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  My Dear Walt Whitman

Just a few lines to supplement Dr Bucke's letter to you this morning & to tell you what a good time we are having.

Yesterday & today have been red letter days for us all. What a splendid fellow the doctor is! He has won all our hearts & we shall grudge to part with him.

 

Yesterday we had a glorious drive all round Belmont & Rivington. The day was magnificently fine & not too hot & we all enjoyed it greatly. Had tea at the Revd JW Thompson's house in Rivington—a charming little rural retreat all embowered in honeysuckle, foxgloves & roses.

Evening spent here. Nearly all the boys present. A downright good time. Dr read us your kind messages & gave us lots of interesting talk about you.   After supper came songs, recitations—Will Law, our comic man in great form—speeches &c, from Wallace, Hutton & Dr B. Fun & frolic kept up till midnight.

We gave Dr "a touch of our quality" & I think he enjoyed it. He stayed indoors this forenoon, writing & this aft. a few of us went to Rivington with him & making our way to the secluded spot where we celebrated your birthday—a tree there has carved on it "May 31 '91"—we sat down while Dr read to us his paper upon you (intended for the forthcoming book) while the trees waved   overhead, the birds sang, the cattle lowed, the haymowing machine whirred & now & then the strains of a band of music belonging to a Sunday school party having their "field day" floated on the breeze.

Wallace made a neat speech in praise & partial criticism of that most impressively striking essay of the Dr's & we all enjoyed our hour & a half there immensely—

Altogether a most memorable afternoon

Returning we had tea at Wallace's where I left them to attend to some professional work here.

 

Please thank Warry & Mrs Davis for the Canary bird which the Dr brought safely.—I have given it to Wallace as Warry just mentioned it in a letter to him & we had the impression that it was originally intended for him. But we regard it as a joint possession & it now graces Wallaces mantelpiece directly underneath your portrait

They all send their love to you as does

Yours affectionately J Johnston over  

PS I hope you are keeping better these days.

Please thank Traubel for the photos wh Dr B thinks do not do him justice—they give a wrong impression of him.

All the same we are glad to have them as we now know something how our friend looks

Love to Warry Harry & Mrs Davis

I took a photographic group, with Dr B in it, at Rivington y'day.

Will send you copy if successful

JJ   see note Aug 1st 1891