I hardly know what to say to you and Jess in your fearful affliction—will not attempt any of the usual consolations1—
I suppose Lou is there, as she wished to start Saturday night—& I havn't heard since. Dear, dear Hatta—
—I am ab't as usual—have got thro' the summer pretty well—
Walt Whitman mhs.00021.002_large.jpgCorrespondent:
Thomas Jefferson Whitman
(1833–1890), known as "Jeff," was Walt Whitman's favorite brother. As a
civil engineer, Jeff eventually became Superintendent of Water Works in St.
Louis and a nationally recognized figure. For more on Jeff, see Randall Waldron,
"Whitman, Thomas Jefferson (1833–1890)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).