A Calendar of the Letters of Willa Cather

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Results 21-30:

To Laura HillsSept. 23, 1943PM 

Sorry to have to send her a typed letter. Had a wet summer in Maine. Left the New York heat in June for Portland, which she remembered as being very pleasant, but with all the shipbuilding going on it is miserable. So they went to the Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor, which was cool but rainy. Bar Harbor is practically deserted. Hitler has ruined the New World as well as Europe. Is looking forward to a visit from her niece in October and Yehudi and Nola Menuhin with their two children after that. Will share a letter from them about their recent tour of South America. Yehudi has been to England to entertain soldiers, went over on bomber.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1639]


To Elizabeth Shepley SergeantDec. 31, 1943PM 

Hand is in brace again, so can't write. Many things have kept her distracted. Nieces in town looking for places to live while husbands in the military—one of them with a baby; no maid when they got back from Maine; five books out in military editions and a consequent flood of letters from soldiers. Tried to send Christmas notes for the first time in several years, and strain on hand put it back into brace. Feels worried about her since the cold weather set in. Hopes she is in town. Is still eighteen pounds underweight and feels the cold. Is cranky toward her friends sometimes and doesn't deserve the favor of a real letter, but please just drop a note.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1653]


To Irene Miner WeiszDec. 31, 1943Newberry 

Greatly appreciates pudding she sent, which conveys real friendship. Has had a difficult year. Three old friends in Pittsburgh died, and has not heard from Carrie in a long time. Must have hurt her feelings or offended her in some way. Really did mean to go to Red Cloud in the fall, but coming back from Maine to find no household help was daunting. Didn't get anyone until November 1, and then had problems. Mary Virginia's visit helped, but only because she kept her distance, stayed at a hotel and only dropped by for brief visits. Sad, but any kind of pleasure or emotional excitement is exhausting. Nerves seem messed up since the operation. Would be impossible to go to Red Cloud, where there would be such emotional strain, both happy and troubling, not to mention scoffers like Helen Mac. Afraid she would cry all the time. Elsie has made things hard, too. [sentence blacked out] No use saying any more about that. All together, things have been difficult. Has received a nice letter from Mary, who says there are two sides to every story, which is true. Carrie seems to have given up on her. Wishing her a happy winter in Mexico and hopes she will come to New York next spring. Then she can see for herself how things are.   Willie   [Stout #1654]


To Mrs. George WhicherJan. 24, 1944PM 

Sorry not to have written in so long. The world is all in distress, everyone's lives disrupted. All the young people in her family caught up in the war. Mary Virginia and husband, Dick Mellen, at Camp Carson in Colorado, and her brother at a camp in Arizona, one of the least attractive spots in the state. Enjoyed having Mary Virginia in town for a visit recently. Another niece's husband is commander of an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. Everyone lives in suspense. Will paste their Christmas card with picture of Beacon Street into Annie Fields's Memories of a Hostess. Doesn't understand why Boston has messed up the area around Trinity Church. Spent last summer in Maine; very comfortable in spite of poor food. Wishing them a happy new year. Willa Cather. P.S.: Has sprained right hand again and is back in Dr. Ober's brace.   [Stout #1657]


To Zoë AkinsAug. 4, [1944], from MaineHuntington 

Enjoyed receiving her card from the Southwest. They must have left New York about the same time. P.S.: Suggests she read Army of Shadows.  W. S. C.   [Stout #1673]


To Professor Carl J. WeberDec. 12, 1944Colby 

What he was told about her visit with Housman was incorrect. Hopes to write her own account of the event, to correct misinformation. Certainly Housman was not rude to her and her friends, though they deserved it for brashly dropping in without notice or invitation.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1684]


To Fanny ButcherJan. 31, 1945Newberry 

Enjoyed receiving her Christmas card. Had a nice visit to Northeast Harbor, Maine, during the summer and was able to write, but then her hand acted up again.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1695]


To Mrs. George WhicherJan. 31, 1945PM 

Was glad to hear from her at Christmas. Appreciates old friends' remembrances. Yes, it was reasonable for her to quit her job. Most people's jobs are wrecked now anyway. Spends much of her time and energy writing to soldiers in foxholes who have written to her after seeing one of the Armed Forces editions. Spent the summer at Northeast Harbor, Maine, enjoying a little work. Still has occasional problems with right hand. It is tied up in Dr. Ober's brace again now, so can't write by hand.   Willa Cather   [Stout #1696]


To Fanny ButcherApr. 19, 1945Newberry 

Very glad to hear from her. Amazing how active she is after such an illness. Wasn't up to work herself for a whole year after gallbladder operation, not until last summer in Maine. Wasn't able to write much during the winter, with interruptions and shortage of help, but did a lot of reading. Only good recent book she knows of is Hersey's A Bell for Adano. Wars don't nourish art.   W. S. C.   [Stout #1703]


To Carrie Miner Sherwood,  n.d. [1945?] WCPM 

Leaving for Northeast Harbor, Maine very soon. Enclosing something for her to read.   Willie   [Stout #1710]


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