Tuesday Evening.—­You see I am writing you a sort of little journal, as you say you like to know all I do while you are away.  Our sweet baby makes your absence far less intolerable than it used to be before she came to comfort me....  I have felt all soul and as if I had no body, ever since your precious letter came this morning.  I have so pleased myself with imagining how funny and nice it would be if I could creep in unperceived by you, and hear your oration!  I long to know how you got through, and what Mr. Stearns and Mr. Smith thought of it.  I always pray for you more when you are away than I do when you are at home, because I know you are interrupted and hindered about your devotions more or less when journeying.  I have had callers a great part of to-day, among them Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Gen. Thompson, Mrs. Randall, and Capt.  Clark. [6] Capt.  C. asked for nobody but the baby.  The little creature almost sprang into his arms.  He was much gratified and held her a long while, kissing and caressing her.  I think it was pretty work for you to go to reading your oration to your mother and old Mrs. Coe, when you hadn’t read it to me.  I felt a terrible pang of jealousy when I came to that in your letter.  I am going now to call on Miss Arnold.

Friday, Sept, 3d.—­Yesterday forenoon I was perfectly wretched.  It came over me, as things will in spite of us, “Suppose he didn’t get safely to Brunswick!” and for several hours I could not shake it off.  It had all the power of reality, and made me so faint that I could do nothing and fairly had to go to bed.  I suppose it was very silly, and if I had not tried in every way to rise above it might have been even wicked, but it frightened me to find how much I am under the power of mere feeling and fancy.  But do not laugh at me.  Sometimes I say to myself, “What MADNESS to love any human being so intensely!  What would become of you if he were snatched from you?” and then I think that though God justly denies us comfort and support for the future, and bids us lean upon Him now and trust Him for the rest, He can give us strength for the endurance of His most terrible chastisements when their hour comes.

Saturday.—­I am a mere baby when I think of your getting sick in this time of almost universal sickness and sorrow and death....  Yesterday Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Leonard took me, with Sophia and baby, to the cemetery, and on a long ride of three hours—­all of which was delightful.  In the afternoon baby had an ill-turn which alarmed me excessively, because so many children are sick, but I gave her medicine and think she will soon be well again.  Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Randall and others sent me yesterday a dozen large peaches, two melons, a lot of shell-beans and tomatoes, a dish of blackberries and some fried corn-cakes—­not an atom of the whole of which shall I touch, taste, handle, or smell; so you need not fear my killing myself.  Mrs. Capt.  Delano, where the Rev. Mr. Brock from