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train and stopped at the little hotel. We dressed ourselves for fishing and had Smith drive us up the Big Indian to the school house about 2 miles and we fished down. The wind was east but on the whole it was a pleasant day. I fished with a fly but John had bait. He caught about 20 and I only two. We saw numbers of fishermen on the stream. It began to rain about 6 o'clock and we sought shelter in a farmhouse where we got some buttermilk and found we had been all day fishing less than half a mile. We walked back to the hotel through a gentle rain.

Tuesday 14" We went out again in the morning. It had rained most of the night but it cleared. John went upstream and I also for a few rods when I saw so many fisherman ahead of me I fished down from the R.R. bridge to where they are building a new bridge opposite the house when it began to rain a little and as I had no luck I came in. After a while I got some worms and went out again upstream and fished until half past 2 with worm and fly alternately when I went in as I had to take the train home at 3:40. I saw nothing of John and he did not come in. I came home on the train. At Phoenicia Mrs. Wheeler came in from her place at Onteora where she had been some time. She sat with me and we had a nice talk. I asked her to come home with me but she said she could not but that when she came up again she would come and stay overnight with us. The mountains are most attractive here. These lovely green valleys are fresh and sweet with the spring foliage and the sparkling streams. I love them and yet there is no place where I have such sad and regretful feelings if I am there alone. Today when I sat down and ate my lunch alone a wave of tender memories swept over me and blotted out all the present. I thought of dear Gertrude and how we used to love these moments when we were young and enthusiastic, of Gifford and my friends who used to come to the mountains with us. I used to think I would like to have a little lodge somewhere to spend my summers in some of those quiet valleys but now, much as I love to go there it would never do to live there. I would die of loneliness. The mail is carried from here to Clayville on the Neversink, 23 miles by Isaac Norths brother, on foot. He goes out one day and back the next. He is nearly blind and can only just distinguish the road. On July 1" Smith who has the contract for carrying the mail is going to put on a stage and then we can go to the Neversink quite cheaply. John met one of his old soldiers out there. His name is Dratcher and he lives at Big Indian. He talked with John of their experiences and seemed a good sort of man. It was pleasant to think of him coming back to his mountain home again after all his four years of battle and march. I saw him yesterday at work on the abutment of the new bridge.

Wednesday 15" Sara, Mary, and I went up to Churches by the 11 o'clock train. Michael met us at the station. We stopped at the Hoysradts to inquire about little Gertrude who has scarlet fever. The servant said she was getting well. It was a delicious day with perfect temperature and the country was as beautiful as one could wish. I never saw Churches place look finer. We found him and Mrs. Church pretty well but he had not been so well since his return. Had begun work on his studio which adds to the appearance of his house making it look much larger and the composition better. Louis is at home. We had dinner and in the afternoon a ride about the place and after that they all took a rest except Louis and I who had a long walk.

Thursday 16". After breakfast Louis drove us all down the river 

Transcription Notes:
Neversink: a river tributary in SE NY state ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-24 16:26:44 .