Viewing page 234 of 607

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

212

Tuesday Aug. 4" 1885. Went over to my studio and took a look at my picture directly after breakfast. The result was any thing but reassuring, the sky was worse than before. It rained most violently in the night and today the cellar is full of water, the Kingston Creek very high and cellars down town flooded. I drove down to attend a meeting of the Committee to arrange the services on the day of Genl. Grants funeral and stopped at John McEntees office. He took me into the foundry which is flooded two feet deep and all work stopped. I saw several people pumping out their cellars. The meeting was held at Maj. Cornells office and the Committees simply reported progress. I found a letter at the office from Mrs. Wheeler from Tannersville inviting me up to their mountain cottage for a week, also a postal card came from Weir asking information embodied in my letter of yesterday. After dinner I went over to my studio and entirely repainted solidly the sky in my picture. I must have got rid of the spot now and I think I have a finer sky than at first if it remains so. I wrote to Fuller this evening and also to Mrs. Wheeler regretting I could not accept her invitation. It rained heavily again just at evening accompanied with thunder and lightning. It seems strange to me that I do not feel like going at my painting in the mornings but have a dreaded disinclination, but as the day wears on I begin to long to go to work. I seem to want to do some manual work in the morning and later my imagination seems to awake. Am reading or rather rereading Taines Voyage en Italie with renewed delight. What an interest is travel to such a thoroughly equipped and artistic a man.

Wednesday 5" A look at my picture this morning shows that I have finally got rid of the spot and the sky is very satisfactory. Went down to the Liscomb opera house by appointment with Mr. Lindsley at 11 oclock. Found him there with his flag. Mr. Cornell had failed to send his as agreed so I went to the house and got it. After looking over the selection we concluded to have the sail maker come to assist us and went to see him. Could not come until tomorrow morning and I am to meet him at the hall at 8. Got some black bunting at Stebbens' to drape the flags with. Took my father over the river on the 1.50 ferry boat to see the funeral train of Genl. Grant pass. We drove across the track and had a near view of it. It was very solemn and impressive. The cars 11 in number were all very effectively covered with dead black cloth and the Locomotive had projecting triangular wisps of black which were very effective It passed almost noiselessly, preceded by a pilot locomotive five minutes ahead of the train. A great many people witnessed it. When we came back it began to rain a little and we had only fairly got into the house before it rained violently for a short time. We found Genl. Smith here. He had been down on the road overlooking the rail road terminus to see the funeral train pass. A letter from Weir informed me that his wife, Edith and Lily will come up by the 10.30 instead of the 11 o'clock train tomorrow and I shall invite them here to dinner. He seems to have an idea they will get to the Mountain House earlier by taking that train although I sent him the time tables. I sent my letter to Fuller this morning.

Thursday 6" This has been a busy day. First I drove Alice 

Transcription Notes:
4/18 - 2 [[?]] Rondout Neighborhood Center sits on the site of Liscomb's Opera House ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-04 22:52:54 .