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24 December 21st Friday I've trid to see if I can equal John in German text he adorns his Journal with divers cabalistic ornaments captions to his diurnal scribbling ouch Charlie Christmas Eve after retiring last night, some one knocked at my door to call me to see a 'poor old man round the corner, suffering with fever, & a young woman 'out of her head' I was coughing violently & just fixed a bed, so felt little like egressing I requested them to excuse me, & get Dr Johnston I reckon they thot me a carless young M.D. for practice at about 5 A.M. today John & I were aroused by noise, clatter of feet, bumping of engines, calling of firemen & a bright glare in our room, we looked from the window on a glorious conflagraion, close by on Deer Creek, the heavens were filled with sparks showering up, passed round that way this morning; 'tis an oil mill & bucket factory burned No letter from Fla. yet or from Columbus Dr Bayless was on the muscles of the back Trapezius Lat. dorsi rhomboid serrate &c Dr Drake on tubercular phthisis &c; felt much gratification in winding up my scholastic du ties for the Christmas holidays much relieved [?????? the f???] boat, a card printed by Louderback the great confectioner, [representing] St Nick. descending the chimney, with the well known piece of poetry about it ' St Nick & his 8 tiny reindeer'; the piece was thus drawn to a close And then from the room he quickly made tracks To get a new stock at M J Loudenback's His name you may see painted over the door, On Fourth Street, between Broadway & Sycamore Carried my portfolio to Betty today to look over [???] perused several letters & looked over many mementos of bygone days I went to Mrs Sloo's after tea with my flute, according to Byrdie's request we had pleasant music, Byrdie with little Juliet & Fanny & some little friends Byrdie showed me a note Mrs Bryant wrote concerning the cessation of their German, an amusing affair I reproached myself for not having borne her message better but this treat repays her Bot crackers, soda biscuit & sugar tonight Mr Page handed me $5 Tomorrow morning early I must go & escort Miss Mary from the mail boat
25 December 22nd Saturday My morning for making the fire about a 1/2 inch of snow was on the ground, when I got up, & lightened our room by reflection I was making splinters & working at the stove when Legh Page knocked at the door, to call me out to go to the mail boat; had no idea 'twas so late Legh had been to the mail boat & seen Miss Mary I left the fire unfinished, hurried on my clothes & hied away was rejoiced at meeting & greeting Miss Mary once more Misses Virginia & Eliza Smith daughters of the Rt Rev. Bishop of Ky The walking was horrible, Miss Mary & I waded thro' the mud to Dr Marshall's we found them at breakfast, & joined them at it Mrs M requested me to stay there next week to take care of Mrs Bayless & Miss Mary, as she & Dr M. are going to Ky to spend Christmas week a pleasant offer willingly accepted Dr Bayless went down on the Ben Franklin to Louisville, I went to the boat to see him he will bring me up my notebooks left with him when I left L & my "Taxi Dermi" if I left it with him I must make a muscum in the South & stuff birds again so will need my Taxi Recd from the P. O. the letter we've been looking for, for several days past from Wade & Pres, telling us alas of the death of the infant the "Lord has given & the Lord has taken away" this must have been a bitter stroke to Julia Oh! how I long to see her I was very grateful to hear of Thaddy's restored health he had returned in vigorated from St Andrew's Bay I heard the conclusion of Dr Locke's lecture on his magnetic clock; saw the instrument heard too little to understand it all though went over & dined at Dr Marshall's Betty was there, had come over in the carriage with Byrd. Mr Gallagher was there also Dr M. is a lively & agreeable man, got to talking on the sub ject of mesmerism very animatedly I walked with Miss Mary & Betty to Mrs Sloo's then came hither & wrote on the Index; was interrupted by a knock on the door & a little boy told me that ladies wished to se me I found MIss Mary & Betty without walked to Mrs Sloo's with them; met John on the way; he joined us came back here; we took tea & put on clean shirts; a whiskified German came in spoke Dutch, of which I knew nein a poor looking subject for a patient anyhow, so he left as he came We went around to Mrs Sloo's & spent a pleasant evening there Betty, Miss Mary & Mrs Bayless with [us] Tis quite late
26 December 23rd Sunday 'Tis Monday night & I am sleepy stupid with sleep have just laid aside the Index to scribble down something for yesterday & today Tis about 11 o'clock & I all ready for sleep Jno & I got up late on Sabbath Jno had fire to make, & failed sundry times in starting it We finally got thro' getting up, washing & eating, & sallied forth Both went to Christ Ch; Mrs Bayless pew was too full, She, Miss Mary, Betty & Miss Sophy there so I sat behind used the Prayer Book Mr Mc Vickar gave me at Port Jackson Mr Blake preached I went with Miss M. & Betty over the river after service wet, snowy & sloppy walking we dined there & sat all the afternoon in cheerful converse Miss Mary had a severe headache which passed away during the afternoon We sang some sweet hymns that reminded me of olden times, bygone hours of sweet