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I was a good deal uncertain about the title until your unanimous vote removed my uncertainty."

My first experience with that sort of a character was an unfortunate one: it has become a mere memory

a man I think I of all men doubt: a pious, sanctimonious, unctuous, oily individual: his victim was my

—or something or other of that sort—contracted with my father, who was a builder, for the construction

It was a sample case—I could match it with many incidents that have come my way since.

W. was not at home on my coming, but in ten minutes or so was wheeled up by Ed.

I gave him my father's translation of the German article.

I stayed but briefly—long enough to know his condition, to deliver my own messages and get his.

And to my response "Yes—yellow"—he assented—"Yes—a yellow, with a tinge of brown."

He endorsed my plan—to print his verse and signature on one side of a big green card, and on the other—menu

Warrie quickly asked the stranger—"Where's my watch?" "Why, in your pocket, of course."

I endorse Bruno—he is my man—our man: his maxims, too.

Upon my expression of opinion that I supposed from the tone of the letter he had enclosed a draft, W.

Called my attention to fact that the Courier of Friday printed his poem in full.

"It was before my eyes all the time I was writing."

Adding then by the way of definiteness: "But I have just finished my breakfast—relished it: relished

Bucke said no: "I would rather not have my name used at all in that connection: O'Connor has a doctor

: "You don't: instead of doing me harm it does me good to have you fellows here: it lifts me out of my

I've found the Chamberlin letter: since you brought it back I got it messed away among the papers on my

My friend Baxter sent us his copy of your big book with notes, one or two, from you, pasted in.You do

He had just been turned on my arrival, so I went in, the room black enough.

But he must have been awake, tiptoeing it as I did, and knew my step or somehow knew I was here.

After he recovered he finished my name and we shook hands.

On my questioning saying, "I have spent a dreadful day, seemingly to get deeper and deeper into the mire

and pressing my other hand, which he held.Johnston sends me a couple of Bolton papers in which are notes

Then, "My friends must understand that: it is one of the bottom principles of 'Leaves of Grass.'"

On the table was the appendix to "Good-Bye My Fancy." I picked it up and examined.

I replied, "I am only glancing at it—my impression is a good one: I always like your personal chit-chat

To my assent proceeding, "And yet there are some who would doubt all that—doubt it utterly.

Harned, my sister Gussie, the boy, Clifford, along. W. in bright mood. Talked fluently.

Picked up a box of candies which he gave to my sister.

In the midst of some talk, W. turned to my sister: "And the baby?"

Then: "Yes: yes: Priestley is my man too—my man as you present him, but not my man in the aspect these

W. said: "Tom, all of you are too good to me: my friends: you give me so much without my asking I'd feel

His question put to me some time ago—how does W. take my question?

I did not attempt to show him my letters.

It is impossible to say why I have not done so—pardon my procrastination, which, with regard to my private

correspondence, I am afraid is one of my sins.

Here at my work I am delighted. I like my work—I am partly on the Ledgers & partly at the Counters.

I intend giving our Clarke permission to quote from my Notes but my feeling in regard to the letter is

"I can't get adjusted to it: the thought of our separation—of my personal helplessness: then my memory

I struggle against my own inner convictions."

My dear Walt,This morning I had occasion to call at the house of a Mr.

But I worked my way through it. He'd say: "Don't give up," laughing.

own personality (things seen through my eyes and what my vision brings)—a book full enough of mosaic

My suggestions. Harned wondering why no word from Bucke. No callers.

sickness but will be on hand at funeral please telegraph me arrangements.Francis H Williams New York 27 My

Late (my mother says after she had gone to bed) Warren rang bell.

Wallace Warren was very frank to tell my mother his conviction that W.

s on my way to Germantown, as he expected.

Then I remembered that he was my mother's son, my brother—not my counsellor.

Now my voice is stronger. I ask—why will you not speak to me?

For the first time I act as my nature prompts me.

Farewell, my dear friend.

Sat so for the greater part of my half-hour's stay—closing the window finally himself.

I showed him where he had put it yesterday after my reading.

till I am interfered with—till my freedom is invaded: and what I offer for the individual—to me as a

W. said: "I am glad to hear you say that: it confirms my own theory: I never lived out my idea: I let

Do you understand my bad English?

