then, too young to appreciate the opportunity of spending a few hours with
a woman, who had made herself famous as the author of " The lass of Lowries".
Ned was a freshman in College, but not especially interested in her stories
although he came to lunch and enjoyed it very much. Sam Bowles, "young Sam",
^as we call him, wrote me saying that "he was making a little carriage trip
through the valley, with the already famous woman, ^also Kate Foote, of Springfield,
a woman of some literary note, and Mr. Griffin, Senior editor of the "Repub-
lican", and would I like to bring them all to lunch with us on a certain day
as they returned to Springfield via Amherst, adding with his usual gentle
thoughtfulness, not to trouble about the lunch in the least, as bread and
butter, with a plate of soup, would be quite enough. They arrived about
noon, in the fresh glory of a perfect May day. I invited Arthur Gillette,
then a senior, to come down and take Mrs. Burnett, out to lunch, your Father
being in Boston. Fresh Asparagus, and salad from our own garden and hotbed,
made an appetizing garnish for the luncheon. Arbutus filled the centre
of the table, bright sunshine looked in at all the windows, as if eager
to rival the sparkle of the talk ^within. Ms. Foote, was a keen ready woman
the gentlemen as alert, as men could well be, so that "mots" flew back and
forth, and repartee flashed in meteoric fashion. Mrs. Burnett was dressed
in a plain suit of black velvet, her manner was velvety too, and a little
shy, her hair was soft, abundant and wavy [sic], quite the kind Browning talks
about so much. Her eyes, were poet's eyes; large ^and and ^{ever so} dreamy, ^that their im-
pression upon me was so strong, they have quite made me forget, her nose,
mouth, complexion, and the expression of her hands. Her manner was quiet,
but a little intense, revealing an undercurrent of appreciation, quite be-
yond, as everyone knows, a more verbose manner. After luncheon, we strolled