'Though the trees that he planted still stand where they stood,
Still with storms they can wrestle with arms stout and brave;
Still they wave o'er our dwellings--they droop o'er his grave!
Alas! that the life of the cherished and good
Is more frail and more brief than the trees of the wood!

1858

_February_ 24, 1858.--The boarders at the Seminary had some tableaux
last evening and invited a great many from the village. As we went in
with the crowd, we heard some one say, "Are they going to have tableaux?
Well, I thought I smelt them!" They were splendid. Mr. Chubbuck was in
nearly all of them. The most beautiful one was Abraham offering up
Isaac. Mr. Chubbuck was Abraham and Sarah Ripley was Isaac. After the
tableaux they acted a charade. The word was "Masterpiece." It was fine.
After the audience got half way out of the chapel Mr. Richards announced
"The Belle of the Evening." The curtain rose and every one rushed back,
expecting to see a young lady dressed in the height of fashion, when
immediately the Seminary bell rang! Mr. Blessner's scholars gave all the
music and he stamped so, beating time, it almost drowned the music. Some
one suggested a bread and milk poultice for his foot. Anna has been
taking part in some private theatricals. The play is in contrast to "The
Spirit of '76" and the idea carried out is that the men should stay at
home and rock the cradles and the women should take the rostrum.
Grandmother was rather opposed to the idea, but every one wanted Anna to
take the part of leading lady, so she consented. She even helped Anna
make her bloomer suit and sewed on the braid for trimming on the skirt
herself. She did not know that Anna's opening sentence was, "How are
you, sir? Cigar, please!" It was acted at Mrs. John Bates' house on
Gibson Street and was a great success, but when they decided to repeat
it another evening Grandmother told Anna she must choose between going
on the stage and living with her Grandmother, so Anna gave it up and
some one else took her part.

_March_.--There is a great deal said about spirits nowadays and a lot of
us girls went into one of the recitation rooms after school to-night and
had a spiritual seance. We sat around Mr. Chubbuck's table and put our
hands on it and it moved around and stood on two legs and sometimes on
one. I thought the girls helped it but they said they didn't. We heard
some loud raps, too, but they sounded very earthly to me. El