
Just a line or two to acknowledge the receipt, this morning, of your kind p.c. of May 8th & to send you my heartfelt thanks for it.
I took it to Wallace who shewed me a good long letter he had
recd from Warry, in which
he gives us some interesting details concerning you and suggests sending your canary bird
to him—that we should prize very highly indeed, as
coming direct from you.
It was with deep regret that we read on your p.c. of your "bad three weeks" & that the "same subject" was "continued"; but how like you to say that you are "still not dislodged" & that you have "hope of sending us better accts. by & by"!
From this p.c. & from Warry's letter we can partly realize how poorly you
continue, but even
that does not prevent your sitting "up in the big chair & writing" to us
& sending your love & your benediction across the seas to us in token of
your abiding affection, for which we send you our warmest appreciative thanks &
our loving greeting.
Warry tells us that you will probably have a few friends with you on your birthday
& that you will not risk going out of your own house even tho' there may be a
gathering in
your honour in the town—This, I think, is wise, under the circumstances, as
the inevitable excitement would probably be injurious to you—
I only hope that you will be no worse for what the day will entail upon you even at home.
I have no doubt that the numerous messages of love & sympathy from your "dear friends, your lovers," in all parts of the world will hearten & cheer you in no ordinary way.
I hope Dr Bucke will be able to be with you. If so will you
please convey my kindest regards & best wishes to him?
We hope most earnestly that the 31st will find you in better health than you have had lately & that you may have a truly happy birthday.
We shall not allow the occasion to pass without special recognition and observance
tho' the fact of its being on a Sunday this year will compel us to modify our usual
custom. But whatever we do the day will be full of tender & loving
thoughts of you.
May 20th 5 p.m.
At noon today my eyes were gladdened by the rect of a copy of the New England Magazine for May containing H. L. Traubel's most interesting article upon you "to date," & I thank you most heartily for your kindness in sending it. Later I recd the ordered copies from H. L. T. himself.
It is a great pleasure to me to see some of my photographs reproduced in an
article by such a warm-hearted friend & such a ready penman as our dear H. L. T.
And it is an honour too of wh: I am indeed proud, because it associates me with you in a permanent form.
The article itself is characterised by all the graphic power, enthusiastic fervour, & literary skill of pourtrayal which distinguishes H.L.T.'s work.
But I fear this letter is already too long—at a time too when you will be burdened with
an extra heavy mail.
I send you a copy of "Pictures of 1891" which it may interest you to look through sometime. At page 106 is a reproduction of Whistler's portrait of Carlyle.
With kindest regards to all your household—please thank Warry & Mrs Davis for their kind remembrance of me in Warry's letter—& with best love to yourself
I remain Yours affectionately J. Johnston.To Walt Whitman

