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#0090: Willa Cather to Dorothy Canfield, July 13, 1903

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Burlington
Route
BURLINGTON & MISSOURI RIVER RAILROAD IN NEBRASKA. (2802)
CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & QUINCY RAILWAY COMPANY, LESSEE.
My Dearest Dorothy1;

I got just a line from you forwarded here from Pittsburgh3 and hope to find a letter from you awaiting me at Red Cloud4, where I will be in a few days. It is fine and cool here and Douglass5 and I have been enjoying our stay together mightily, though I think we both feel curse of growing older more than ever before, and it is a little harder for us to get together than it has ever been. But in some ways these things make it only the more necessary and blessed to be for awhile side by side.

The night I left Pittsburgh I was elected to the head of the English department of the Allegheny High School at a salary of $1400. There were fifteen applicants for the position so the committee declared competitive examinations on July second, and that is what kept me in Pittsburgh overtime. Isabelle's6 father7 and uncle8 did all the going about and seeing people for me. They were just fine, I never saw the Judge so bestir himself. I wanted it chiefly because of the desirable hours—from 8:30 to one oclock only.

I did not get to stop in Lincoln9 at all, but will do so on my way back. It seemed awfully funny to come straight through. I'm not very well and the sudden jump into a very high altitude rather exhausts me. I am all unreconciled to losing all hope of seeing Vermont10 this year, but I do believe that its my duty to be here and in Red Cloud. I cant endure the thought of going clear out of Roscoe11 and Douglass' life, and I want to keep alive all my feeling for them, whatever else I loose.

What are you doing or studying this summer, and is your mother12 painting anything? My best love to you all—not forgetting your cousin Hermie13

Faithfully always Willie
After 10 days, return to
BURLINGTON & MISSOURI R. R. R. IN NEBRASKA,
1004 Farnam Street,
OMAHA, NEBR.14
Miss Dorothy Canfield1 Arlington15 Vermont "Graham Court" 116th St & 7th Ave New York, N.Y.16 CHEYENNE, WYO.2 Jul 13 1903. 7—P Arlington VT.15 JUL 17 1903 8 PM
NEW YORK NY STA J16 JUL 18 1903 6—A [missing]INGTON,VT15 JUL 1[missing] 1 903[?]