168
             Loafing, Scribbling & Reading
of Bradley.   O�Gorman came, too, afterwards,
in search of something to drink, but finding
only bitters, went away soon.    Dinner, Brad-
ley being our guest.     Scribbling during the
evening; rain out of doors.         Writing to my
mother.
  15.  Thursday.   An almost continuous rain
day.    In doors, all three of us, in Hills� room,
scribbling or reading.  Writing to Hannah
and reading Lever�s �Davenport Dunn.�  At
nightfall went with Howell to Gen. Augur�s
quarters, a handsome house on Third Street,
and saw him.    He told us that he shouldn�t
take command over Gen. Grover until the arri-
val of Gen. Banks, expected tomorrow.  Back,
reading and talking ghostly, then to bed.
  16.  Friday.   A cold frosty morning, almost
worthy of a northern January.      With Howell
and Hills to the levee, expecting that a steam-
er might start for New Orleans and desiring
to send letters by her.   Apparently no chance
of it.     Back and, with Howell, into a store
kept by an old Belgian woman, whom we
visited during her our former sojourn at
Baton Rouge.    She invited us into a rear
room where there were upwards of seven
children, all strabismic, also a young Ger-
man woman, not uncomely in a coarse way.