[Friend Fall:
Redpath] tells me to [blow you] up. [Here goes!] I [wanted you] to scare Rondout off with a big price. $125 [ain’t] big. I got $100 the first time I ever talked [there & now ] [they’ve] a much larger hall. It is [a hard town to] get to[—I run a chance of getting caught by the ice [&] missing next engagement.] Make the price [$150], [&] let them draw out.1
[Yours,
Mark.]
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
Source text(s):
P1 | MTL, 1:189–90 |
P2 | AAA 1925, lot 28 |
Previous publication:
L4, 437.
Emendations, adopted readings, and textual notes:
No copy-text. The text is based on two transcripts, each of which derives independently from the MS:
The rationale for emendations to remove MTL styling is given in Description of Texts. P2 introduces the letter as “Elmira, July 20, To Friend Fall, reading in part.”
Elmira, July 20. (C) • Elmira, N.Y. July 20, 1871. (P1); Elmira, July 20, (P2)
Friend Fall: | [¶] Redpath (C) • Friend Fall,—Redpath (P1); To Friend Fall, reading in part,—“Redpath (P2)
blow you (P2) • blow (P1)
goes! (P1) • goes. (P2)
wanted you (P1) • wanted (P2)
ain’t (P1) • aint (P2)
there, & now (C) • there and now (P1); there, now (P2)
they’ve (P2) • they have (P1)
a hard town to (P1) • as hard to (P2)
—I . . . engagement. (P1) • [not in] (P2)
& (C) • and (P1)
$150, (P2) • $150‸ (P1)
& (P2) • and (P1)
Yours, | Mark. (C) • Yours, | Mark. (P1); Mark. (P2)