Clear and cold. To town. Afternoon at home. Evening, visitors and to the Mansion.

I went to town to day taking my man Albert with me to work at the house for the day and return in the carriage in the afternoon. My time taken up in performing the endless number of little preparations essential to the commencement of housekeeping.

Met I. P. Davis and conversed with him about the Representative business. The ticket is out today and is neither bad nor good. Happening to go to my grocer’s to purchase articles for the house, the first thing he did was to accost me about the opinions I held respecting the license law. He thought I was still on the ticket. He told me that the grocers meant to get the sentiments of each side and to select indiscriminately from among those friendly to their object of a repeal of the law. Of course, here would have been the first rock for me and Governor Everett’s great vote would have vanished into thin air. I congratulated myself therefore upon my good fortune in having avoided a great whirlpool of vexation about very small things.

If I am to go into political life at all, which is by no means an object that any man of good sense should desire, it shall be when my services will be wanted and when I can do the country some effective good service. That time may indeed never arrive. And my ambition may have no scope for it’s exercise. Well, I shall have avoided great trials of my impetuous temper, some exposition of human weakness and perhaps disgrace. My confidence is great that I shall be enabled by the guidance of divine mercy to walk the path which may be allotted me, whether that path be high or low. I have at least jumped over this difficulty, and it has not been a small one.

Home to dine. My father dined with me alone as my Wife instead of going to town as she had arranged went to the other house to stay with Fanny. She, poor child instead of growing better grows worse and my father tells me he despairs of her recovery. I had hoped it is not yet quite so bad as that.

Short afternoon, spent out of doors in the useful business of attempting to burn my corn stalks, in which after much effort I failed. Mr. and Mrs. Lunt called in the evening and sat an hour after which they joined us in a visit to the other house for a short time.