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Wednesday Sept. 28" 1881. A letter from Eastman yesterday in which he still hopes to go to the Maine Woods but is no nearer deciding upon the time than he was months ago. Wrote him I want to go if I went alone but hoped he would be ready to go.

Thursday 29" I received a very discouraging letter today from Houghton, Mifflin & Co. I made a drawing for them last spring for Taylors Home ballads which I did not want to do but which they rather urged. When it was finished Mr [[?llet?]] their agent expressed satisfaction and paid me fifty dollars for it. Now when the book is nearly ready to appear they write to tell me that they have not used it and have substituted something in its place. I shall not reply to the note but it makes me unhappy because I see in it  something more than at first appears. All illustrations now are expected to have the stamp of the "[[River?]] School" and nothing is interesting that has it not, and a contempt for all that has not this stamp is [[?]] in the popular illustrations, as in Scribners Monthly. I shall make no more illustrations I think. I have had enough of it and shall I hope be able to refuse all such applications hereafter.

Friday 30". The weather very hot with dry winds. I have been getting some of my things together for my trip to Maine. Miss. McGeorge was here at tea. A letter came from Downing this evening telling me that an hour and a half before Edwina had accepted him as her lover, in their parlor at the Windsor Hotel. Her father was present. I was very pleased. This was not at all a surprise to me I wrote Edwina a congratulatory letter before I went to bed

Saturday Oct. 1" 1881.
Wrote a long letter to Lucy telling her all about Downing and Edwina's engagement. Every one who hears of it is very much pleased. It has been a very warm day with a hot [[?]] wind - just such weather as is most uncomfortable to me. I worked a while down in the shop fixing my Brussels trunk and perspired profusely.

Sunday 2. It has rained greatly most of the day for which we are all grateful. Sam Cuykendall came up to see me. He wants a picture for a wedding present and is to meet me at my studio in N.Y. Wednesday. We went over to my studio and I showed him my Nevada sketches