Viewing page 235 of 473

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Sara's fair. Came to my room and read some of darling Gertrudes
letters of 1878 and some of mine to her.  I have had an intense
longing for her today, and a return of some of the old depression
but I attributed it to the departure of our friends and now I mean
to keep at work and I hope to be happier.  Mr. Sawyer went over to the Cemetery alone yesterday. I think he he felt he would rather go there alone. They both begin to seem like old people to me and in all probability will not come here many times more. They enjoyed their visit as they always do. A letter from Hall begging me not to go back to Tenth St. which I briefly answered telling him I preferred to and not to speak of any contemplated change. A letter from Mr. Mc Lead of the [[underline]]Corcoran [[/underline]] gallery writing me to send my "Clouds" and assuring me he would give it a fair place  He wrote in a very friendly tone.
[[underline]]Tuesday 16. October 1880.[[underline/]] Worked all day in my studio. Painted my little picture for Saras fair and worked some on my larger picture. Read more of dear Gertrudes letters and mine to her. These letters ae an epitome of our daily life and while I am reading them I seem to be very near her. I could not keep back the tears today as I read her tender words of longing for me, for separation from me was her greatest trial which she patiently endured but could never be reconciled to. A letter from Edward Brown. wrote to Mrs. Pychowska last night, and to Lucy this evening.
Wednesday 27. This has been an unhappy day, but I have been at work in my studio and thus escaped much of its unhappiness. The annual question of the vegetables in the cellar came up. I thought it had been put to rest by building a place for them in the barn last year for which I was at some considerable expense but to my surprise they were put in the cellar yesterday and this morning the whole house smelled horribly. We talked about I at the breakfast table and Pa got out of patience and today has had them all carried back to the barn but feels angry, then to add to the trouble he compelled us to abandon the parlor and made a fire in the sitting room. The weather is still very mild but he resists in disregarding all the rest of us. I furnished that room, got a Franklin and had a tiled hearth laid so that we could use it later but Pa does not respect the wishes of the family as he should and we must submit or have unpleasant feeling. That has been one of his mistakes all through life. I missed dear Gertrude so in all this miserable affair. As I looked over toward the cemetery in the twilight the tears would fall as I thought of her sleeping there unconscious of my sorrow. Such things shocked her always and she could not understand why people would persist in making themselves and others so unhappy. I dont want to be in antagonism with my father who is an old