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19 I went to prayer meeting at Christ Ch, first stopping in at Mr McGuffey's the change from very cold to very hot air, at both places, made me feel inexpressibly stupid & unwell unfitted me for study for remainder of [al?????ing] Betty sewed my gloves for me December 13th Thursday Felt quite relieved this morning, of the dreadful cold I was anticipating was very thankful for it carried Dr Bayless the snake I had preserved in the act of swallowing a woodpecker he seemed very glad to receive it, thanked me warmly It gratified me very much I called on Miss Bell Graham & begged off from the sewing society to which she wished me to go this evening I really cannot go to any social convivialities I haven't time, & as I'm not going to stay here, I am not called upon to do anything of the kind no letter from home today yet am getting impatient I mailed a letter to Mrs Wood this morning have just written a little note to Miss Mary, & John commenced a letter to bro Wade whch I will finish in the morning I had a pleasant little sit & chat around the fire in Betty's neat room, with herself & Mr & Mrs Page what a delightful, good family are they saw Mr Beggs this morning; my return South makes no difference with him as to the purchase of the watch; am strongly inclined to keep it think that going thro' Pt Jackson again, I can secure debts enough to pay for it 1/2 past eleven has been snowing all day sleighs merrily jingling by everywhere December 14th Friday Heigh ho for the malaria of the Chattahoo chee swamps Their cryptogamia are in me yet developing them selves I had tonight, (or rather last night I'm writing on Sat. night from incapacity last night) a recurrence of the fever I had on Wednesday it came on whilst at Mr Page's, with chilliness, stretchiness & loss of appetite, & I had a high fever in the eve ning Betty gave me a bottle of molasses & a pocketful of warm rolls for our Bachelors' Hall By dint of [enquiring]
20 at the general delivery, I got a letter at last today, for John, written from Columbus by Mother; she has resolved to learn the building they've been living in the trustees have behaved very outrageously, (as trustees so often do) & in Father's absence, she has resigned the building, is going to teach only so many pupils as she alone can manage Father's health & spirits are better I rejoice to hear that December 15th Saturday The weather has [mitigated] considerably; ther mometer at 40 o only has been thawing & slushy all day rain is now pattering down around our eaves I went without my blanket coat today there were no lectures at college this morning I went to the Hospital saw Mussey operate for entropion or trichiasis on an old man, who stood it without wincing Dr Bayless put in the sutures about 1/8 of an inch apart 8 or 9 interrupted sutures in the incision a poor fellow was brot in with an enormous fungus enlargement of the right knee, with a growth of some Kind in the groin on that side It might have been cured by operation some years ago, but he would'nt then submit to it now poor fellow 'tis too late for him, the chances of the operation were laid before him, death anyhow from the disease & the chance of the operation shortening his life about even with that of lengthening it he cried seemed in much mental anguish, & de ferred his decision, till consulting his friends Mussey then am putated the left arm of a man above the elbow; had been [???] on a steamboat boiler horribly, & erysipelas followed, this [checks] & the arm amputated chloroform administered safely & effectually for hints with regard to the administration of chloroform, [learn] from Mussey today, see Index Rerum Mussey afterwards opened a lumbar abscess on a poor emaciated wretch who [a????] inhaled chloroform & slept while a panful of pus flowed from [h???] back poor thing, I pitied them I dined with Mr & Mrs McGuffey today a nice looking [seu???] girl at the table also Mr McG. made a pun, a barbarous one as, Mr McG. said on Betty's name about her making
21 Bettyer (better) wife than anybody else could have we had been joking about wives would that I were now learning from experience what a good wife she wd make I have'nt been over there today after dinner I went to college & heard Prof Locke lecture, a very lively interesting lecurer, & a truly ingenius man, in the [construc tion] of instruments &c & their invention Dr Drake didnt lecture as he had promised The students obtained by petition a week's holiday at Christmas a ridiculous thing for young men to be after, who ought to be climbing the uphill of Fame: I wouldn't sign the petition when handed to me yesterday was in the Dental College today Saw Dr Taylor plug a tooth John examined mine, & reported very favorably John got a letter from Wade this afternoon, the poor little baby was sick so that he thot it could not recover alas I fear its soul has fled to another (& we have to console & re joice as) a happier sphere God grant that it may be preserved I feel so deeply for the trials Julia has been suffering; she [doated] on the sweet little thing seemed to centre her affections on it Father has improved much in health & spirits, & gone back to Columbus I rejoice for this with gratitude I have written a long letter to Mother tonight the washer woman & our bread boy consumed the last of our money tonight we trust in Providence till another addition to our purse helps us on "Fear not, but trust in Providence" an ever good motto a poor drunken wretch has been making a great fuss, breaking windows on the way, wallowing in the gutter &c horrible what a thing is man when drunken, how much lower than the beast 'Tis raining quietly & steadily I returned my watch to Mr Beggs' today didn't wish to be encumbered with the debt wish to start as free as possible, & practise true economy to the end that I may soon be established & married & all that My page is nearly out what shall I fill it up with I believe I'll fill it out by going to bed I see by John's watch that it is 10 min past 12, & I pretty ready for sleep So 'Buenos Noches' as we used to say
22 December 16th Sunday Mailed my letter to Mother today it has been a not unpleasantly cool & cloudy day, went to church in the Hall of the Mercantile Association, where the congregation of the new schism from Dr Wilson's old Presb Ch, meet a very full & nice looking congregation I heard rather a long sermon & though a good one, did not bear any impressiveness about it, from the lack of oratory on the part of the preacher From the text Ps 10 [?] 13 "The time to favor Zion, yea the set time is come" John went to hear Mr Stockton I went over the river after church stopping at my room for a dose of quinine Spent the afternoon with Betty My chill came on any how I had quite a chill & fever Betty was a sweet nurse charmed away my head ache I believe that my illness made the afternoon more delightful for me They persuaded me to stay there for the night, & in fact I could hardly have returned I retired early slept in a little lounge which sets in Betty's room feared I was [inconveniencing] her by depriving her of her room I slept heavily & perspired as I never did before was drenched by morning December 17th Monday Took quinine tonight &c Dr Drake told me had written to Father & Mother & mailed today I wrote a letter to Father at night sat up till after midnight, & didn't then sleep for a couple of hours I [????] maybe because of the quinine & 2 cups of tea drank on at Mrs Page's, & one at Mrs Sloo's, whither I went [with] Betty, who came over to spend the night December 18th Tuesday Stopped in at Mrs Sloo's this morning Shes packing up to go East bid her good bye [????] Miss Sophy Patten then just up from Louisville was very glad to see her back again the good soul I walked [down] to Mr Page's before going to the Barracks, to tell Lucy to [come] over, as Byrdie requested me walked with Miss Sophy & Lucy back to the river Dr Drake gave me some of his manu scripts to revise today ere sending them to the press Great [here]
23 for me Sophy brot me a lovely little note from Miss Mary the more I know of her, the more I love her December 19th Wednesday Have decided today that I must get married anyhow unless I am so fixed in Columbus that I will soon be able to return for Betty, I must get married The distance is too great too far I hardly think that I can be fixed to my notion in Columbus, so get married I must must must nothing out of the [wonted] routine of events has occurred Dr Bayless lectured on muscles of head & face Dr D. on croup laryngitis &c It rained much about noon Dr D advised me not to go over the river, but the rain slacking, I went I have a cold catarrh of the larynx hoarse Jno & I are in that condition in which the quotation is literally true, which says "Who steals my purse steals trash" I applied for some money to Mr P., reluctantly however he too was out made me take 25c; which was acceptable We are quite abstemious here in Bachelor's Hall a doz crackers for our joint breakfast No sugar I ate a large dinner my appetite whetted against my last [????] [mettent] 11 o'clock so I'll to bed December 20th Thursday No letters at all today plenty of rain 7 minutes of 12; have been hoarse today catarrhus laryngitis Read the introduction to Dr Drake's Book this morning the Dr honored me with the request to read it & give him my opinion of it I did so, found my humble name therein immortal ized to be handed down to posterity Saw Byrdie & Sophy for a few minutes at Mrs Sloo's this morning Dr Drake lectured on phthisis a very interesting lecture his teachings can hardly be called lectures, for they are all extempore The river is very high scarcely any hill to descend or ascend on either side ate a hearty dinner had no chill Asked Betty if she would go south in the spring if I shd wish her to; we'll see Christmas is almost here