5:20 P.M. Day cool. W. said, "Too cool—a change too sudden: we are thrown about, between hot and cold. I have had a bad headache all the day through." Said musically, "I have had a couple of boy visitors just before you came in—the melodious darlings! They chatted away, sweetly, without the least constraint." Gave me letter from Bucke. "He seems glad you came—sorry you left. It must have been a great trip for you both."
Wrote this memo for Oldach: Oldach Binder Stitch this & case bind it in some stout board—mind & keep the sheets as new arranged you needn't trim any thing (unless you need to in the job)—make the best rough strong job of it, convenient without regard to finish—it is only a dummy for my own eyes— WW 328 Mickle St. Camden NJ What he has bound is simply a new make-up of "Leaves of Grass" to include the "Good-Bye" poems and "A Backward Glance"—the birthday preface to be dropped therefrom. "You will understand it—have him do it at once, if he will."
Quotation in Poet-Lore from Walt Whitman. He jocosely said, "I don't know myself, dressed in that way. It is wonderful what that good paper and a few leads will do to set a fellow up!"
Had not yet examined our prospectus. Asked me to give him a copy of the papers in the order we proposed to use them. Bucke says he withdraws his first title—"The Poet of Democracy." I had objected that it was not explicit enough—that W.'s name should be a part of the title. Bucke now agrees. "Clifford and his wife and daughter were here. He is to take dinner at Tom's—says he expects to meet you there. He looked well, natural—no bones broke." Gave me the English letter for £40 sent by Carpenter and his friends—wrote at foot "Pay to the order of Horace Traubel"—drawn on Brown Bros., Philadelphia.
Oldach bound up some copies of "Good-Bye" but left the portrait out, at my suggestion. Dave at once returned them. Asked W. positively, "Shall I tell McKay that you will give him 25 press copies and sell him 725 at 25 cents?" W. replying, "I thought you had done that long ago. I leave it in your hands, to make such terms as you think best." Expects a note from Dave payable December. Would pay Ferguson with that note. I objected, "I doubt if he would take it—if it would be fair to ask him." W.: "Why? How do you make that out?" "Because it makes Ferguson wait a long time for his money or submits him to a discount if he wants it now." This seemed to rub W. a little the wrong way and he asked me "to explain further," which I did. "If it is wrong, then we don't want to do it"—got into a little passion anyway. "I think Ferguson piled it on thick anyway, charged for everything—corrections, changes, what-not—till the bill is way up." I fought him on this quite hotly till he said, "Well, you attend to it—make the best way out of this you can—I trust to you—and the book was beautiful—its printing noble, elevated—I am willing to excuse a good deal for that."
I advised with W. about getting interest on his money in the Bank. He acknowledged he had a large sum there, "I have poor Eddy, you know—and the feeble sister—and that is their fund. I have several times thought to invest it some way, but always thought it would be too much trouble, etc. etc. But I suppose it might as well be made as much as we can make it, and perhaps you had better go see about it."