Thursday, Sept 2, 1886 Cool autumnal day. Directly after breakfast I went down town determined to have an interview with Coykendall, to find out whether there was any probability of his buying our place. It was an hour or more before I could see him as I saw Cantine go to his office just as I reached there. When he came out I went in. Sam was genial as he always is, but seemed anxious and busy but said he wanted to see me, and so I proceeded directly to business. I told him I wanted to sell him our place. He said he couldnt afford to buy it and gave me to understand he was in a great many enterprises. I told him I did not want but little money and that the Booth mortgage could remain at 4 p.ct. and intimated that the balance might remain on the same terms. I think that was rather agreeable to him. I told him he could buy it now reasonably and he had better not lose the chance by waiting until a part of it was sold, as I should sell when I could. Some one was waiting to see him and he said he would talk with his wife and come up and see me in a few days. I am inclined to think his connection with Cornell is very precarious and [that?] he is not yet ready to spend much money for a place, but I hoped to offer him so favorable terms that he might embrace the opportunity to get a place which I know he would like to own. Mrs. Louise Broadhead was here to dinner and to stay over night. Sara had a talk with her relative to renting it for a boarding house, or for taking boarders, but all that is so entirely distasteful to me that I will not engage in it if it can possibly be avoided. Girard and I went out to Fox hall to see about Frank Dubois lot which returns to us for failure to pay. We put up a notice "For sale" on it and talked with a woman whose house and lot adjoins. She seemed to think it not worth more than $100 and not much chance to sell it for that--and so my days, and my peace of mind goes in these incongenial employments. I sigh for a simpler life without all this trouble.
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