Mrs. Bachman. 213 



telligence and agreeable nianiiers. She has now 

 seen ever>' member of our family — the little grand- 

 son in the bargain. She was present, too, at his 

 baptism. ^<r ^ i cannot conceal from you, 

 friend Audubon, that ni}^ spirits lately have been 

 depressed ; nor can I conceal from myself, that my 

 dear wife's sufferings have shattered her frame, and 

 that she has been losing strength. I trust in God 

 that there may be some decidedly favorable change, 

 else it is problematic, if her strength will permit her 

 to come to you in June, as you have planned — this 

 must l)e left to the development of time. 



Tbe proof-sheets have not l^een received ; I hope 

 that they will come to hand, that I may correct 

 them next week ; but T work now in a s})iritless 

 manner. 



This is Saturday, and I am unusually busy. Mrs. 

 P. will tell you all about us, and Jane will ask many 

 questions about everything and everybody at home. 



Monday. — The Letter-press has been received, and 

 returned corrected. 1 am hard at work on the 

 articles during the few hours left to me from a 

 thousand calls and interruptions. We have a small 

 family — only my three school-children are at home, 

 the others are away, and the house seems very 

 quiet — too quiet. 



To Victor Audubon: 



April 1st, 184(). 

 For weeks T have not answered your letters. I 

 had taken my poor, suffering wife to Totness, 

 (Haskell's summer residence), ninety-five miles from 

 Charleston. I left her with my daughter Harriet, 

 improving as I thought. Suddenly her Ticdoloreux 

 returned in frightful paroxysms ; the physician's skill 

 was powerless to contr )1 the j^ain, and she became 



