Point. His eyebrow was cut open and his forehead gashed, but all
healed wonderfully, and we have reason to be thankful that he did not
lose an eye, as he was so near doing. At any time when you must have
change, let me know, as there are often gaps between guests, and
sometimes those we expected, fail. Mr. Prentiss is, apparently,
benefited by hot weather, and is unusually well. Thanks for the needles,
which will be a great comfort. Have you painted a horse-shoe? I had
one given me; black ground and blue forget-me-nots, and hung by a blue
ribbon. I am going to paint one for M. and Hatty. I feel as if I had
left out something I wanted to say.

_To Mrs. George Payson, Kauinfels, Aug. 1, 1878._

I am all alone in the house, this evening, and as this gives me room at
the table, I am going to begin to answer your letter. George is out of
town, and all the rest, including the servants, have gone to see the
Mistletoe Bough. It is astonishing how slowly you get well; and yet
with such heat and such smells as you have in Chicago, it is yet more
astonishing that you live at all. I thought it dreadful to have the
thermometer stand at 90 deg. in my bedroom, three weeks running, and to
sniff a bad sniff now and then from our pond, when the water got low,
but I see I was wrong. We have next to no flowers this summer; white
flies destroyed the roses, frost killed other things, and then the three
weeks of burning heat, with no rain, finished up others. Portulacca is
our rear-guard, on which we fall back, filling empty spaces with it,
and I grow more fond of it every year. A good many verbenas sowed
themselves, but came up too late to be of any use. We have a splendid
bed of pansies, sown by a friend here.

I have not done much indoors but renovate the house, but that has been a
great job. I brought up a Japanese picture-book to use as a cornice in
my den, but A. persuaded me to get some wall paper, and use the pictures
as a dado for the dining-room. The effect is very unique and pretty. I
expect George home to-morrow; he has been spending a delightful week at
Monmouth Beach, visiting friends. I wish I could send you some of our
delicious ice-cream. We have it twice a week, with the juices of what
fruit is going; peaches being best. We have not had much company yet.
Last Saturday a friend of A.'s came and goes with her to Prout's Neck
to-morrow. We do not count Hatty K. as company, but as one of us. She
gets the brightest letters fro