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#2400: Willa Cather to Margaret Cather Shannon, July 8 [1943]

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The Eastland
The Congress Square
Portland, Me.2
Dear Little Margaret1;

On the 18th day of the heat wave in New York3 my doctor shipped me off to the north of Maine4. It's no very pleasant place to be, but it is cool and this hotel is fairly comfortable. Edith5 is with me, and she may[?]# go on from here to Grand Manan6 next week.

#and she may #take up by telephone. #deeply disappointed #like

I hated awfully to leave town without seeing you, Dear, just when Richard7 was going away. It was all too dreary to# take up by telephone. Anyway, I was too #deeply disappointed[?] at flunking out like# this—couldn't talk about it. You must try to remember that when I was well, and you and Elizabeth8 were free, I loved having you with me. Now that you both have families and lives of your own, I can't follow on so well. This one time, when Richard The Eastland
The Congress Square
Portland, Me.
Richard was going away I might have made things a little more cheerful for you—if that unreasonable heat hadn't used me up so completely.

If Helen Louise9 should get in touch with you and ask my whereabouts, try to explain for me, won't you? I never knew her address, though her father10 wrote she was coming to live in "New Jersey"11. You might let Meta12 know that I've had rather a knock-out, but I'll pull out of it if I can be err quiet and cool and fairly in-active for a time. My heart went rather queer, for the first time.

I think about you very often and very lovingly. I spend most of the day in bed, but no "room service" here on account of "War industries". Fifty transports are being built all night and all day on the islands my 11th story windows look out upon. The noise reaches us only faintly, but there are no bell boys or porters left in the north of Maine, and there is not much food.

Lovingly from Your Aunt Willie

This is the only letter I have written, except a note to my secretary13. Nobody but my doctor knows where I am! I register Miss W. S. Carter Room 1176 (Don't try to write to me until I have a real address somewhere.