memory, Kozeluch one of them After tea Miss M & I returned to Cin & heard Mr Brooke from Gen III 13 "What is this that thou hast done?" an exceedingly practical & [pointed] sermon, he wound it up by a direct address to the ladies I accompanied Miss Mary to Dr Marshall's & on returning, finding John without a fire, I retired sans journalization December 24th Christmas Eve Monday I aose & made fire ere 'twas yet scarcely daylight the organ & bells of St Philomena arousing us John & I had a regular cleaning up this morning he washed the dishes whilst I swept the room, made bed &c I sketched him washing the sugar bowl, & he, me sweeping (vide the blank pages in end of his Journal) we had a merry time of it Sat & wrote till after 11, when we went forth, found at Mr McGiffey's office a letter from Julia, telling me more minutely of the death of the sweet little infant poor ittle thing it suffered much from her account; & she (Julia) [????] how much she must have suffered & endured She speaks of [?????] visiting North Ala with Jane & asks John about it; he answered [????] letter this afternoon, & referred them to Wade Jno & I went with [???] McGuffey, who is ever kind & obliging, into the Gazette office to see the first effort of Thos Buchanan Read the poet painter, in the portrait of Mr Hammond once editor of the Gazette a very striking tho rude [likeness]
27 We saw several large power presses at work such ingenious, beautiful & complicated machinery, moving as if actuated by immediate intelligence a double endless screw, of which I've attemped a scratch above, struck me very much, the rollers for distributing the ink were remarkably intelligent, as so was the catch which took hold of the sheet, the bellows that blew it up right &c &c all was interesting exceedingly from thence Jno went to Kibby's to dine & I to Mr Mc Guffey's I wrote some for Dr Drake Finished so far as book is printed the Table of Contents begun by Smith; put into the office a quantity of his Introductorys brot him from Mrs Bayless, the plan of the new college Stopped in & saw Miss Mary & Mrs B., also at Mrs Sloo's, Byrdie & Sophy Mr McGuffey very kindly lent me his cloak for the winter very kind I took tea at Dr Marshall's got me a neck stock [&] Miss Mary & Mrs B. sang sweet songs &c Christmas Beautiful music we heard from the ponderous organ of the church close by I called on Dr D. & Mr McG. a few moments, to wish them a happy christmas met Miss Byrd & Miss Sarah Sloo getting into the carriage, with some of the little ones, to go over to Newport Jno & I went over went with Mrs Page & Byrdie to church It was so cold Mr P. preached for us, a christms sermon and administered the communion, there were but very few present; the communion service is a sweetly sol emn part of the Liturgy We returned to Mrs Page's where we spent the [rest] of the day merrily & happily Miss Byrdie gave me for Christmas gift, a large wooden spoon, good for all sorts of Bachelor purposes & to Dr Keyes a pepper box & market basket about 3 inches by 2 in size Miss Mary & Mrs Bayless came in after church & Miss Sophy just after dinner We ate a real christmas, social dinner & were merry & happy after it Betty had a box of figs Christmas gift from Jno Caldwell she distributed them around to us. Miss Sophy administerd some to me, with my large spoon, Mrs Bayless aiding in holding my hands & some of the little ones in holding my nose merry folks
28 Jno & I walked back with Miss Mary & Mrs Bayless, to Dr Marshall's where we all took tea As I had been entrusted by Dr & Mrs Marshall with the care the house & ladies, I remained John returned in the cold I spent a happy evening by the cheerful parlor fire with Betty & Miss Mary on the comfortable lounge Sat up late with Betty Oh, ye cruel Fates, do not hinder our union in the spring do not put off that event which is the ultima thrill of my present desires & existence Wednesday & Thursday Dec 26th & 27th Studied at my room ate at Dr Marshalls & spent the night there in the third story, in a nice room sat[e] up late every night, on that delightful sofa, with Betty Miss Mary knitting with her big needles some pretty garments for little Martha Have had merry times at the table presiding Mrs Bayless correcting & trimming me up carved a turkey on Wednesday finely paid a visit to the Misses Smith, thro' Miss Byrd she carrying my card, & finding them away from the city as we expected What humbuggery & heartless formality is there about city fashionable visiting I shd hate to be bored with it Friday Dec 28th Dear sister Callie's birth day I thot of it [soon] 16 years old today sweet 16 went with Betty & Miss Mary to the Ferryboat Dr Bayless came up this morning, & so did Charley Page I'm glad want to see him wrote at my room [today] Willie Page & Dick Lea called in Willie brot in a cocoa nut of [wh] we ate some John brot me a letter from Mother calculated to depress the buoyancy of my spirits Father's health has returned to what it was ere visiting Florida alas, alas for his mental depression no physical danger Would to God I cd aid him out of it Mother's cares are many She & Cally are very well tho' for which I thank God may He bless them with the right spirit with contentment & happiness Mother spoke strongly about my marrying may she, when she learns of my wish to carry Betty to Florida, judge different oh may she Jno & I went over the river to supper