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  My Dear Walt Whitman,

I send you my best thanks for your kind p.c. of Oct 27th telling me about J.W.W.'s return "from a pleasant visit to the Staffords," & that "O'Connor's book, 'Three Tales' is out." I will order copies of it thru H. L. T.

I much regret to hear of your "bad spell" & send you my warmest sympathy & my best wishes for its speedy abatement.

I have also to thank   you for the Philadephia Record with the marked paragraph, part of which appears in the Bolton Chronicle I am forwarding.

The paragraph was somewhat alarming & Fred Wild came down here last night to see me about it. He was surprised to know that I had received a p.c. from you (he thought you might be too ill to write) & upon my shewing it to him he exclaimed—

"Oh, th'owd chap's not dead yet! A chap as can write like that's a long way off deein'! His hand's nearly as steady as ever, & that "Whitman" is written as well as I could do it myself!"—(a playful allusion to   the fact that his handwriting is not copperplate;—neither Fred nor I can boast of the "beautiful caligraphy" of Wallace).

Your special references of late to Fred have made him a proud man; & in the course of our talk last night he said that he felt it a "tremendous honour" & one wh. he appreciated very sincerely— We are, indeed, all proud of your special recognition of the worth of our leal-hearted Comrade.

In a letter I received yesterday from your friend Prof. Brinton, in acknowledging the receipt of a copy of my "Notes," he says:—"Your appreciation of his (Whitman's) broad & sympathetic   humanity is peculiarly welcome. Would that many others had the same gift as yourself to understand the strength of his grasp on humanity."

I send you this week's Black & White & Christian Commonwealth containing portraits of & articles on two of our grand old men, Ruskin & Blackie, wh. may interest you to glance over.

We have no definite knowledge of Fred W's departure from America, but presume he sailed on Novr 4th. Bon Voyage to him!

I haste this to you in the hour between my morning & my afternoon's round of visits.

My heart's best love to you always, Johnston

Kind regards to all.

 

P S Later

Since I wrote this letter I have recieved a p.c.—& a letter from JWW. On the former written on ferry boat he says that H.L.T would kill him outright with kindness if he stayed at Camden much longer & in the latter​ letter​ he tells me that you have given him a copy of the '76 Edition of L. of G. as a present for me! The mere announcement of the fact stirs my heart to its depths with feelings of grateful affections & I long to clasp your dear hand in expressing my thanks to you for this last token of your great & abiding love. To thank you adequately I feel I cannot but I know you will take the will for   the deed. When I saw the Vol. you Kindly sent to Geo. Humphries I was envious of his possession of it; but now that you have kindly given me the two volumes—now on the Atlantic in the City of Berlin with J.W.W.—I can but say I thank you from the botton of my heart & assure you that they shall be prized as among my most precious possessions. J.W.W says that while in Camden he was always "on the band wagon or walking with the drum major!"

  see notes Nov 17 1891