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  54 Manchester Rd Bolton England My Dear Old Friend,

This is a sacred day for me—a day replete with sweet & tender associations; for it is the Anniversary of the Day when I first saw you face to face, took you by the hand, sat & talked with you—a day for ever memorable to me as one of the three supremely Happy Days in my life. These are:—

  • I The Day when I was "capped" & received my Degree at the University of Edinburgh— (Aug 1st 1874)
  • II The Day I was married (Decr 18th 1878)
  • III The Day when I first saw Walt Whitman (July 15th 1890)
 

'Tis only a year since I first made your acquaintance; but what a year it has been for me! How rich, how full of soul-life! Only a year! And yet I seem to have known you all my life!

I have thought much of you today & my heart has gone out with a great longing yearning to be with you & near you & to bathe myself in the sweet aroma of your personal presence.

I had hoped to have another association connected with this memorable Day viz:—to meet; Dr Bucke but unfortunately we learn that the Britannic will not arrive at Liverpool until the evening of the 16th or the   morning of the 17th. So that we shall probably have our "College meeting" on the 17th.

Having an hour at liberty this afternoon I escaped to my little woodland haunt (in Raikes wood) where I draft this letter, surrounded by waving, rustling trees, the songs of birds the humming of bees, the long slender grasses The flowering umbelliferous plants, the pretty wild flowers upon which at this moment the sun is shining & lighting up the recesses of the sloping bank covered with its "sight-refreshing green."

This morning I read a short letter from your friend Talcott Williams acknowledging rect of the facsimile letter. He tells me that you were then "pretty well"

I also recd a good letter (photo's not recd yet) from H L T in   wh: he says that encouragement is your guest & that on the whole you have spent better days with cheerier converse since than before the dinner & that the weather is in your favour. As I cannot write to him now wd you please kindly thank him for the letter?

We are indeed delighted to hear such favourable accounts of you & we cordially hope that you will not only maintain your ground but gain fresh strength.

As I write this a thrush pipes near me & seems to say:—"Walt! Walt! Walt!" "God bless him! God bless him! God bless him!" "Good cheer! Good cheer! Good cheer!" "Give him my love! Give him my love!"

Yes little birdie; I will send him your loving message, along with my own.

"So long," friend of friends from Yours affectionately J Johnston