Friday, May 31, 1889 Showers every few minutes. I went down town and got Girard to telephone to the office of the Cement Co. to ask if Mr & Mrs. Osman had arrived. The answer was they had. I sent word we would expect them to dinner. The reply was they had dinner out to make some calls but they would be told of my message on their return. I came home and very soon they drove up in E. Tompkins carriage, Charlie, [Magie?] and her mother. They came in but declined to take off their things as they were to return soon. We invited them to dinner but Laura said they were expected back to dinner. We were quite certain it would be agreeable to Mrs. Tompkins if they would dine with us as a cousin of Neds was there with his bride and Mrs T. had expressed to us her hope that they would not arrive together. Magie has grown to be a tall girl and is an agreeable, quiet child. Laura said Gertrude was not [well?] enough to come. Said her fiancee was to be at the cove [?] as she expressed it to "perfect the business arrangements." We understood it connected with the marriage, whatever they mean. Said Gertrude was to be married in September and talked about him, all of which I received very passively, not intending to show any interest in what she has not chosen to tell us of. Charlie wanted to go to the garden and thinking he needed to talk on business connected with the estate I opened an opportunity by telling him we were trying to sell the place. He said he would be sorry for that, but I told him it was inevitable, that it was a burden to me and had been for a long time and that as my profession had been unsure[?] for several years past it was very difficult for me to take care of it. Laura meanwhile talked with Sara, as she suggested she may have come for that purpose, but she said she was satisfied it was in good hands, hoped we would stay here and as she had never expected any thing from it had not given it a thought (which I am inclined to doubt[)], that her father had told them to put it into his hands and he would attend to it without troubling them and that he had put it into the hands of a lawyer here which she must know is the very last thing we could wish. She said she was so glad to see Alice and Mrs. Sawyer they so reminded her of Aunt Gertrude and it seemed like getting back into the family again and Sara said her eyes filled with tears. How lightly they went out of the family and how hard, how almost impossible it is to get back into the affections they have crushed and torn. After we came back from the garden she said she would like if we broke up some of the furniture or something of the old home. I assured her she should have every opportunity and that I hoped it could be divided and not sold to which she assented. She was evidently touched by the suggestions and the memories of the place, as how could she fail to be but all the while I could not be confident of her sincerity considering all her bitterness and her unkind treatment of all of us. They would not stay to dine with us although we had specially prepared for them and went away after having been here an hour or so and said they were going back to the Cove tonight. I gave Magie a few little things I brought from Mexico. When they got in the carriage Laura made a movement to kiss me which I did not resist although I hoped she would not, and Charlie lingered to tell us if he had the deciding he would stay to dine with us. They drove off and stopped at Girards a little while and I presume are glad it is over. Sent a novel "In honor bound" to Gustave Roth, Morelia. Wrote Lucy.
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