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On the shelf out there were piles of letters, portraits, the whole copy of Specimen Days—all deep in

In thus describing these persons I have not sought to convey to my readers, for it were hopeless, their

W. gave Bucke a copy of The American containing Frank Williams' first paper, and in an envelope a copy

They were tied in a piece of red tape. I asked: "Did you want me to stay to read you these?"

"It is nearly comical," writes a young married lady to me, "to see the critics cut the broad American

I said: "I brought the Doctor this morning before you were up." "Is Doctor here?"

We were too apt to lose sight of this "cardinal fact," Yet this alone "gives such men a permanent fame

I said: "Bucke and I were talking the other day about the old woman in your ancestry who chucked chips

amiss (they were slavery days, with all the odd ends of life that exist with slaverydom anywhere) she

A quaint lithographed business card and a portrait were included.

I never can say how anxious I was about you when you were here.

was so lucky that you left just when you did, for the three or four days succeeding your departure were

But, on the whole, every feeling submerges in gratefulness and thankfulness that you were away from this

["It was not so written, William: but other things, perhaps better things, were written!"]

that at the time looked possible or were hoped for."]At all events I hope you will get well very soon

I suppose they were very busy. Doctor goes home direct, Gurd to New York—the meters with him.

Probably Doctor took a hack: finished up in the city the many things he told me he had to do."

unutterably shocking to our grandmothers—the dear old ladies, who thought Jane Eyre and Adam Bede were

What were they? "It says that I make three hundred dollars a year.

The earth was eloquent to him, but the skies were silent."

One could perhaps put up with these peculiarities of Whitman were he not at the same time a sovereign

He is a poet in whom American Democracy has at last found a voice.

Indeed, if I were to speak as a true Whitmanite, I should describe the strange influence of his poems

His father was a missionary—an American: it was at some place with a queer name in Asia or Africa, I

better comprehension of man and of the democratic idea, it would (I think) be a misfortune if you were

Johnston is fine: he is a New Yorker: he is an American of Americans: and he is an old friend, too, as

Of course, I know very little about matters as they were: only what I heard: only what you fellows told

me: you know I was never on fire over it: Doctor's millions were always no more to me than someone's

"As I understand it, Gurd, the Doctor, their men, were to control the larger part of the stock: they

were secured: I am sorry they would not yield the rest."

I said: "No wonder you were alarmed."

It had been said Aldrich and Howells were neither of them college men.

"But," said W., "I always had the other impression, or that if they were not that since their early life

What were we to do about covers? We will need copies bound at once. We are all out.

I had taken a long walk trough the city, out Broad Street, into the Park, with Kemper and May.

There were tears in his eyes.

I mentioned the proposed pension for you, and he said that if you were in need of assistance he thought

from him some time ago telling me he expected to go, but have not since heard from him.C.W.E. and I were

This gives points to Herod, and is worse than the slaughter of the innocents, because they were Jew babies

the collected statement of my life— of my work: a statement of what I signify in the literary, the American

Would even acquiesce in my idea of "dealing direct with big wholesale booksellers in other cities."

But I should bring more—they were "good to have on a fellow's lap here."

Two were by Sarony. One was by Potter, Philadelphia. One was Alexander Gardner's, Washington.

There can scarcely be a doubt that bed-sores would exist were it not for the scrupulous cleanliness that

Hood.W. said: "It looks as if we were right up against our great bereavement—as if the story was rapidly

It occurs to me we have so far not had one American play—not one.

It contains Winter's long paper on the drama and the American press. Would he read it?

"I saw at once how baseless Frank Williams' suspicions of Walsh were when I looked through the matter

omni-prevalent sophistication of people in these matters.I am glad you are to have an article in the North American

, and only wish it were to be longer.

I only wish I were not tied up as I am with this weary office, and work monstrous and endless, as it

Spoke of O'Connor again: "He is from Lynn: whether his parents, mother or father—or both—were born in

We were serious about it—partly from selfish reasons: we would have been glad to keep him here: but no—it

Sidney was here: we were all the better for his visit: we love him—follow his wanderings with interest

W. explained: "Yes—that was an actual moth: the picture is substantially literal: we were good friends

I told him I'd be back again after lunch on the way to the city.

—and while we were talking of the new ideas of many things, we spoke of 'death,' and I quoted to him

Library of American Literature.

Walked down about City Hall and was astonished to see the Times building towering up and quite overshadowing

You know they were both great believers in signs, portents: so it was Mrs.

They were all against—against: Carlyle, Tennyson, Gladstone—all the big fellows: Gladstone was not so

"I know the people—the leaders of the people—of the lower orders, as they call them over there, were

solid—had a clearer notion of conditions—were faithful to freedom."

