
Your card of the 27th of September reached me along with the parcels of books. Thanks
many & hearty for your prompt attention to my requests, dear Walt Whitman. The big
Bible for my boy will "go home," I feel certain. Your inscription in it is beautiful;
and the lad will value the book more and more as
he grows older. I should have judged from the vigour and firmness of the writing that
you had taken a start for the better; but I must not assume more than the
words of your card authorize,
"right arm, mentality, and fair
spirits." The Sculptor's profile for
"Goodbye my Fancy" is very impressive and grand.
The parcels contained 1 Complete Works, 2 "Good-Bye my Fancy," 1 "As a Strong Bird,"
1 Burroughs, 1 "Democratic Vistas," & 1 "Gras-halme." You say more to follow,
"especially new issue of Leaves": of this last I am very glad, & hope you will
write in it for me; but I think that will use up the money I sent, in all probability;
so I send some more. What I wanted "Democratic
Vistas," "As a Strong Bird," "Passage to India," & "After All" for
was to have inscribed
copies from you. If you conclude to indulge me you can still send them against
the present remittance; and I should like, besides, the cloth covered &
inscribed "Good-Bye," six more of the unbound copies like the 2 you sent. Then
I should be glad of another lot of "Portraits Well-Enveloped" such as I had
a year or so ago, and one or two spare "sculptor's profiles." Bucke
says you like doing these little business matters &
hearing direct from us now & again. But if I worry you with my minutiae
you need not take any notice of me.
Next parcel might contain with advantage one or two facsimiles of your birthday
bulletin to Dr. Johnston; and finally, if you advise me of dispatch,
will you
this time do so on one of the yellow bits of paper (enclosed) instead of a card?
Not that I object to cards, but (as you will suspect) because I want a
note from you on the yellow sheet.
I am providing the next generation with lots of beautiful relics of you. My
collection of them is a great pleasure
to me, and when I "go under" some other fellow or fellows will have the
advantage of them.


