Louis. Nothing notable occurred on the
trip; but day after day, as we proceeded northward, and left the
soft, sunny south behind us, with the daily increasing coldness and
wintry weather, Henry seemed to decline by degrees, and gradually to
lose nearly all that he had gained since we left New York. When we
reached St. Louis he was seriously sick. I was very sorry we had
come away so soon in the season, and proposed that we should return
and stay in the south till spring; but Henry would not consent.
There was nothing to be done, then, but to hurry on to the east, and
when we arrived in New York Henry would not go home to his mother in
Unadilla, but insisted upon accompanying me to Boston. I was willing
enough that he should go with me, for then I could have him under my
exclusive care; but when we arrived in Boston he was so overcome by
the excitement of travel, and was so feeble from fatigue as well as
disease, that instead of having him go with me to Augusta, as I
intended, by the advice of a friend I took him into the country
where he could be nursed, be quiet, and be well taken care of till
spring. I left him in good hands, promising to come and see him as
soon as I could, and then went back to my old business in Augusta.
It required a little time to knot the new end of that business to
the end where I had broken off three months before; but I was soon
in full practice again and was once more making and saving money. I
had no matrimonial affair in hand, no temptation in fact, and none
but strictly professional engagements to fulfil.
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