Tonight I would like to bowl at Caspari’s but bowling, because of the war, is off-limits for me. Somebody’s afraid a strike might make me laugh. I had a few good strikes before the war.
The White House is asleep. Perhaps I should find a ruler and compass and attempt to square the circle.
And so to bed...
My wife is one of the loneliest women in Washington. Her hospitality, her lavish entertainments, have bred enemies and have engendered no rewarding friendships. Because Mary exceeded her Congressional allotment for essential White House expenditures, the press has attacked her. I have volunteered to pay the bills out of my salary. I have cautioned her against ostentation: “War is no time for preening.”
Elizabeth Keckley, her seamstress, a former slave, is her confidante. With three brothers fighting in the Confederate army there are those who accuse Mary of treason. Injustice can strike. And the sad face, the sad thoughts continue. Poor Mary. Sharing intimate emotions with Elizabeth Keckley is a mistake. I do not dare reproach her.
Today’s cabinet meeting was a bitter one.
Yes, it is true Mary has relatives fighting for the Southern cause. So has General Grant and other officers. Does this imply some form of subterfuge? I am well aware of my wife’s integrity. I respect her family sympathies. To impugn the loyalty of my spouse is tantamount to accusing me of treason.
