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October 26th Dear Julia. I always envy you when I hear from you - I haven't a lovely writing place to live in, I haven't the nicest brightest daughter to live with, and only one son-share, with your clever good boys - I am inclined to say Boo to all literature all arts when I think of it! It is a comfort to me to perceive you sometimes write better poetry than you ever did, it helps me in my defiance of age. You know what Stoddard says of your verse, that it is sound, no sentimental gush about it, but you will see what he has writtenhis notice is in type for the Mail &
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Express. I write very little now, three poems this year, see all the banner I can make, two are going in The Cosmopolitan and one in the Independent. I think if my resident demon, depression, should retire with a pension, I could write good prose again, but alas the fire no longer burns as of yore on the altar, the passion has died out, and the embers have to be blowed up with the bellows, ( ie to earn money) Every body's ship but ours is moored in the placid bay of prosperity, while we are stranded on the shore, stuck in the sand above the tide, the letters on the figure head, still plain to the passers of "Failure" - Now after this beautiful simile dont talk to me of Longfellow's drum etc - I have not received the drawings you wrote of, and by the way, suggest to Master [Gary, Harry ?] that I would like some "more" maple syrup, I dont know whether it is fancy or not, but I think
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the syrup he sent me last year was better than that our grocers sell - And now with all your aggravations, you must tell me about the baby in the house! I hardly ever, even see a baby close to, but now Lily Taylor has a five months old daughter, a little staring, bald-headed fatuous smiling baby - but Oh how strange and interesting to watch, what is it? Where is it? Who is it? Its little lovely hands without any willYou ask me about my infant Lorry - he is breaking out, not in boils, but into poetry - the strangest development to me, he has true imagination, but unproved, he has yet to learn the art of writing. Did you see his "Garden" which Howell's took, and printed in the Cosmopolitan? It is a poem that sticks to every body who reads it. Stedman was so struck by it that he
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wrote Lorry about it - I could not help being moved the other day when Stoddard came home and told us [ ?] Ward had taken my poem, and his, to be so in touch, very pleasant - The Parade, inspired by Columbus Day is the title of his - He is devoted to his profession, and I believe he will be a good play writer. Stoddard has been very busy - calls himself the Sexton of Parnassus. He has written obituary articles on Curtis, Whittier, and Tennyson. I will send you my Tennyson. Brisben Walker has engaged him to write a paper on the Laureate poets. I believe it will be fine, and very full of knowledge on the subject - and now I have scribbled you a longer letter than I thoughtWhen I get your "owns" sketches I will bring my tremendous powers of criticism to the fore. Yours truly Elizabeth S
