ENPages
p.
5 th Dec [1896] Dear Julia I thought Cages and Songs fine, Stoddard thinks it a made up thing, You know Longfellow cured him of fancy. Have you read Mary Fields sugary pleasant book? She leaves out human nature; it was Fields who told us that Holmes was 'real' - that is close, money loving. Your poem is a good one, but [Louis' ?] pictures are not very original, I do not like illustrations they rarely show the authors meaning. In Edith Thomas new book, her poem of The Winter Swallow, she beats us in blank verse, Stoddard says it is almost equals Landor - for him this is great praise. You make me smile when you mention mine, it was a long and tedious labor for me to anvil out any thing, sometimes two or three happy lines
p.
would step out of themselves for instance along the weedy paths green roses still, Surviving empire, but remaining queens. The last line hopped out like a chick from its shell, but I tell you, I never should have written had I not married Stoddard. It astonishes me to receive such private enthusiusm from intellectual people about my work. Alas the public ignore me. I dont like it, I should like to be celebrated, so that when I went into a shop all the clerks would nudge each other and say - it is she. While Stoddard is unheeding of what I would have, it is recognition from his peery he wants, he dont care a tinkers garden about the public populace - Why did Mary Moreton attempt a book of travels, it is perfectly bald, in comparison with your Cathedral book & is mere foo foo - I think she must be flattered as the flatters. I am glad to hear about Larry, if he lets the mind go, where is my nugget. Some proposed buyer might ask why he did
p.
not keep them. I do not think any body outside of us knows how poor we are and have been always. Neither of us are good managers, I look back now and see we might have saved enough to keep up old age. We have never borrowed, and are only behind hand from time to time with our bills - But always I have to practice selfdenial in those small things that fret the soul more than grand things. Lorrys profession is an expensive one, unless he acts in N.Y. This season he took no engagements - because he was writing two plays. He has dramatized a play for Mansfield, and is doing one for Mrs Maddern FiskeTess - to be acted in March - When Lorry is prosperous we are easier. Mean time our old boy with one dim eye reads and writes eternally, earns our bread and never has any money to spend on himself
p.
excepting for a package of tobacco 8 cts. a package. So much for so much and Christmas is coming when I want more. I envy you to Harrys baby, I have invited Lorry to bring me a grandchild under any circumstance but he does not see one in that light. I long for children here - I hunger for the little humans. Yours truly EDBS
p.
this is a typed copied translation of the previous 4 pages
