
Sitting here on the evening of Good Friday—a general holiday—I thought I wd give myself the pleasure of sending you a line or two.
This morning I recd a letter from J.W.W. inviting me to spend the afternoon with him & enclosing a facsimile of your kind p.c. of the 14th inst to him. Your reference to his "affectionate fervid letter of Mar 3rd" which you had "read twice and absorbed" pleased him greatly.
I have just returned from his house where our mutual friend Wentworth Dixon—one of "the boys" & a splendid fellow—with his wife &
boy have also been spending the afternoon Leaving the boy—a fine sturdy
little chap—behind we all went for a two hours' walk through beautiful
Rivington, & much did I enjoy the pure, sweet and
exhilirating exhilarating
air, the lovely landscape picture & all the magnificent shows of earth
& sky—for today has been exceptionally splendid in its atmosphere
effects—great masses of sunlit fleecy clouds towering high into & scudding
across the deep blue empyrean. At times the entire sky became overcast & we had
blinding showers of snow & sleet which were swept along by the high wind like
flying wraiths
or
mist-ghosts.
On the 25th the Bolton International Club had a "Whitman
Evening" when Fred Wild read a short paper & selections
from Ingersoll's Oration upon you.
The reading provoked a good deal of criticism—some of it very shallow—to
which Fred replied in a vigorous table speech. I also took part in the discussion,
read extracts from L. of G & shewed showed
some of my "Whitman photos," post cards &c. The room was draped with
the flags of different nations—English, French, German, Swiss &c. Fred
also exhibited his just finished oil painting of an American mail steamer ploughing
her way through the moonlit heaving waters of the Atlantic. The picture wh' is really a fine
one was much admired.
On Monday evg last we had another Whitman reading at the College & we anticipate a great treat upon Ap 10th when J.W.W. gives us his address upon your 1855 Edition.
I am deeply sorry to hear that you have "no cheery or favourable favorable news" to send us about yourself—May the next be better!
God bless you my dear, old friend, & send you better times!
Please give my kindest regards to HLT & to all your household. With fondest heart love to you I remain
yours affectonately J JohnstonP.S I send you this weeks' Literary World with a marked par re J.A. Symonds.—