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Show 140 A letter from Milford informs her that he may arrive in early June. Milford had two purposes in planning a trip to Philadelphia in the summer of 1876: to see Ellis (the reason given in her diary) and for the nation's centennial (the reason given in the portion of her text which was not printed). A choice letter from her father makes her realize for the first time that he can be quite eloquent, and she wonders "How many beautiful souls must lie dormant for want of time and opportunity for their development." Two bits of good news received on the same day place Ellis close to ecstasy. Milford is on his way; and her request to the faculty has been unanimously accepted. On June 2nd she goes to 32nd and Market Depot to meet her husband. And we hear nothing further from her for thirteen days, at which time she recounts the joy of visiting with Milford and going with him to points of interest in the Philadelphia area. She vividly describes seeing her "first ship in full sail." A trip down the Delaware, the varieties of the people on board, the places they pass, a three-hour stroll around Chester, and the return home-along with being in the company of her husband-- have combined to produce for her a day of "perfect unalloyed joy." While all of these holiday-type activities are going on, Milford has apparently been making some acute observations about Ellis's general physical condition, for her next three entries bring us down to earth with three separate dull thuds. |