I said: "These were the reports Kennedy wanted from him." W. did not quite hear me.

Harned were here—came in for a short visit—after church, I suppose!"

Of the German and American fleets at Samoa—three vessels each—four were absolutely wrecked and destroyed

Alluded to the International Congress of American Governments, once proposed by Blaine, now revived—there

I am very glad to be furnished with new materials concerning the American humor.

Has this translation of your book into Danish not been spoken of in the American papers?

Mapes were dusting and scrubbing W.'s room. He called it "going to the execution."

The two's were brown, indicating that they must have lain lost for several years.

When they cleaned this morning all the books were put back in their box.

"Oh Horace, they were great, great years—tumultuous years!

What were they in politics?

land and trust in her greatening future are only matched perhaps in the prophetic pages of the true American

concrete personage, but the essence—the idea back of ideas—through which conditions, events as they were

, were justified."

you know there were two of them: I speak of the elder."

Some were as far back as 1860. One of that year, from the Springfield Republican, was very abusive.

Some were pinned in. Some were pasted.I sat there half an hour. Absorbed.

Harned said to me: "Walt is telling me our American literature is hodge-podge of hodge-podge!"

up by his deeds: the departments were full of Republicans left over.

W. said: "Horace and I were talking about it yesterday: I said to Horace 'it makes Mat a great man.'"

: all his parts were related: as an actor he always seemed to me to be consistent with himself.

He said: "We were talking of inquiry—the habit of looking into traditions.

We have taken great pains to make the reprint correct—following the American spelling, &c., faithfully

"There are very few," he replied: "I have only one or two: Doctor's were few indeed—none of them amount

I think Whitman one of the greatest if not the greatest of our American poets."

He is not afraid of your work, but wishes some of it were left out of it, for a popular volume.

I said: "The moon and stars were strangely near." I was down by the river, loafing some.

If Nelly knew I were writing she would surely send you her love.

W. asked him how many students there were in the College.

s ideas were these: "Whether to get out more on sumptuous paper with wide margins—whether on cheaper

he added: "My friends, some of them, the more conservative of them (wishing me well as they did), were

Then he added: "But you were here and heard it all."

game: that's the chief fact in connection with it: America's game: has the snap, go, fling, of the American

The Saturday crowds were very interesting. W. asked me about it all.

There were some sheets of manuscript pinned together and a little stained envelope with an enclosure.

Aug. 3: sent Burns as Poet and Person to North American Review. Accepted and paid for ($70).'"

April 13th, went on to New York city—R.P.

We were not to try any false economies.

McKay told me his edition is going pretty well but that while guaranteeing that there were buyers he

would not guarantee that there were readers.

Sent The American and The Critic to Bucke to-daytoday.

Was favorably impressed with what The American writer said of him. Who was the writer?

"Especially" would it do him "no good" to hurry him "off into a big city." The report of W.'

O'Connor's weapons were fine, delicate, but keen—subtle, past the possibility even of appreciation by

Sorry to hear you were troubled with sunstroke. I hope you are going on pretty well again now.

The shutters inside were closely fastened—so little air could in any event have got it.

Then away, to the city.

: the wind was high: the water was rough: I just had Walt with me and was wondering what crisis we were

H. not at home: took Anna along—going to church in the city.

Ernest called them 'shocks': that is, as I understand it, they were both afflicted with nerves: which

—were the other officers 51st there at Danville, time you left?

were in Danville, or had been there rather, arrived in town also.

While almost all of us were weak and slightly ailing as I may say, almost none of us were seriously affected

I was bred in Brooklyn: initiated to all the mysteries of city life—populations, perturbations: knew

I never sympathized with—always resented—the common American criticisms of the Queen."

The War was on, I was strong in my strength—superb of body—I had much to give: there were thousands,

"Tom said, John Brown, Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, were the five men out of that period, brought

I had a visitor—a Quaker lady—to-daytoday: she came—was from the city: her name, Brotherton: she asked

But the words were hardly past his lips when he fired a new question at me: "What news?

Bucke, the children—all of them I think—were in bed: the bottles were appropriated—emptied: Bucke took

stars: everybody taking part in it: everybody sharing the fun: recitation, farewell: then the bottles were

Of course no officious offer of any gift is intended, but if there were any, direct or indirect, way

but there was more to it: I suppose at that time I had got half through the book—the Bulwer: there were

ignored time: said naturally (it was a famous mot): 'My friends, seigneurs, grand gentlemen, as we were

Spoke of visitors—said they were few.

story whose scene was a metropolitan dinner—a swell political dinner: in the earlier life of New York City

"Some of us then were highly indignant, aroused—called for the rejection of the rejection.

