Charles L. Heyde to Walt Whitman, 12 March 1889

 duk.00412.001_large.jpg U.A WOODBURY PROP. Van Ness and American Hotels L.S. DREW H.N. CLARK MANAGERS Burlington Vermont. The Van Ness House has a Safety Hydraulic Passenger Elevator Fire Escape and the Grinnell Automatic Sprinkler Van Ness House Fine Views of the Lakes and Mountains from all parts of the House Burlington Vt. March 12 1889 Bro Walt.

Han1 is uneasy for a postal. She is getting on quite well—makes good bread—weather is cold, to night.

I had quite a long conference to day with Revd I. J. Bliss2, rectory Episcopal church—he expressed great sympathy for me; in my straitend circumstances, and placed a 5 dollar bill, in my hand, as he has done  duk.00412.002_large.jpg once before, this winter, which got me 1/2 ton of coal and provisions

I shall have better luck after a time.

I am on the petite​ jury, commencing April 2 dollars per day. I would much rather paint, could I sell my pictures.

Saw Mrs Tyler3 in street, to day

Kindly I remain— Charles

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Notes

• 1. Hannah Louisa (Whitman) Heyde (1823–1908), youngest sister of Walt Whitman, married Charles Louis Heyde (ca. 1820–1892), a Pennsylvania-born landscape painter. Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor treatment of Hannah. Hannah and Charles Heyde lived in Burlington, Vermont. For more, see Paula K. Garrett, "Whitman (Heyde), Hannah Louisa (d. 1908)," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
• 2. Rev. Joshua Isham Bliss taught Rhetoric and English at the University of Vermont in Burlington, then in 1885 became rector of St. Paul's Episcopal church in Burlington, where he remained until 1899 (see The Churchman 87 [March 28, 1903], 431). [back]
• 3. As yet we have no information about this person. [back]