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I saw numerous blue birds in the trees at the back of the house yesterday and one of the elms was alive with various kinds of little birds frolicking with each other apparently. I think they were getting ready to go away. When I came home I found all our people had gone down to John McEntees to tea and to spend the evening. There was a great Republican demonstration over at Rhinebeck. The Oswego lay in the ferry slip taking on the Rondout delegation and delayed the ferry boat. They were full of enthusiasm and torches gleamed and guns banged as they sailed away to the disgust of the Democrats.

Sunday Oct. 17 1880. Mary and I took a walk after breakfast out back of O'Reillys and across to the view and on our way back stopped at the cemetery and left a bouquet of autumn branches and flowers on dear Gertrudes grave. They have cut down the chestnut tree in our lot and trimmed up the hemlock in a very ugly way. I wish they had cut that too.  We talked of dear Gertrude all the way over which she and I have so often walked in the autumn. It began to rain while we were in the country and it has rained hard a good part of the day but cleared off at night. It was very grateful but I was in hopes it would continue. Fred Norton and Annie were here at dinner and Julia came from High Falls and was here at tea.

Monday 18. My mother and Julia Dillon went to Troy this morning to visit cousin Mary Waldo. A brilliant but cold day. Great snow storms in the west and rail road travel delayed. My father started the fire in the hall stove and put on some of the window sashes. I worked all day in my studio and advanced my picture considerably. The house seems strange without my mother. Mary and Sara and I eat in the parlor and talked of dear Gertrude and of the future life. We talked of her last hours and of the closing scene and felt afresh how sad her absence is and how hard it is to realize that she will not come to us again. Sara received a letter from Oscar Sawyer this evening from N.Y. where he has just arrived from Japan.

Tuesday 19. Ice made last night. Worked on my picture all forenoon. This afternoon Mary, Sara, Maurice little Charlie and I took a ride out on Lucas turnpike to the Greenkill road. The color was very lovely and everything was picturesque. Dear Gertrude and I took this same ride the year she died and I thought of her all the way. I had a long letter from Henry Hull in which he spoke in a very frank and friendly manner. This evening I had a note from Wm. Bispham asking me to write a note for him as a candidate for the Century. This is a delicate matter. I dont know him at all intimately only by meeting him at Booths, but he has always struck me as an agreeable man.