Travel Diaries and Journals

Wednesday.. Snowed most of the day. Annie Cruthers made a long [call?] in the morning. George Hudson came about nine A.Me. and staid [it?] one P.Me. Of course we had a very pleasant time. The young gentleman, however, broke a window while frolicking with Sarah. On account of the snow Sarah was obliged to give up the idea of going home to-day. Father also wrote to us that the Sound is filled with ice, and the boats are unable to [run?]. The Bay [States?] in performing her usual trip, last night, had to cut her way through the the ice for fifty miles.

Ice! ice!! ice!!! We are under a complete blockade from this rare, but truly formidable [besiege?] !

Out-of-doors every thing is compelled to wear his cold, hard, and glittering chains; and tight as we may bar our doors he is sure to find his way inside, [illegible?] - [illegible?] even there! And as if in wry sarcasm he will at night esconce himself in the tea-kettle, still on the stove in which the fire has just gone out. In one or two rooms, at the cost of a great deal of fuel, and by keeping close to the fire, we manage to keep from freezing. Of course a great deal of our time is taken up in trying to get warm, but to attain that seems almost impossible. At night we dread to leave the fire to go to bed, and in the morning we dread to arise. And then to think of the poor in this dreadful wea- ther - The poor who have no fire - no shelter - how sad! God pity the poor! is my daily prayer.

[written sideways across left gutter] sea with us. George Hudson called after tea / and we all / attended singing school. There was no singing school however. Mr. Warner did not come. and we sat round the fire all the evening laughing, talking, [illegible?] and in fact enjoying ourselves quite as mach as if the usual exercises had taken place Mr Donaldson and Mr Dias were there but [in decency?]. refrained from interfering though we did not share other feelings that is if they have any! They [schuo?] as have a good [opening?] of George's spirit and it is well [theraputic?].

Friday. The cold has moderated sensibly, and it is much more pleasant. The snow is beginning to melt. Commenced a letter to Allen Seager?. __ George Hudson called in the afternoon. To oblige Sarah to [Lad?] in the morning [errand?] over to the city of New York to [ascertain?] whether the boats were running on the Stonington line He found that they did not not the Sound being full of ice, there was also so much ice in the river that he was two hours in crossing. [Houston?] street ferry. Lo miss Sarah will not be able to return this week. though she is very anxious to do so. --

About two years ago when Carrie was in Stonington she had her daguerreotype taken there, and gave it to Sarah, and S-- brought it here with her this winter. It is a miserable little picture -- a perfect fright com -pared to the original; just such a one as we might expect to obtain in a village like Stonington. George has been trying to get it to carry off with him but Carrie will not let him have it. Then he wants to have us three sit for our daguerreotype in a group We had a great deal of fun about it, and Sarah jokingly told him that he might have hers. He took her up in earnest, and this afternoon claimed her promise. Sarah thought it her duty to keep her word, so with [George?] and I she went to [Dur-----'s] Gallery, and obtained an excellent one. George purchased [an?] beautiful case for it, and it was very pretty inside and out. It was nearly dark when we returned.

[Side] George came in and staid some time. He tried to persuade me to have my daguerreotype taken with Sarah's but I refused