Were big men the men?

"We are forced to doubt it: a great many of the great fellows in history were pretty small: I don't know

—I send 100 autograph sheets—(50 were sent before.) I send 100 labels—(50 were sent before.)

"The Ledger, for instance, practised the system years ago—does it still: there were years—five or six

"I don't think so: maybe: hardly: there were other elements in the story—venom, jealousies, opacities

Dear William O'Connor:As you were interested in Mr.

O'Connor, Light House Board, Treasury Dept, Washington City."

The electric lights are new since my time: there were never any along the river's front as I knew it.

turn about—have another way of explaining its limitations: I say to myself: those very limitations were

The doctors were reticent while here. I of course was not present: they came this afternoon.

I looked at them enough to see what they were. Then I was for sitting right down and reading them.

I am interested in all you choose to communicate.Emerson is just home from your city of steeples and

The lectures were for the masses—workingmen, anybody who would come."

At one time recently he had "started a coffee house in one of the second or third class English cities

It had occurred while no attendants were present— "cadets, nurses, doctors, me."

I described Clifford's attendance at the big Farrar reception of ministers in the city: hundreds were

The bladder trouble has subsided, if not withdrawn: the pains are not what they were—the gnawings, the

": on investigation discovered that a whole pile of papers had been pushed against the stove there—were

W. gave me this note for what he called my "bibliographic pigeon hole" to-nighttonight:New York City,

another, in a roomful of company: then come weeks of depression, hypocondriacism: while they are on they were

publisher less squeamish bought the plates as they stood and went on with it: at that time translations were

letters—they are very graceful: they are conclusive of their kind: they don't quite sound as if they were

Pray tell O'Connor I shall look to him to send me such things: I can't take all American magazines; but

G. participating) and when he learned—Some Tendencies of American Art—said: "What a dry subject: it must

Leaned over and kissed him: I could feel a slight return: then glided out.Down on the floor were the

us—perhaps I—will have the grand closing word, solemn as life, copious as the tempest, in the North American

The folks were cleaning about the room: no one could know what was in the wind: it had all along through

went at them like an avalanche: when he was through there was the avalanche taking a rest but where were

He and Rachel were the only vast actors I ever saw.Always affectionately,W. D.

s on my way to the city. All well there. W. and Ed sleeping. Ed had not gone to bed till one.

I wrote to Jeff how I was so much surer that a box from City Point would go through that I had sent a

12th—from 10 till 4, I am in the Indian Bureau, north-east corner Patent Office, basement.W. said: "We were

Things maintained as they were.

It has a significance for this side as well as the other side of the Atlantic: we were all intensely

excited when these propositions were made: William, John—all the fellows: Charley Edridge—yes, Charley

Americans have not granted the English any protection for their works or choice about bringing them out

to praise American work.

There were times to-daytoday, Ed says, when W. seemed mentally considerably confused.

They were greatly disappointed W. not being able to see them. Nothing from Bucke.

Ryan, President of the Irish American Club, on the train: he spoke of "some Whitman piece" he had read

Our American policy so called—our little, insignificant, muddy, God-damned, policy—is beyond words despicable

agree with Conway as to the advantage of having an introduction by an Englishman instead of by an American

thought the Rossetti book might be the occaision I hoped, looked for: then the objections arose: they were

He asked about the bundle of books downstairs: how were they brought? &c.

Pictured imaginatively the city streets, the weather and the near Christmas.

There were some minutes of silence.

s letter and Johnston's were unenclosed. I said good night to W.

He used to say: "I don't believe I can die," when his sufferings were so great.

I suggested that there were many parallelisms.

He said: "I don't congratulate you—I congratulate myself, others: if you were as lucky as I was in your

I forgot about the money and wondered what you were up to with your pocket book in your hand."

They were old and soiled. No envelope. I just scanned them. An O'Connor letter first.

any disrespect by that word—I don't mean what people mean when they say sissy): some of the fellows were

An American gentleman told me that you were going to England. Is it true?

W. then: "The Beverly is the best of all: the Wenonah is good, too: they were the special good boats.

Were the stars not full out? Was it cold? Then of my trip. Always brightens up when so humored.

Spoke of "American ballade rondeau writers—their small calibre, mean aims—the mere literary hangers-on

Yet W. felt that "Ruskin's notions of professional integrity—in art, literature—were noble, admirable

of: I think even their feet were extremely sensitive."

I make no bones of petting them just as if they were—have long given up formalities and reserves in my