Feb 2nd Mollie Mary Ann and I are getting up a surprise for Mr. (?) if we can only keep it still it will go off nice. Have been studying most all day. Read most (?) pages. I have been waiting for most three weeks for the time to come when I should feel like writing so as to write my essay but to night I had to go at it though the time didn’t come. It is like picking needles out of hay stacks to get ideas out of my brain. Hope I shall write next week. Feb 3rd Busy very. This morning Father was taken with a hard chill and has been very sick. That party went off well we succeeded