So glad she had Sarah Orne Jewett's poems printed. Delighted to receive a copy. Spent six months in the West this year and is in very good health. Is going to the dock today to see Arthur Foote's daughter off to join the ambulance service in France. Real happiness impossible until the war is over. Has not heard from Miss Guiney for a long time. Please write soon. Willa [Stout #376]
Dreamed last night they were traveling together to Red Cloud for her parents' 50th anniversary. Hadn't been a considerate daughter, so didn't deserve the happiness that trip gave her. Irene the only friend who is an active part of both her Red Cloud life and her life since then. Probably why she tells her so much about the Menuhins, so she will go on being a part of it. Hopes to go to Red Cloud for a long visit some time, and hopes she will come. Willie [Stout #1044]
Yes, is the daughter of Jennie Boak Cather. Mother had stroke and is in sanitarium. Father died four [sic] years ago. Remembers Aunt Susan Hackney and cousin Katy Gamble. Appreciates invitation to visit. Willa Cather [Stout #1053]
Thanks for packet of reviews. Isn't the Bladen bank going to pay off its depositors? Or the Inavale bank? Please use enclosed check to buy Christmas fruits and vegetables for the Lambrechts and some good coffee. Is in the middle of moving. P.S.: Roscoe's daughter, Virginia, coming for holidays. Willie [Stout #1137]
Would rather Dorothy write an article on her than anyone else [resulting in "Daughter of the Frontier," New York Herald Tribune, May 1933]. Tired of hearing she has sacrificed to art. Has always indulged herself by following likes and avoiding dislikes. Has luxuriated in a great deal of music. Has shut out people in general in order to devote herself to real friends. Willa [Stout #1158]
Enclosing a letter from Mrs. Skinner's daughter. Please return it after Mary sees it. Menuhins coming in tomorrow. P.S.: English reviews all good. Willie [Stout #1353]
Saw in the newspaper that there had been a speech at a club in Red Cloud about Cornelia Otis Skinner. Sending a sketch of Maud Skinner that was given her by her daughter. A typical story of that period when young people were escaping from prairie towns to bigger cities to experience more of the world. Willie [Stout #1478]
Sorry to say, will not be coming to Red Cloud this fall. Had a hard summer and has felt the strain. Edith ill for a week at Lake Louise and travel difficult. Was in hospital with severe anemia after they got back. Still quite weak and becomes faint with any excitement. Very little appetite. Also some family problems. Family in southern California very hurt by her not letting them know she was in the state. Was able to stop using the brace on her hand while in San Francisco, which pleased Roscoe. Hopes to get really well soon. Mary Virginia cheers her up and does some of her shopping, and niece Margaret, Roscoe's daughter, comes into New York for tea occasionally. Must not take on anything else until she regains some strength. Hand much steadier now. When destroying some old manuscripts yesterday, compared present handwriting to that of years ago and found it more legible now. Willie [Stout #1553]
Was in hospital with a bad throat and high temperature when her letter came. Right hand doing well now, under Dr. Ober's care. Did she get to hear Jack sing at St. Paul's Chapel March 15? Was in the hospital then, so couldn't go. Surprised to hear Jack is studying law, though his innate brightness will surely enliven the level of law practice in this country. Life is so hectic nowadays, with the stressfulness of world events. P.S.: Understands she met Sigrid Undset at Mount Holyoke. Glad American readers have been willing to read Undset's Return to the Future in spite of its praise for Japan. Undset liked the cleanness and elegance of the Japanese, in contrast to the dirtiness of the Russians. Gunnar's Daughter [translation of "FortÓ•llingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis," published by Knopf in 1936]probably her best book. W. S. C. Willa Cather [Stout #1578]
Appreciates her letter. Roscoe's death [Sept. 25, 1945] a terrible blow. Had frequent letters from his daughter Virginia, who thought he was in better health all the time. Was notified by telegram while in Maine, and the following day received a letter he had mailed the day before he died. Terribly sudden, though a blessing for him. Does she remember the day they spent in Brownsville during the severe drought? This is the most difficult ordeal she will ever endure. Willa [Stout #1717]
