Feinburg/Whitman General Correspondence Smith, Alys W. June 1888, - June 1890 (DCN208) Box 16 Folder 10Walt Whitman Esq, 328 Mickle Street Camden New Jersey U.S. America London 10 June 88June 21st. They have reached London safely. Mr. Smith much better for the voyage. New York Jun 36 camden author, Olive Schreiner, when we were in the Riviera, & she is such an interesting girl. She has wonderful dark eyes & a lovely expressive face, & her conversation is most delightful. I wish that she were going to America instead of back to Africa, so that you could see her. - Mary sends you a great deal of love & so do I, dear Mr. Whitman. We hope you are pretty well. Will you give my love to Mrs. Davis? Yours affectionately Alys Smith [*A special message of love from me. Mary.*] 40 Grosvenor Road, Westminster Embankment S.W. Dear Mr. Whitman - I am writing to you from Mary's to tell you about her and her dear little baby, four weeks old. It is another little girl to be called Katherine Elizabeth, but Karin (pronounced like the "a" in 'car') for short. She is a dear good little baby with large blue eyes, and Ray is so pleased withher little sister. She calls her "isser" & likes to kiss & stroke her. Mary is not as well as she ought to be, a troublesome wisdom tooth having followed the appearance of the baby, and that is why she hasnot written to you, though she has thought of you very often. The rest of us are all well & very pleased to be back in England again. Father & Mother & I spent the winter in France & Italy & we enjoyed the trip very much indeed, but still nothing compares to London & to the dear old Thames running by us here. Mr. Rhys & his sister are near neighbours of ours in Westminster & I have seen the sister once since I came home. I think she is very pretty & charming, as you said. Have you seen that novel "The Story of an African Farm"? We saw a good deal of theMiss Alys Smith 40 Grosvenor Road The Embankment London England SWCamden NJ US America April 22 '89 Y'r welcome letter has come and Mary's word - my best love, to all, not forgetting the dear little ones - Nothing very new with me - am still a prisoner here in Mickle Street 2d story, sitting at this moment in the big ratan 'chair' - are you (father mother etc.) domiciled still at 44? Yesterday here almost hot. Walt WhitmanBryn Mawr College Nov. 9th. 1889. Dear Mr. Whitman- I am very sorry, but I shall not be able to get over to see you this week. I am writing an essay on Victor Hugo and I find him a stubborn subject! So all my time will be taken up with him. I send you the Sun. Maid, but I amafraid the print is not very good. Thank you for letting me see Mrs. Rhys' letter. Yours affectionately, Alys. Sat: evng This is Alys Smith's note returning ER's letter began to wear spectacles and Ray is very happy over her Christmas presents. Logan has been busy canvassing for a free Library in Whitechapel. I enclose a little cutting about Robert Browning that may interest you. Throw it away after you have looked over it. I am going back to College on Monday & I shall hope to see you at the end of the week. Yours lovingly Alys 1417 Eaton Place Baltimore Jan. 4. 1890. Dearest Mr. Whitman I hoped to see you so often during my Christmas holidays and I have not been able to manage it once. The ten days I was in Germantown, I was in bed either with the "gripe" or with a dreadful toothache, and as soon as the grip was gone and the tooth out, I came down here. I am staying with my cousin Grace Thomas (I wonder if youremember her.) She is now Mrs. Worthington and has two of the dearest little children I ever saw, a little boy and a little girl. All my friends here are just recovering from the grip, too. It is most absurd. I sincerely hope that you have not had it. We went over to see the Johns Hopkins Hospital the other day, and it is magnificent. Everything is so wonderfully complete and clean. The Nurse's Home is charming and reminded me very much of our College dormitory buildings. They have at the head of the nurses a certain Miss Hampton, a large fine woman with such a pretty face and the most charming manners. I was fascinated by her, for she seemed the ideal nurse, the incarnation of good health and kindness. I have very good news from home, that Marichen is quite well since sheyou are. I shall be quite proud to be able to give all your London friends the latest news of you. Please give my love to Mrs. Davis, and keep a great deal for yourself, now dear, dear friend. Yours most affectionately, Alys M. Smith L. L. Eider Friday. June 13th. 1890 Just wrote note June 21 1890 Dear Mr. Whitman- I simply hated to take leave of you. My visits to you this winter have been such a pleasure to me and it is one of my greatest regrets in leaving America that I must leave you behind. If only Camden were alittle near London! I hoped that perhaps I could get over to see you once again, but I was kept too busy with the graduation just at the last. I hope you saw the account of it all in the Ledger. We have been at sea nearly a week, and we hope to reach Southampton on Sunday. I can hardly realize that I shall see all my dear family so soon. The voyage has been rough and uneventful, except for three icebergs and two whales! I do hope you will keep well this summer thro' all the hot weather, dear Mr. Whitman. You must send me an occasional postal card to let us know how