7:00 P.M. Found W. in his room "just fixing himself to read." Did not look cheery and said he was not. "I have had a dull weary day," he explained, "and a good many visitors. Have seen three or four and denied some. And do you think the room too warm?" Probably saying this last from something he saw in my face. In the stove a bright wood fire, crackling briskly—the door half open—the light rising and falling from the spasmodic flame. "I had Warrie build it for me. He takes his fiddle lesson
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tonight. Before he went I complained of feeling very chill, so he at once set that going for me. Now I'm afraid it's going too much!" He told me further, "There were two came this morning—I did not see them—a man and a woman. I was tired—tired. You know, Horace, at times my brain simply will not stand that. These folks seemed only to wish to know for certain whether I was to be present at the Hall next week. I don't know what the folks told them." W. continued, telling me that Miss Emily Ingram had been here "yeseterday or day before"—had "brought a young man who went off in the Saratoga." Also that "Mrs. Johnston will be over Saturday, with one other woman." I had a postal from Ingram inquiring about lecture. Answered this evening. No word from Baker today.
Showed W. the following from Law:
He read and remarked, "He is a plain good fellow: I have liked him." But I have never heard W. say anything about that poem.
I received also a couple of notes from Bucke—much more cheerful—one of them enclosing Whitman piece for Conservator, entitled "The Case of Walt Whitman and Col. Ingersoll Summed Up By the Former's Biographer." I shall probably cut off all headline after "Ingersoll." Here are Bucke's notes:
W. read Bucke's piece in proof entire, exclaiming several times, "Good! Good!" then, "Strong! It is strong!" and when he handed it back to me, "Oh! The hot eloquent Doctor!" Said
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he had heard of something in Boston Herald about a lecture— "and there was a squib in the Transcript."
W. has had a letter of acknowledgment from Colonel.
Campbell says he has great demand for tickets today: but tickets did not appear from printers, whom we saw this evening and who promised to deliver in morning.
Morris at Bulletin where they ran him off some slips of advertisement—McCulley (?) there congratulated Morris that we'd got a lot of gratuitous advertising. Peacock (proprietor) who was near, exclaiming, "Yes! Damn Baker!"
Williamson from New York writes for further particulars about lecture.
I wrote Baker this evening.