I have just rec'd your letter, & glad indeed to hear directly from you all. I hear through mother, but have been expecting a letter from Mat now for some time—Mother's letters are almost always mentioning Matty with love & sympathy, & fretting when she dont hear from her—Dear Mat, we all love her so much, & think about her more than she knows—
I am now working in another branch of the Department—have it easier—whenever you write direct to me—"Solicitor's Office, Treasury" Washington, D. C.
I have just written a letter to Han—I write quite often, & send papers, &c—I shall write to mother this morning—Mother is quite alone there in the house, as the people down stairs have moved out—(George turned 'em out for impudence to mother)—I write every other day, & send papers & stuff—My next piece is to appear in the "Kansas Magazine" for February—will be out very shortly—It is a new magazine, same style as the Atlantic—intended for Western thought & reminiscences &c—
Dear Brother, & dear Sister Matty, I should like to come on, according to your invitation, & pay you a good visit, but it is doubtful this time—My bringing out a new book is only bringing out a new edition, from the stereotype plates, the same as the last—only in one Vol—as the edition printed a year ago is all exhausted—(But I stereotyped it, & have all the plates in New York.) But I should like to have a good long visit home, & be with mother—my getting leave does not work yet as I hoped—but I expect to fix it somehow, & go home before very long—I am very well this winter—My book is flourishing in foreign lands at a great rate—I get letters from all parts of Europe—I believe I told you Tennyson had written me twice and very hearty & friendly letters, inviting me to come & be his guest, &c—Then the professors in the Universities, Dublin & elsewhere in Great Britain deliver lectures on "Leaves of Grass"—&c—But here the enemy have the ground mostly to themselves—
I suppose you see we have a new Attorney General—It doesn't seem to make much difference to me so far—
Jeff, did the photos I sent of mother & me come to you, December?
Dear sister Mat, & Hatty & California, love to you all—I am writing this at my desk, toward noon, very bright & sunny, but cold enough—I often think of you all—Mat, when I go home I shall do my part at that cake you speak of in letter to mother—Wm. O'Connor & family have gone on a short trip to Cuba, to be back in three weeks—They are all well—
Mother told me the barrel of flour came safe—but it was too bad Mat's Christmas letter got lost—
Good bye to you for this time, Brother Jeff & Matty dear, Walt.Mat, you write to mother often as you can—