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my place I would buy this at a reasonable price. Down town after dinner and brought home my sketch of the ferry which is not as good as I hoped. I could not see what I was about while painting it. In the evening I walked up to Kingston to attend a meeting of the Committee to whom was finally entrusted the selection of a soldiers monument. I was there until nearly midnight and had to walk back as the cars had stopped. We did not actually settle upon any thing but chose a modification of one of Fredrich & Fields designs with bas reliefs and authorized Genl. Sharpe to ask them to send a representative here to confer with us. There was really little choice among them but I do not think we are going to get a very interesting monument, nor one which I think will be generally liked. I did not like the designs for the bas reliefs. They seem finicky and not large and bold in conception as monumental work should be, but the majority of the committee favored it and that decided it. My idea of a commission to some sculptor stood no chance as quantity rather than quality seemed demanded.

Thursday 15" Aug. 1889. Still dark and threatening. Yesterday the little wrens from the nest, the second family came out and I think the cat got one of them, but we shut her up in the garret and two other little ones were about the porch a part of the day and finally disappeared down towards the woods on the side hill. The robins are getting together in companies as well as the yellow birds. I heard a robin sing last evening, which I think is unusual at this season. I saw a white robin on the lawn a short time ago. His head and back were a dusty white and he seems to be known here on the hill. I had a letter from Mrs. Chadwick, neé Miller, yesterday regarding the exhibition of a pastel portrait at the academy which I answered. The weather partially cleared toward evening and it is cooler. Agnes, Rogers wife came to be here a week I believe. I have been interesting myself making some plans for moving this wing of the house directly back upon another lot and rearranging it as a separate house, which could easily be done. This in case Sara and I should conclude to buy this house and two lots. We are thinking of all sorts of arrangements nowadays, none of which will come to pass in all probability. This paragraph which I cut from the Tribune yesterday relates to Eastman Johnsons brother-in-law. They were great friends at one time and bought property together up at Superior, but of late years they have become entirely estranged and I think Eastman had not heard from him in years.
[[newspaper clipping]] Tribune Aug. 14, 1889
DEATH OF A WESTERN INVENTOR.
Superior, Wis., Aug. 13.——W. H. Newton died this morning from injuries received by a fall from his buggy three days ago. He has been a resident of this city since 1852, and was the man who laid out the original townsite of Superior. He also patented the Newton sand pump, which has gained a wide reputation. Another invention was a winged float for creating a current to deepen and clear river channels, with which he cleared the drainage canals of New-Orleans. [[/clipping]]

Friday 16" I slept under three blankets last night and was glad to stand in the sunshine this morning before breakfast. It has been a most beautiful day, such an one as my observation of many years shows me, recurs in August. I was down town in the morning and before dinner dressed myself to attend Palmer Canfields funeral, but while we were at dinner John sent his man up to say we would go to Leggs Mill fishing. I hastily changed my clothes and went back with the man leaving Julia Dillon here who had come up to see my Mexican sketches which I showed her over at my studio. The drive out to Leggs was very pleasant. The landscape was rich and full and there were fine skies and I think the mill and its surroundings never looked more beautiful. I would have liked to paint it. We only caught five

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