Partial Transcript of Letter from Emma Stebbins to Sidney Lanier, July 14, 1876

Partial Transcript of Letter from Emma Stebbins to Sidney Lanier, July 14, 1876

Stebbins, Emma, 1815-1882

Lanier, Sidney, 1842-1881

Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876

Cushman, Edwin "Ned" Charles, 1838-1909

Frustration

Arts--Literature

Gossip--Private

Intimacy--As topic

Transcript

Manners / Etiquette

Emma Stebbins laments that Lanier acted too hastily when he made an arrangement with a publisher. She never intended to imply an immediate conclusion. She also regrets having asked Lanier to annul the contract with Osgood as she would have preferred to postpone it.


Transcripts by Jennie Lorenz

Credit

Library of Congress, Charlotte Cushman Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Stebbins, Emma, 1815-1882

LoC, JLP 2

1876-07-14

Reference

[…] I am not a business woman, and cannot weigh the value of my words – as if they were to be tried in a court of justice – the extract you send me from my letter – certainly would bear the interpretation you put upon it – and yet I never meant it to apply to making a contract with any publisher – as you must have seen by my letter to you in N.Y. begging you not to conclude until I could communicate with the Cushmans – I have tried to explain to you what I meant about keeping Mr. C. out of the matter. I did write to keep him out – I did fear his brusquereie and inexperience. but it was a thing to be managed – not declared openly – for my relations with him did not permit him to be ignored – he is my trustee – as well as the Trustee of the Cushman estate, and has been extremely kind to me ever since his Aunt’s death: - so your letter to him frightened me – in the next, you informed him very bluntly indeed that I intended he should be kept outside, and lustly[?] you say that you go upon my information with regard to materials – when I have tried my best to make you understand – that I don’t ever know what materials there are + I have never yet seen them and what I possess is very meagre indeed. – I send you back this letter and I think you will see and reading it over – that it was rash – and ill-aclused – for in this matter of the look you could not disconnect yourself from Miss Cushma’s nearest relative, or give him +++ of offence – without finding you had placed a great obstacle in your own way. If I had mailed a day or two before writing to ask you to annul the contract –I should propbaby have begged you to postpone [underlined] rathr [sic!] than annul it; and to allow myself a little more time to see my way, a little time to feel better – and to lift from my shoulders some heavy pressures which weigh me down just now – but from your just receiver – I suppose it is too late for that – However I have myself written to-day to Mr. Osgood asking him for a bried delay – perhaps you will not feel inclined now to accept any sort of compromise. […]

Stebbins, Emma, 1815-1882

Lanier, Sidney, 1842-1881

Lenox, MA, US

40.8816547

-94.5619095