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Belmont Mass April 19. '86 My Dear Poet: Your postal rec'd. received I have completed (rough finish)

my seven chapters on you.

It is the most scholarly, fiery, and heavy-artillery piece of work I have yet done; took all my strength

I have got in my cellar, Walt, about 50 bottles of elderberry cordial—fine, smacky, made by myself last

My grand poet, my friend Yours as ever W.S. Kennedy How's the pony? Paper also!! good!

have been 2 weeks in a fever of parturition & have gone over all the notes writings, & literature of my

past life in relentless search for material to enrich the book on my hero.

Please don't tell anyone of my project yet— wd would you?

But my chief object is to propagandize.

My Puritan training as a Calvinistic ministers son hindered it for a long time.

My Dear Whitman,— Don't you thik think it would be well for you to give me a line to Prof.

Dowden, telling him that you have read the bibliography of my forthcoming book, and that you think you

I am afraid they will be but dilatory in taking hold of the matter on my request alone,.

For my part, I dislike to ask anyone for to serve as go-between, but you seemed to think it would be

My roses are superb; have pitched a tent in my yard. Aff. Affectionately W. S. Kennedy.

By coming on I could bring my MS with me, & stay three days at least.

I have already made out a long one—going over all my scraps & records for the purpose Our brilliant young

Will send you my Herald article on him when it appears.

I gave it draining regards that fixed it in my mind.

I regard it as a noble work, & am very glad of this rich honor done to my poet, & I want to congratulate

It is a fine, nay a great, work, in my opinion.

Fairchild & her husband are going to drive out & see my Cox photo, some time.

might insure the publication of the book; for purchasers of L. of G. are of all most likely to buy my

This will excuse my dilatoriness as a correspondent) Rhys & I go up to lunch with Sanborn Friday—Rhys

Nothing delights me more & my limitations are so many.

Return at my expense by ditto. Take yr your time. I am dissatisfied with the thing.

But in this case I feel particularly blue—after all my rooster-crowing—for anything put beside writing

It took me several days to absorb it and make my extracts &c.

(I fear my digestion must be poor to-night judging from the tone of the foregoing!)

I keep toiling away kicking my MS into shape, adding touches &c &c W S Kennedy William Sloane Kennedy

That wonderful title page I look at & look at, & can't seem to get dovetailed into my mind.

My day had a sad ending.

Please give my very special congratulations to Traubel anent this big volume (for I suppose he helped

And give my regards to your Canadian nurse-friend.

Belmont Mass Oct 20 '88 My dear W.W.

Mrs K. is in Boston at a Symphony Concert and a precious ½ hour for my soul being at my disposal I feel

We are rolling out 90–100 books at once, & every page must pass under my eye twice & receive my fecit

before it goes out,—my guarantee.

I must stop & copy a page or so (my daily stint) of my Whitman bibliography (sawdusty job rather, but

You dear (young) old F'ellow: — I was just feeling to-day a lack in my soul—a gap—an idea that you had

I continue at my typographical business Hope I hear from Paisley in a fortnight goodnight & love—gloomy

Robert Browning (1812–1889), known for his dramatic monologues, including "Porphyria's Lover" and "My

30, 1868, Whitman informed Ralph Waldo Emerson that "Proud Music of the Storm" was "put in type for my

Just as my MS pkg was consigned to steamer Roman of the Warren Line, comes crawling along—like a fly

Commemoration Ode," which has often, since its publication, been contrasted with Whitman's own tribute, "O Captain

My Captain!"

poems & prose pieces bit by bit, stealhily stealthily to-day, having the book (disguised by cover) in my

I send you the Transcript with my notice of November Boughs —hastily pencil-scrawled bet between jobs

on my proof desk.

I asked Traubel to tell you that Wilson (Glaswegian) had written me my book. cordially yrs yours W.S.Kennedy

They have made my summer glorious. My love of that man is something strong as fate.

Indeed I believe the ties of blood draw me to him & Scotland—my "forbears" being Scotch-Irish (on one

(my book). Glad to hear of yr your new books. Am still reading proof.

WS Kennedy I don't see much prospect of my work on you seeing the light soon, But—.

Belmont My Dear Walter (as poor Emerson wd would say) I some weeks ago devised a cunning scheme for getting

I took up the idea & having my time at my disposal, I am going to work you up a lecture.

Do you think you will be able to come by that time, my dear friend?

I have never heard you either read or lecture & shall be a thousand times repaid for my trouble. aff—

"Last of Ebb" is my favorite. William Sloane Kennedy to Walt Whitman, 28 August 1888

Belmont Sept 15 '89 (Sunday afternoon) Dear Walt:— I never meant my last poor postal to be the answer

to write the bk I told you of, I must bore you with a letter—just to say how'd'e, & to tell you that my

staunch little dame, my brave frau kin is going to make a little visiting tour, & will some day make

for my freedom! [Here I cut a caper] Now for six weeks of thought . I wrote to F.

My gloire di Dijon rose has grown 12 feet high in many rigorous shoots.

—However, with all my deep chagrin, I c but laugh (long & well), over little Stedman & Holmes (I suppose

You say in it "as to my alleged opinion of Stedman: I have no such opinion.

My feeling toward S. is one of good will & thanks markedly—O'C says he is a good fellow, & I say so too

Stedman w never forgive my trying to comfort him . Ha! ha!