Told him my facsimiles had not arrived yet. "That is too bad, and yours the most important of all!"

condition, "He is undoubtedly on the down road again: I detected impairment in the few days between my

Give her my love & sympathy, poor dear girl!

It is my intention to mount and frame it, and have it on the most conspicious wall of my house where

Tom spoke of Hodgins as a friend of Bucke, W. calling Bucke "my best friend."

I just received the following letter from the Post Office (from Baker): New York, March 7th 1891 My dear

In other respects he conceded my corrections.

I at once wrote, discountenancing the whole thing, in the strongest English the language and my command

It is a part of our blood—my brother George—others of our best friends—alive, resenting it.

And this, taken with my natural disgust, easily disposed of the question for me.

Give my love to all the ferry boys—all of 'em! And how are you yourself, Danny?"

They wrote back that they must have something—must have something over my name.

thoughtfully, as he looked in a fixed way at me: "But, Horace," he said, "this book quite revises, recasts, my

No—he is not my man.

, who has been here to pay me a visit, says that I am mistaken, that Browning is my man, only that I

I do not assent to that—Corson does not know my appetite and my capacity as well as I know it myself.

I have almost made up my mind to make some use of the themes myself, though I don't know as I'll ever

get to them—so many physical obstacles drop into my pathway these years."

"Yes indeed—lots of 'em—lots of 'em: in fact, some of my best friends in the hospitals were probably

"But, Horace, the seriosity, gravity, of my case—we are not to forget—we may easily lose sight of it.

Indeed—that is my great triumph, stand-by, these days."

He then said: "It is my head—I have not been at all well today, though not giving up entirely.

This is my first outing—this, now, in the evening; though," and he said this rather triumphantly, "I

And when I explained, with my arguments with Bonsall and Harned against it, W. exclaimed: "Good!

Why—some of my best—in fact, my very best friends have been women."

Then: "I should like my friend Col. Cockerill, of the World, invited—Col. J.

Remarked with considerable vehemence: "This starts my ire again: I think, here these papers will go to

Yet I can send a book straight through to Europe on the single postage: it goes direct to my man, unquestioned

Yet as if saying all along 'I've more than this in reserve: this is not the end of my string.'"

I remember when I was a young man one of my placards for remembrance—for every-day contemplation—was

To postpone my own pleasure to others' convenience, My own convenience to others' comfort, My own comfort

to others' want, And my own want to others' extreme need.

I must have it in memoranda there in my note books"—pointing to the table.

"I was sure I had laid it carefully for you here—but, as usual, my best care would not save it."

W. frequently broke in on my descriptions to say: "Well, that is beautiful to hear!"

The Century under Gilder has always accepted my pieces and paid for them.

Some of my friends have quarrelled with the editors but they have never done it with my consent.

I am well satisfied with my success with titles—with Leaves of Grass, for instance, though some of my

You have saved my books: I could not do these books without assistance.

W. was not asleep—at once accosted me on my entrance—reached forth his hand—seemed indeed bright in speech

You know my bright particular friend there, Julius Chambers, is now on the World.

W. said for his own part: "I am persuaded that my painter has not yet arrived.

My sympathies all go out towards the outcast." I asked him again about his toast to the Queen.

But in my philosophy—in the bottom-meanings of Leaves of Grass-there is plenty of room for all.

And I, for my part, not only include anarchists, socialists, whatnot, but Queens, aristocrats."

My friends!

I did put it into my pocket.

Accept my thanks.

"You've said it for me: that's the substance of my philosophy.

My p. o. address remains the same. I am quite well and hearty.

.: "GoodBye My Fancy 2d Annex to LofG". Did he propose to put his name on title-page? No.

Longaker said they had nothing at all to do with my depression, but I stopped them today.

My sleep didn't amount to a small coin.

My belly kept me awake—yes, awake and awake—which is unusual, for in my own way, as a usual thing, I

And then, "But I have just had my dinner—and ate heartily—and took a couple of swallows of the wine.

I kept pegging away at my work—writing, reading, getting ready for the dinner. To W.'

And shortly down he came, Warren leading him, I ahead—he taking my hand from time to time.

