religion
appear dreadfully homely. We enjoy seeing our children enjoy their work
and their play; is our Father unwilling to let us enjoy ours? In a
German book [17] I translated, a little boy is very happy in making a
scrap-book for a little friend, and God is represented as being glad to
see him so happy. And I don't believe He begrudged your making me that
pretty picture, or did not wish me to make yours. (By-the-bye, when you
have time, tell me how to do it.) It seems to me we are meant to use
_all_ the faculties God gives us; to abuse them is another thing. I feel
that I am having a vacation, and wonder how long it is going to last. I
do not know how I should have stood the _tremendous_ change in my
life, through my husband's change of profession, if I had not had this
resource of painting. O, how I do miss his preaching! How I miss my
pastoral work! Dr. Buck is on his dying bed, and longing to go. [18]

_To her eldest Son, New York, March 11, 1877._

We had an excellent sermon from Dr. Vincent this morning, which he
repeated by request. Last evening we had Chi Alpha, and as I saw this
body of men enter the dining-room, I wondered whether I had borne any
minister to take up your father's and my work when we lay it down.

_18th._--I thought within myself, as I listened to a sermon on the union
of Christ and the believer, whether I should have the bliss of hearing
you preach. Let me see; how old should I have to be, at soonest?
Sixty-two; the age at which my ancestors died, unless they died young. I
got a beautiful letter, a few days ago, from a minister in Philadelphia,
the Rev. Mr. Miller, who has 1,300 members in his church, and says if he
could afford it he would give a copy of Greylock to every young mother
in it.

I went to Mrs. P.'s funeral on Friday. She wanted to die suddenly, and
had her wish. She ate her breakfast on Tuesday; then went into the
office and arranged papers there; her husband went out at ten, and
shortly after, she began to feel sick and the girls made her go to bed.
One of them went out to do some errands, and the other sat in the room;
she soon heard a sound that made her think her mother wanted something,
and on going to her found her dead. Dr. P. got home at twelve, long
after all was over. He told me it was the most extraordinary death he
ever heard of, but his theory was that a small clot of blood arrested
the circulation, as she had no disease. I had a talk with C. about his
wife's