Letter from Clarence Edmonds Hemingway to Grace E. Hall

CLARENCE E. HEMINGWAY, M. D. PHYSICIAN and SURGEON, 105 NORTH OAK PARK AVENUE. Oak Park, Ill. May 28 1896 My Dearest Grace, This morning after all is over I am writting you from my office - the first letter on the new letter heads and as I dream of what has taken place during the past few days, I can but be doubly thankful. To begin and go backward our return from the banquet was at 12:45 this a.m. and as Leicester wished me to awaken him at 5:30 I have been with less than five hours sleep, hence my pen does not track. In town 8 a.m. - Geo called and we came in town on the C&N rr with Elsie: - He had been at your

Uncle Miller's for breakfast. He found your dear Grandma well and happy after having been in town yesterday with your Aunt Emma to leave a wedding present for your Uncle Gillam's daughter. All are well and happy! My congratulations have been numerous, your little cousin Gertrude Edith were the first to greet me after the commencement at Central Music Hall, your Auntie Roona too! Oh my, how I wish you were here to share with me the roses. Three huge bouquets! Mr. Nathan M. Freer the millionare [sic] and Trustee of the College gave me two dozen huge red American beauties, they would fill a Barrell. Then my dear Mother & Father and as Geo. wrote the card, from the "Folks" - two dozen great red "Jacks" - and the "Agassiz boys" also two dozen "Jacks" - red all of them, simply superb.

Many a fellow said around me, "Look at Hemingway's red roses!" They were beautiful, then Nettie and mother made me a pleasing gift for my office furniture. All was grand and last but not least my dear one, to me is an honor for you, - my name is now on record in all surgical world for having devised an instrument for the Surgery of the spinal cord and vertebra. Professor Senn introduced it to the world on Tuesday, as an evidence of a "Genuine Surgical genius", for which he "predicted a great future", he said it was an addition to the world's surgical armamentarium which

would long live. To say I am pleased with my sucess for which I have been working those past months is [swell ?]. When he introduced it before the Alumni, Senior Class and invited guests in all some seven hundred Surgeons, - they all asked, "Who! Who!" - He said, I shall have his name written on the blackboard, and so it was, C. E. Hemingway. There was an elderly surgeon sitting at my left, he said to me, "Do you know Hemingway? Show him to me!" I said, Ask this man next to me, pointing to father! And soon all eyes were set on your Possum. - And the grave old Surgeon sitting by my side congratulated me. Since many as classmates and quiz master has told me it was a greater honor than all the gold medals, for they are soon forgotten, but this will go the world around and live afterward. Bye Bye dear love for now. Your loving, Clarence

CLARENCE E. HEMINGWAY, M. D. PHYSICIAN and SURGEON, 105 NORTH OAK PARK AVENUE.

Oak Park, Ill., May 31st 1896

My darling Love, —

Friday, brought us letters from London which gave us great joy to learn of your delightful time in Devonshire, and how you my darling, were brought to encounter another of that series of tests which are constantly sent by our Master for his servants to do their best, with His help. Laura also heard from you that day as I received my letter before going in town and coming out at half past five, Laura and Miss Swartz were with me on the "Elevated". Laura was so pleased to know Marie and your Uncle Miller had met you.—

Elvis and I are disappointed to see 129 you have forgotten to send us the names of the ship you are to come

home on and as yet we do not know when you are to sail.

This oversight on your part, I fear may take away the joys of a ship letter to read coming home.

But if this news comes any where near time, I will do all I can to prepare you for a ray of sunshine coming accross. [sic] —

So far Leicester and I have been together and are each learning one from the other — He is constantly expressing his joy in his legal work and I am certain it is where he belongs professionally, his success is not far distant, and [strike: and] a most brilliant one too!

Your letter with "Dr." prefixed arrived on Friday and the one before, on Class Day, as you had planned. — My dear, it is just as you said, you know me as your other self so you need not congratulate me, for all I have is for you and had I failed you might have grieved with me, — but now what has come is only exactly what we have been striving for, — therefore we are extremely thankful for the strength of body and mind with the increasing energy which has been given us, to win the battle.

CLARENCE E. HEMINGWAY, M.D. PHYSICIAN and SURGEON, 105 NORHT OAK PARK AVENUE.

Oak Park, Ill., 5/31 1896

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Now this battle having been won, we can only prepare to begin again and this letter head is an evidence of this.

This cool quiet Sunday afternoon I am seated in my office, not for business, but with locked door, — alone with you, quietly thinking of what a few years time will bring to us — The outlook out on the "Pond" is very pleasant and as it stormed yesterday afternoon Sister Grace was up here with me the "Pond" framed like a small lake. How thankful we are that we were not in St. Louis Mo. last Wed. night. — All that was done while I was banqueting peacefully in the Auditorium with Rush's Alumni = Such a Cyclone and Tornado I have never known in these parts of the world fully 300 were killed and 1500 wounded. 129