I think I shall now pitch overboard fr my book the Hartmannian lading (supplement) entirely.

I have abt 10 minutes a day to my self!

Wilson has my MS now. Am going to take a vacation in a month.

Do drop me a line dear & revered papa, & relieve my anxiety abt you. W. S. Kennedy.

O'C in my hand at arm's length for several minutes trying to realize its import.

My regret is keen that I did not meet our noble & brilliant friend.

I wish you know the depth of my own feeling the tumultuous emotional depths—sort of despair—stirred up

My days are passed in the harrowing uproar of a great printing estab. & it is hard for me to find a soul-hour

O'C dead—if one rightly regarded it—just as much in harmony with the scene as my part of the life-throbbing

In his letter to me I alluded to in my letter of this date to you, O'C says, "I sincerely hope no memoir

I mean give him my regards. & to Dr. B. whose last I shall answer soon W. S. K.

Wilson will tackle in some way my Whitman .

It is firstrate I did make that condition in my letters to Gardner —i.e. that my corrections on proofs

I have offered & agreed to return her $5.00—one of Wm's subscriptions, thinking one of my books w d be

My yard is looking finely. 2 doz. hyacinths out. bye bye W. S. K.

Gardner of Paisley, accepting my MS. "Walt Whitman the Poet of Humanity."

suppose his idea is that people will buy L. of G. more if they are not given the passages in question in my

He bites hard—says "it wd be a vast pity if the book were to fall through," owing to my obstinacy I suppose

My window hyacinths in fragrant bloom. (honey bunches) W. S. K.

suppose his idea is that people will buy L. of G. more if they are not given the passages in question in my

You perhaps saw my ⅓ col. column of Ingersoll's speech with remarks by me, in last Sat.'

The "Rejoinder" was later reprinted in Good-Bye My Fancy (1891) (see Prose Works 1892, Volume 2: Collect

Near the end of the essay, Whitman writes: "My own opinion has long been, that for New World service

I was quite amused to see my letter about the G.A.R. in the Camden paper —not amused I mean but willing

Whitman, late in life, said to Horace Traubel: "[I] take my Ruskin with some qualifications."

The "Rejoinder" was later reprinted in Good-Bye My Fancy (1891) (see Prose Works 1892, Volume 2: Collect

Near the end of the essay, Whitman writes: "My own opinion has long been, that for New World service

. & I will bring out my book on you sometime , perhaps sooner than we any of us know. I wrote fr.

London Canada, to Fred k Wilson, peremptorily ordering him to return my MS to me.

I get an extra copy of the paper laid on my desk every evening & so mail yours without breaking wrapper

Belmont Oct 27 '89 To Walt Whitman I am immensely pleased (tickled) with the result of my little Wifekin

I rubbed my hands in glee after quoting some of the good great fellows (in England & America) who stand

She says, "I saw with my own eyes, his nobility & manners," &c.

My dear Friend, I am very curious to get a fuller idea of Ingersoll's dinner speech.

Am getting ready for my Western jaunt on July 7th. Saw item abt yr will.

With the full-perfumed love of my soul, I close, W S Kennedy William Sloane Kennedy to Walt Whitman,

"Ingersoll's Speech" of June 2, 1890, was written by Whitman himself and was reprinted in Good-Bye My

My Whittier is in Funk & Wagnall's safe & is highly complimented by the editor of the series.

volumes of Horace Traubel's With Walt Whitman in Camden (various publishers: 1906–1996) and Whitman's "My

Hurd, literary editor, or kept till my return. Had grand visit of 3 days with Dr. Bucke.

I fear I can't see you on my return, as my ticket takes me back (excursion ticket, via northern N.

Bluebirds (a pair) building in my box. Also robin & golden woodpecker nesting in lane.

I keep touching deeper & not before understood tho'ts with my plummet in reading you,—espec. in these

My imagination is too vivid. I have to throw him aside. W. S. K.

I might have added to my list of great Holland–born men Beethoven. He was Van Beethoven.

My mind is fallow now, but I suppose it is for the best.

I hardly know my old self as seen in my old Index articles. However, Sursum! Resurgam! Forward!

Dear Friend: I have just read through again more carefully "Good-Bye my F."

To the Sunset Breeze and the last "Good-B my F" (did you notice that you had two of the same title?)

Give him my congratulations!

Whitman's book Good-Bye My Fancy (1891) was his last miscellany, and it included both poetry and short

Thirty-one poems from the book were later printed as "Good-Bye my Fancy" in Leaves of Grass (1891–1892

For more information see, Donald Barlow Stauffer, "'Good-Bye my Fancy' (Second Annex) (1891)," Walt Whitman

Whitman's poem "Good-By My Fancy!"

was the concluding poem in the poetry section of Good-Bye My Fancy (1891), and when those poems were

I am trying to get a picture of old Boston 100 years ago in my mind.

Sunset Breeze" first appeared in Lippincott’s Magazine (December 1890) and was reprinted in Good-Bye My

I send you a little box of confections by Adams Exp. with my love.

Critic of November 28, 1890 (p. 282) printed a paragraph about Whitman's forthcoming volume Good-Bye My

Tenn was the bright particular star of my youth & early manhood—is a man who makes this dull earth godlike

Your other touches give accuracy to my over-statements.

Did you see my snow study "Tumultuous Privacy, last monday in Transcript p. 6?