The San Francisco call., 1906-09-22
Longfellow Letters Reveal
Love for His Children.
From a star Correspondent

II
life OF Henry wadsworth Long
fellow was an uncommonly happy
one Is generally known, but new
and interesting glimpse Of the relations
Of the great American poet with ms
children Is given by a series OF Lonsrei-
low letters which has just been pur-
chased bv Messrs. Henry Sotheran &
Co. the London book sellers and auto
graph dealers
The correspondence was written 20
a Miss Fl. Davis OF Ware cottage. Lyme
Regis. Dorset. who was for ten years
governess in Longfellow's family In
America. and who. the poet says
faithfully looked after and carefully
educated my three daughters"
Throughout the letters. which havs
never heretofore been published. Long
fellow continually refers to the little
ones. and tn many of the passages
there are real touches of deep feeling
For instance. in letter from Cam
bridge on June IT, 1862, Longfellow
says:
Charley has gone to town. Erny is In {
bed. Alice is practieing our piano. !
forte. and stand writing at this desk
How natural it all seems, but how
dreary to me Is this bright. cool June
day.
This last sentence is rnournfully In
teresting. In the year 1851 Longfeliow
lost his wife. whose dress caught
alight in his own house. She was
burned to death. and the poets ~dreari- :
ness" spoken OF in the letter undoubt-
edly referred to his sad loss.
LongfeIlow's deep and abiding love
for his children. OF whom he wrote as
Grave Alice and laughing Allegrs
And Edith with golden hair.
is shown in this letter, as in others
He says:
Erny is very feverish and Ill this
morning. n he feels better toward noon
or Dr. wyenan thinks lightly Of the
matter. shall take Alice with me to
Portland this afternoon and bring the
little one back tomorrow afternoon.
The "Erny" referred to is now Ernest
wadsworth LongfelIow. well known
artist in New York
| Writing from Nahant. in the United
States. on July "a. 1855, LOngfellow
says:
I send you a little of the seaside
drowsiness In the shape Of a letter
IL .. Edith and Annie have re-
turned from Portland and Erny
and Alice have gone to the White
Mountains. Charley is here
Bathing goes on with vigor. Sally has
heven been on horseback quite out into
deep water till the. horse swan and
threw her OF, and she came safe
ashore by her own skill in swimming.
not bit frightened, but eager to
mount and try IL again.
In a charmingly piquant passage he
says:
/ Lessons are reduced to a minimum
but the little ones are very
conscientious and faithful. We are
also Just as good as we can be-
Another extract evidently has refer
ence to a little love affair of one OF his
children He writes:
Armadale is becoming intense The
young lady in the red shawl appears
on the borders OF the lake as in the
dream, and. oh. dear. how interesting
1t is
Longfellow had a love for British
patriotism In a letter to Miss Davis
on October 15. 1860. from Cambridge.
he says:
/ 1t would be a thousand pities IL such
a true and loyal Briton as you are
should not have sight OF your Prince
So write to say that you will have a :
chance to see him on Thursday He
will pass down Beacon street on horse =
back to review some troops on the
/ common, and you. from a balcony win
dow, can wave your handkerchief and
say In your heart God bless him.
All these letters were written In
LongfeIlow's plain. scholarly hand and
signed Yours truly. Henry w. Long !
fellow"
With the letters Messrs. Sotheran
bought a number Of little slips of paper
per covered with writing scribbled with +
pencil in the handwriting of the author
OF "Hiawatha-" 1t Is evident that these
were written as labor of love for
some juvenile Journal for they contain
simple. funny little flashes of brilliancy
and on the back OF the last is inscribed. i
written for the Secret They ara
headed. Commercial intelligence" Re-
view OF the Market" and following ara
some OF the extracts:
| Cotton dropping. particularly in shirt
| collars In warm weather
/ Flour quiet, except when mixed with
yeast: then 1t rises and Il anything but !
! quiet.
/ Groceries with a downward tendency
AL good groceries have this tendency.
particularly sugar and preserves.
Hides a shade easier. Mine is since (
the cold weather is over
/ Mackerel without change. but they
have a good many grsenbacks among
\ them.
i Oats DUH The horses are OF quite a
dinerent opinion; so are all young gem
tlenen who feel their oats"
shingles steady, when they are well
nailed down; otherwise the wind Is apt
| to blow them or
Pork heavy. 1t should never be eaten