scarcely hold my head up I was so bilious. Marj. fed the chickens and got wood for the box stove and coal for the kitchen stove and by noon the nausea had left me so I went out and milked but I still felt very weak so I didn't do very much else and slept most of the after noon. Marj. made me some toast about five o'clock which was the first I had eaten all day and I felt a little better after that and did up the night chores. It has been a beautiful looking day but keen north wind

Saturday January 24th

This was the day when we were to have had presented to us the greatest and most talked of drama that can be normally produced on the celestial stage, - the total eclipse of the sun. The actors rehearsed their parts according to schedule, but alas, the producer, our old mother, drew a curtain on the first act and peevishly refused to raise it, until just as they made their farewell bow to the audience, so all we could do was imagine what was going on before our eyes but behind the scene. I don't now when I have been so disappointed as it has always been my desire to see a total eclipse and I have examined the patent medicine almanack when they first came for years to see if they promised one, until I had about come to the conclusion that one was never visible in this latitude, so that I was really about as excited when I read the announcement of this one as a kid is when he sees circus bills for his own town.