Lou1 and Jessie2 came here yesterday—I
assure you I was gratefull . They took hold immediately with an energy that has advanced
household comfort, in one day, than I could have accomplished perhaps all
winter—brought a woman in the house with mop and pail, and scoured the floor,
alleviating all that stale, dusty, musty atmosphere—drew out a carpet kept in
reserve, and we put it down—Lou engineering—to a line—then she
went away and returned having purchased a new carpet for Han's3
sleeping room, and had a stove for winters use set up—bought an arm chair, a
pair of shades, and had the old
duk.00450.002_large.jpg
old lounge or sofa taken away to be repaird in the best possible manner; bot a
matrass for me, cotton and stuff—better perhaps than I had. The stove
was put in place in our best room—a good heater. The women worked, and so did
I, until the best shirt I had was ript , in rags. I told Lou that I had no other—true. She told
Han that she had intended to have given her some money but could not—she had
none left.
I wished that she had left 25 dollars for the taxes—but alas—numerous persons have contributed, a dollar occasionaly , to keep us up—beside your kind remittances. Oh! good friend Walt. Han is pretty well.
Yours gratefully— CharlieCorrespondent:
Charles Louis Heyde (ca.
1820–1892), a French-born landscape painter, married Hannah Louisa Whitman
(1823–1908), Walt Whitman's sister, and they lived in Burlington, Vermont.
Charles Heyde was infamous among the Whitmans for his offensive letters and poor
treatment of Hannah. For more information about Heyde, see Steven Schroeder,
"Heyde, Charles Louis (1822–1892)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).