[New York—Wednesday, 31 May 1876]
May 31. ’76. Passed the day with the Aldrich’s at Poukeepsy [sic]. Aldrich maintained at dinner that the horse railroad injured Charles St. His wife and J.T.F. took the opposite ground. Finally J. said “Well, the Philadelphians don’t agree with you; they have learned the value of horse railroads in their streets.” “O, that’s because they are such Christians” said A. “They know whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
He is a queer witty creature. When the railroad dropped us at Green Lodge Station, a tiny place surrounded by wild green woods and bog, we found him sitting on a corner of the platform where he said he had been “listening to the bullfrog tune his violin. He had been twanging at one string a long time.” Aldrich was in an ecstasy of delight and in truth it was a day to put the most untuned spirit into tune. In the afternoon we floated on the beautiful pond. The whole day gave us a series of pictures only 13 miles from town, yet the backwoods can be no more retired. Mr. Prince owns 500 acres and it must be a pleasure to him while he is away in Washington to feel that some one is using and enjoying his beautiful domain—and how could it be half so well used and enjoyed as by the family of a struggling literary man! The house they live in which was going to decay may really be considered a creation of Lilian’s. Altogether she is very clever and Aldrich most fortunate and our Washington Senator is doubtless most content to think of the enjoyment of others in his domain.
Professor Felix Adler of Cornell University at Ithaca called to see us and told a pretty anecdote of a child of a German friend of his about 8 years old whose father had already given him the Odyssey to read. The father introduced the child to him as Prof Adler of Ithaca. “Ah! how do you do, Sir,” said the little fellow, “and how did you leave the good Ulysses!”
