
for the Insane Ontario London, Ont., 6 March 1890
I have yours 28 Feb. and 1 March enclosing John Burroughs
of 27 Feb. and the funny little wood cut. So you have
become immortal in a cigar advertisement!! Well done! I always thought you would
come to something if you stuck to your business long enough! Burroughs' letter is
deeply interesting—but what ails the fellow that he is so damned pathetic? He
is (I judge) fairly well fixed (as things go)—good reputation, lovely home,
enough to eat &c. &c. then why is he so infernally down in the mouth all the
time? I don't see anything to whine about in getting old—think (on the whole)
it is rather a good joke—my strongest feeling
about it is: what is to come next? That we are going to (or towards) the bad all the
time does not occur to me as likely at all and if not what is there to be blue
about? I have just received and answered the enclosed long letter from Mrs O'Connor
which I am sure you would like to read—you need not return it. I have some
notion that I may take a week's run about middle of April to Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Washington. I shall look out for the May Century with considerable interest. We
are pegging away at the meter trying to get it on its feet and I look to succeed all
in good time but it will take weeks perhaps months yet