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I set about the sorrowful work of removing dear Gertrudes effects from the bureau where they had remained nearly as she left them, ever since she died. It was a tearful duty and a thousand tender memories of her came to me as I handled these precious memories so suggestive of her beloved personality. I could not keep back the tears when I asked Sara in to decide upon somethings I wanted to send to Lucy. I put all the contents of the bureau in our bureau trunk in the garret, wondering what would be the next change to follow so many sorrowful ones. I wish we could always live in the beloved places and never change until the interests of this life are done. I gave Sara Gertrudes lilac striped sild she got from Madame Isler in Brussels and sent to Lucy by mail her black grenadine Poloniase trimmed with lace which Sara thought would be useful to her and I also wrote to her about the sad work I had been about.
Monday 30 Again warm and beautiful. The hill is charming and Mary and I are enjoying every moment. We can almost see the buds expand and the grass is growing very green I took off the double windows and when Tom had put them all away in the carriage house I went down in the garden and planted some "Blue beauty" peas, a new variety. Sweet peas & nasturtium and tom planted some potatoes and beans. I went downtown and ordered some plank for a walk and Sara and I went over to my house and put down the matting which came out of the sitting room and put up my bed and as soon as Julia comes I shall occupy the two upper rooms.
Tuesday May 1. 1888 A soft, gentle rain has fallen during the night and at intervals in the forenoon clearing in the afternoon and coming off cool in the evening with N. wind. I have been at work at a variety of things. Mary and Sara went to Kingston for dressmaking material. I attempted to repair the pump in the bathroom and discovered the wire rod had rusted off, so that I had to take it downtown and get a new one. Mary and Sara returned about 3 o'clock. A letter from Lucy had been forwarded to Mary from N.Y. and she read it to Sara and me. It was an account of a talk Lucy and Gertrude had had at Gertrudes request in which Lucy with excellent effect and great tact had given her the reasons for our present attitude toward her father. She let her know that we were cognizant of his frequent unkindness to her mother and that she had appealed to me in her distress and that I while promising to shelter and defend her advised her to bear as long as she could, for that she never could regret. They have charged us with trying to destroy their respect for their father. Gertrude sues now and not from me how I have refrained from anything of that kind in spite of her repeated inquiries to us and to me personally. It will do them good and the time had come to show them why we can never have anything further to do with him and it is well that it came in this way. I came away in the 7.45 train and arrived here at 11. The weather had grown cold. Two cars of our train left