Black (short-hander) who took my cues from time to time—eating meanwhile—his book on his knee, unseen

(Just before coming down W. said, "Have my glass filled, Horace—do not delay.

Longaker said, "I will make my little speech to you tomorrow."

Replying to my query, said he felt "damnable." Had read Bucke's proof, which he returned to me.

"I was in Washington at the time—the early years of my stay there—was feeling pretty well—the paralysis

To my question he said: "Yes, Wendell Phillips thought very well of it.

As I was going he waved his hand—"My best wishes attend you, boy!" Did not stay long.

The sweet sun has got into all my old bones." Here are a few of W.'

That's my part of the story.

Logic does very little for me: my enemies say it, meaning one thing—I say it, meaning another thing."

The public want to know whether I have been an honest servant —whether I have stuck to my guns (to their

I remember a farce, when I was a young man, theatre-going—'The Captain's not a-Miss'—not a bad pun, as

W. then inquired after my own reading—also concerning the New England Magazine piece—was it not about

I had these words on my lips as I entered, "Here are all the pilgrims!"

Then towards Wallace, "I guess there's a great field for preachers and churches, but in my area there's

And of one thing I am convinced: my heart is sound, thoroughly.

My description as I went on moved him. "What a good place to go to!

Wallace, however, "I have my passage engaged, Mr. Whitman—I have put it off long enough."

written you long before, as well as after, but have been in a wretched condition with the misery in my

I don't improve in my back and legs as rapidly as I ought and am nearly as lame and heavy as you are,

Often as I have read it, I can't keep the tears out of my eyes."

White, even at my expense. Reason, Shakespearean hostility to the subject. This is a pretty note!

I wrote my mother voluminously from the War: ah! those letters! my dear, dear mother!

My purse and my heart are yours!" or to that effect.

W. said: "My friends there—I think Kennedy for one—say he was put up to it—that there was more in the

to The Critic piece he said again as he had said before: "It is nothing: I sent it because it was in my

Yes, I have no reason to question it: but better than all that—than anything else—seems the word of my

I was a tough—obscene: indeed, it was my obscenity, libidinousness, all that, upon which they made up

Dear Walt:I have been so ill, and so burdened with the office charge, being scarcely able to hold my

It makes him indignant.I mailed "Old Poets" to Morris, along with matter of my own.

And to my fervent, "Yes!

"I keep my troubles on a field I can control," he said, jokingly, "remembering the doctor who, called

s late work lacked in the poetic, "So does it all, that was one of the hardest jobs in my early life—to

My father had reinforced W. in his Goethean views. I had repeated these views from my notes.

Please don't mention my name in connection with what I write about Harlan.

Van Rensallaer.W. must have seen the big smile on my face. He looked extra pleased himself.

I turned the letter over and over in my hands.

He held my hand for an extra clasp. "Don't let our fight prejudice you against me," he said.

And then, "Good night, my dear! Good night, Horace!"

(When she had started up obedient to my summons, he had called from his seat, "Come up, Anne!

"The only other copy of Camden's Compliment I had I sent to my sister," he said.

spent most of the day arguing it over with myself: I needed you to bring me to a conclusion—to end my

We talked politics: Tom is hot about the election but I don't feel my pulse stirred a bit: even my hopes

one regard: it seems to give me a superior niceness which I have never thought of as an element in my

In the Spring Song and the Song of the Depths my orbit responded to the new attracting sun.

Imagine that I have expressed to you my sincere conviction of what I owe to you.The essay is my first

The preacher is a friend of Sloane Kennedy's: he excites my interest."

But the happiest "find" was another envelope, under my feet on the floor.

Traubel,I send only a line to give you my new address, having just moved from the house where I lived

"As I told you yesterday, I changed my order: made it 100 instead of 150 copies."

I am determined, however, to protect myself, to make my position clear.

So my seeing him on way to Philadelphia is out of question. Nothing definite yet as to Wallace.

Let it suffice for me that you, hearing my protest, are at liberty to use it however you choose, here

W. then added, addressing me: "Why do they all set to and curl my hair?

often my own price sent them with the piece.

I did not send them, of course—it is not my practice.

I did years ago do that thing for John Hay: copied My Captain for him: he paid me handsomely for it.

He saw the hat in my hand—thought I was impatient to go. I said: "You bet!"