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#1834: Willa Cather to Sidney Florance, June 30, 1945

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Dear Sidney Florance1:

I will be very glad indeed if Mr. Foe3 will take the $1,000 farm mortgage North half of Northwest Quarter of Section 22, Township 2, Range 12 off my hands. I notice, however, that the description of the land in the assignment, which reads "(N1/4NW1/4 22-2-12)", is not in accordance with the description as it appears on the line above. This is probably a typographical error and should be changed to "(N1/2NW1/4 22-2-12)".

For the present it will be much more convenient for me if you will deposit the amount paid by Mr. Foe in the Peoples-Webster County Bank for me. After the fifth day of July, I shall be up in the State of Maine4 for probably two months, at work on a new story5. You can reach me there at any time by telegraph or by letter. My address will be: Asticou Inn6 Northeast Harbor7 Maine

I am really shocked at what you tell me about Will Auld8's unloading on Mrs. Damerel9 a piece of land adjoining mine. He had handled Mrs. Damerel's business affairs ever since her husband10's death, and I thought that was the one trust that he respected. But I suppose when a man begins to part with his integrity, he generally lets it all slip before the end. My father11 had a great respect for Will's uncle, Tom Auld12. Both Tom Auld and my father thought this young man a model of probity because he did not smoke and never drank a cocktail!

I keep track of the weather reports in the Red Cloud13 paper14, and it looks to me as if the outlook for corn crop is certainly good, though I sometimes wonder whether you are not getting just a little too much rain!

I shan't attempt to thank you for the trouble you have taken in helping me to straighten out my affairs in Nebraska15, but I shall never forget your kindness, and it has given me a warm and comfortable feeling about Red Cloud again. Sad and unpleasant things have happened since I was last there, and I had begun to feel very timid about ever going back.

Faithfully yours, Willa Cather