
I was very glad to see that you was able to get down stairs to your thanksgiving dinner, &
I trust you will be able to get down to your Christmas dinner, & to do full justice to it.
We are dwellers in this town again this winter. Wife hired rooms here 1st of Nov, & went to
housekeeping. I clung to the farm & lived alone with my dog, coming down here Sundays
& stormy weather. Now the snow has come I
shall probably be here most of the time. I am pretty well, but a good deal troubled. The old farm
where I was born has come back upon my hands & is very embarrassing. I tried to help my
brother through with it, but he has proved unequal to the task & I have had to take it to secure
myself from heavy loss. But I shall lose 8 or 9 hundred dollars in any event & may be much more,
I go out there again this afternoon. Julian goes to school & is well,
Mrs. B. is pretty well.
I had some correspondence this fall with a daughter of Chas.
Kingsley. She wrote me for a copy of your poems. She is greatly taken with them,
but says there are things in them that make her gasp. Her mother, a lady of 80 is very enthusiastic
over them. She seems to be one of the best readers you ever had.
I suppose a great poet has passed away in Browning. It is curious that I can make nothing of him. His manner always repells me & his matter is not interesting. I trust you keep well as usual & that I shall hear from you soon
With love John Burroughs