431 Stevens Street1
Camden New Jersey
U S A—
Jan: 1 '81
Was sorry—extremely sorry—to hear of your illness—trust you are
well again by this time, (as fore-indicated by H[erbert]'s last)2—all H's books for Mrs S[tafford] came safely3—also letters & p.o. order—rec'd the
good, long, fine letter from B[eatrice]4—The S's
are all well as usual—I am getting along capitally for me this winter so
far—have been & am writing quite a deal to order
(astonishing, isn't it?)5—will surely send you when
in print—I wish you would send the Cedar-Plums like6 to Rossetti—(I suppose you rec'd it)—what
silly fictitious items appear about me in some of the English papers—(about as
bad as here)—trust you all had merry Christmas &
New Year's—Cold & deep snow here—
WW
Notes
- 1. This letter bears the
address: Mrs Gilchrist | Keats corner 12 Well Road | Hampstead | London |
England. It is postmarked: Camden | Jan | 2 | N.J.; (?) N.W. | E | Paid 20 Ja
81. [back]
- 2. Herbert Gilchrist
informed Whitman about his mother's health on December
13, 1880. On February 16, Anne Gilchrist wrote about her "bronchitis
& cardiac asthma" (University of Pennsylvania). [back]
- 3. See the letter from
Whitman to Susan Stafford of January 30,
1881. [back]
- 4. Apparently this letter is
lost. [back]
- 5. A reference to the
articles for The Critic (see the letter from Whitman to
Jeannette L. Gilder of December 31, 1880). [back]
- 6. "Cedar-Plums Like"
probably appeared late in 1880 in the Philadelphia Press.
It was included in Specimen Days (ed. Floyd Stovall [New
York: New York University Press, 1963], 245–248). On February 16, Mrs.
Gilchrist referred to the notes in The Critic and
"Cedar-Plums Like": they "are especially precious to me & I doubt not will
be so to all friends & lovers of yours." [back]