My Dear friend Walt I now take my pen in hand to let you know how I am getting along I am in very good
health at present & I hope you are the same. my father2 is not very well at present
he has been Laid up for a week with the Rhumatism In his feet he is getting Better. I am very sorry to have any Bad news to
tell you but I can not help it. I have got in trouble I bought some patent medicine
to the amount of three Dollers . I bought some medicine for
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a freind of my fathers3 & he gave me
the money to pay for them & I Spent it I am very sorry I Done it.
I have Learnt a lesson from it witch will last me a life time. We have a new Cashier & he is looking over
the books & he seen the account against me & he says if I Do not pay it
before—Saturday night he will tell Mr. Robbins4 & then I
will be Disgraced & Discarged I asked my Sister5 to lend three Dollers
& she would not. She said I
might get Disgrased for all She cared & now I apply to you as the last friend I have in
this world I wish you would lend me three Dollers
& I will pay you as soon as
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I can earn it you will Oblidge me very much & save me from being Disgraced. this is all at present, I
will write as soon as I hear from you
I will put this in an Extry Envelope so that if you Do not Receive it I will get it without any one seeing it.
yours &c. WR
Correspondent:
Walter Whitman Reynolds (b. 1854), named after the poet, was the son of
Henry Reynolds (b. 1827–before 1880), a car driver, and Eliza Reynolds (b. 1828?). Walter's mother Eliza Reynolds, wrote to Whitman on October 16,
1868, imploring Whitman to get to know his namesake. She described Walter as "a nice
boy, between 13 and 14 years old" and told the poet: "i thought perhaps you might take an
interest in him."