad breath - of Charlotte Cushman talking with Carl, who has nice teeth and is very neat, but who happened to have a bad tooth, and holding her nose and making Clark mad. Mrs. Stoddard came in and we sat and talked of Gertrude for an hour. She really loved Gertrude and spoke very tenderly of her. Of her sweetness of disposition, of her clarity, pretty ways, of her pretty feet and ankles and how when she was going out to parties and wore her pretty silk stockings she used to make her pull up her skirts to show her her ankles and feet. Everyone was impressed with her grace and perfect taste. Mrs. Gifford spoke of how gracefully she wore all her little ornaments, this evening at dinner and what a quick eye she had for what was becoming to her. Mrs. Gifford looked very pretty tonight. They were going up to Eastman Johnsons this evening as were the Booths and they begged to go with them but I was afraid there would be a number of people there and besides they had said nothing to me about it. When I got to my rooms I found a telegram from Eastman asking me to come up, but somehow I shrank from meeting a number of people. I had a sweet letter from Sara today with many thoughts of Gertrude in it. She is in her mind constantly. I had looked for a letter from Lucy tonight and experienced a sense of disappointment at not getting one. Poor Mrs. Stoddard looked around the room today and said she could not think that Gertrude was never to be here again and she wept bitterly as she talked of her.

Monday Feb. 10. 1879. Went home Saturday by the Wallkill Valley road which I found a very pleasant way. I began a little sketch of Carrie Wheelers head from a photograph in an album and got so interested in it I came near being lost. As it was it was after three before I left here and the train goes at 3.30. Mr. Burger and Miss Kitty Forsyth were on the train and also Edmond Eating and Tom Evans. Sunday I spent mostly looking over some of Gertrudes things, looking for our little gold spoons which I cannot find, and I wrote a letter to Mrs. Sawyer. I read in the evening some of my letters to Gertrude in 1853 before we were married in connection with her answer, My letters are better written in the main than I would have believed, and not as sentimental as I feared the would be. It was very sweet to renew the recollections and the feelings of that blessed time and it was most interesting to watch the gradual growth of Gertrudes love for me. These letters recall her so vividly to me as a girl that I find my happiest hours in reading them over. It seems to me I miss her more and more. When I see her dresses and all the things she wore laid aside as if to be put on again tomorrow my heart breaks to know that she is done with them forever. I shed many tears for my darling who can not soothe and comfort me any more. 
I came back this morning. Pa drove me over on the ice. It was very cold 7° above 0 but a bright lovely morning. At Pokeepsie Major Wilkinson and Julia and Edith got in and we sat together