p.

Dear Julia
As Stoddard has written you I will only answer your
question concerning his blindness. Ever since his 70th birthday
was announced there has been a stream of tributes, and letters to
answer, I have a heap on hand now. For some time I noticed a
change in S. a great aversion from going out, he seldom went to
the office, when he did, he took a cab, for days he sat silent,
sombre, sometimes suddenly irritable, he took no interest whatever
in our daily life, it was a great distress to me We got here the
day after his birthday, then he told us that he had been growing
blind––that was the matter. Lorry was moved to write his poem,
which was printed at once in The Independent, Stoddard's followed
in two or three days. We have heard from Texas, Montana, Denver,
Oregon, &, only your word and Lilian Whitings has come from N Eng–
land. Stoddard's threescore and ten is a perfect poem, it is a
genuine appeal to all who know and have suffered, and put in a language
so simple and direct, that it looks like inspiration. By the way
Houghton and Mifflin will publish my poems in Oct. at last, if my
friends don't buy the book nobody will, my poems do not like yours
appeal to the universal hear––they will be called cranky Did
you see our young portraits in June Harper and what Howells said of
me, so kind.

You speak kindly of Lorry, and he deserves it, he is
very gifted, charming in manner when he chooses he fascinates his
old mother. But he is having a hard row, his profession is arduous,
in a few weeks last season, he acted in eighty towns and averaged
two hundred miles a day, but he carried off the honors, I am one
happy and you are four happy.

We shall be back in 15th St by the first Sept. I hope
you have seen Stedmans beautiful tribute to S–– who felt it deeply.

Yours truly
Elizabeth Stoddard