Life & Letters

Correspondence

About this Item

Title: Walt Whitman to Susan Stafford, 10 September [1882]

Date: September 10, 1882

Whitman Archive ID: loc.04665

Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.

Notes for this letter were created by Whitman Archive staff and/or were derived from Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, 6 vols. (New York: New York University Press, 1961–1977), and supplemented or updated by Whitman Archive staff.

Contributors to digital file: Stefan Schoeberlein, Nima Najafi Kianfar, Eder Jaramillo, and Nicole Gray



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Camden
Sunday Sept: 10

My dear friend

I went round last evening to call on Mrs Rogers,1 & thought perhaps I might find you there, but the house was shut up & nobody home—the lady opposite told me Mrs R was down to Bridgeton to her brother's—told me Jane was up Thursday or Friday to get some things—Jane said Mrs R was getting along pretty well, & w'd be home in Camden very shortly.

—And how are you? & how's all? (as they say down south) I got a long nice letter from Harry yesterday—he is well & hearty & seems to be having good times—I shall write to him to-day—Well the work on my new book "Specimen Days" is finished, & I feel as if a troublesome job was off my hands The enclosed adv't will give you some idea of it2—a great part of it was written down at the pond, the first three summers '76, '77 and '78 I was down there at your house—We could not get my brother Eddy boarded at the place I wish'd—he is out temporarily at a place a few miles from Philadelphia—

(While I am writing this it is a very pleasant quiet Sunday—as I sit here by my open window, a lady nearly opposite is playing on the piano and singing some good old hymns—"Old Hundred" and such—Keeps it up a long while—sounds first rate.)—

I am well as usual—Keep about on the same old round here day after day—read or write two or three hours, & then go out & over the ferry to Philadelphia—I don't know what I should do without the ferry, & river, & crossing, day & night—I believe my best times are nights—sometimes appear to have the river & boat all to myself—


W W


Notes:

1. Mrs. Rogers was Susan Stafford's sister; see the letter from Whitman to Susan Stafford of May 14, 1882[back]

2. On September 8, 1882, Whitman sent a notice concerning the appearance of Specimen Days to various newspapers; see the letter from Whitman to the editors of the Springfield Republican of September 8, 1882[back]


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