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Show 81 February 13th 1873 Milford, Lizzie and Mary went to a party. Maggie and I were alone. We enjoyed the evening very much and I think we renewed the good old feelings of the long ago. Before retiring we united our hearts in fervent earnest prayer.14 As poor health continues for Ellis, she finds it necessary to remain in bed for several days. No appreciable change is seen as a result of the extra rest. Her discouragement has a characteristic rationale: "without health there is no usefulness, and without usefulness no happiness." She is at a loss to know what to do, other than to send "fervent petitions to Heaven" and she feels that the restoration of her health will be accompanied with such gratitude that she will "never grieve the Giver by abusing and disobeying its astringent laws." In what ways she has brought on this condition by "thoughtless negligence and carelessness" she does not say. A safe assumption might be too little food and not enough sleep. She receives a swift answer to her prayers and, as always, is quick to acknowledge the source of the blessing and the effectiveness of "affliction's chastening rod." With the return of good health, her notations become more frequent. She observes that she and Maggie, Lizzie, and Mary went to the "photograph gallery" and had a picture taken for Milford's birthday. The photograph shows the four of them together, unsmiling-as was the fashion of the day-with Lizzie and Mary, the younger, somewhat rotund girls standing behind Maggie and Ellis who are seated in front. Ellis seems somewhat thin of face and Maggie does not yet exhibit the tendency to corpulence which characterized her later years. Under |
