Walt Whitman to Susan Stafford, 10 September [1882]

About This Item

Title: Walt Whitman to Susan Stafford, 10 September [1882]
Date: September 10, 1882
Creator(s): Walt Whitman
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 Nicole Gray
Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "Walt Whitman to Susan Stafford, 10 September [1882]." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 23 April 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Source File: loc.04665.xml (TEI)

loc_gt.00025_large.jpg 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 loc_gt.00026_large.jpg 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]