Laura, thine
Philip. V. Fithian.
[JOURNAL]
Wednesday 13.
I drew off this morning for Dadda Gumby a List of his Children, & their respective ages—He himself is 94—For this office I had as many Thanks, As I have had blessings before now from a Beggar for Sixpence—Thank you, thank you, thank you Master, was the language of the old Greyheaded pair.—Call on us at any time, you shall have Eggs, Apples, Potatoes—You shall have every thing we can get for you—Master!—In this Torrent of Expressions of Gratitude I was rung to Breakfast; I bow'd to the venerable old Negroes, thank'd them in my Turn for their Offers, & left them—
Indeed, said the Colonel at Breakfast, cool as it was last Night, I kept my Window up the whole night—I am not fond of your hot a dust Air—Was yours up Mr Fithian no truly; so long as I can breath without panting I am for keeping my Window down, & my Room close on summer nights; especially here in Virginia, Madam, where the Dews are so heavy, and so dangerous—The Postilion keeps a fox at the Stable & I am often much diverted with his Cunning Tricks. The other Day, Mrs Carter was lying in the long room among the Books on the Couch; In jumps Reynard, through a broken Pane of Glass, & begins to frisk & hue about the Room like a Bedlam—How is Nurse, pray, says the Colonel at Dinner? She has her Ague & Fever again to Day, Sir—This is a fine Sheeps-Head, Mr Stadly shall I help you?—Or would you prefer a Bass or a Perch?—Or perhaps you will rather help yourself to some picked Crab—It is all extremely fine, Sir, I'll help myself—Well says the Colonel when we had almost finished our Dinner with a Glass of sparkling Porter on the Table before him, we have but fasted to Day; here stands a fine Ham, & a Shoulder of excellent Mutton yet untouched—At least, says the merry, good-hearted Man, we have kept Lent—Yesterday evening I scribled a little for Laura, & to Day I drank her Health from my Heart in generous Medaira—Yes, best of Women, when you are the Toast I drink wine with Pleasure—
Thursday 14.
To Day is the election of Burgesses in Richmond the neighbouring County—Come, Fithian, will you go? My old objection recurs; I am too busy—I met this morning in Wingates Arithmetic, with the following merry Problem—"To discover a Number which any one shall have in his mind, without requiring him to reveal any part of that or any Number whatsoever"—After any one has thought upon any number at Pleasure; bid him double it, & to that double bid him add any such even number as you please to assign: Then from the Sum of that Addition let him reject one half, & reserve the other half; Lastly, from this half bid him subtract the Number which he first thought upon; then you may boldly tell him what Number remains in his mind after that Subtraction is made, for it will be always half the Number which you assigned him to add—A Reason for the Rule is added. "Because, if to the double of any number (which number for Distinction sake I call the first) a second number be added, the half of the Sum must necessarily consist of the said first number, & half the Second: Therefore if from the said half sum the first Number be subtracted, the remainder must of necessity be half the second Number which was added—Mr Inspector dined with us again to day—We had after Dinner, Lime Punch & Madaira: but he chose & had a Bowl of Grogg—You are a mean Puppy, a treacherous, ungenerous Scoundrel, says Bob, to Harry just as I entered the School after Dinner—you told Mr Lowe, you did more, you published in Mr Washingtons Family that Mr Fithian horsed me for Staying out all night—That he call'd in John the Waiter to help him—& that you was sent to cut & bring in Whips—After School with Ben I rode out the Day is warm, & the Ground grows to be very dry—I was not a little Surprized to see Corn out in Tassel—But the Tobacco looks dismal, it is all poor, much of it is dead with the drouth; I think, however, that the Season is ten days or two Weeks earlier here than in New Jersey.—
Mr Stadly, left us to Day. I love that Man, he is gone to Colonel Taylors[189]—